This date in Bonners Ferry History
100 Year
Porthill, July 9 – John Erickson, a well known resident of this district, had an exciting experience with a brown bear and her cub Thursday while on his way from Porthill to Copeland. Erickson tells that the she-bear attacked him and that he fought it with a club and rocks for fully fifteen minutes. Finally Erickson found a chance to climb into a balsam tree and the bear camped at the foot of the tree awaiting his descent. The commotion of the battle between bear and man attracted the attention of E.E. Minkley and his sons, Joe and Alois. Upon the arrival of these three the bear took to the woods. Alois returned home for a gun and tracked the bear a short distance getting a shot but missing. Erickson’s clothes were torn into tatters as a result of his battle and he sustained several bad scratches and bruises. He came on into Bonners Ferry to secure treatment for his wounds.
The sum of $19.40 was cleared at the quilt raffle held at Brown’s Department store Thursday evening by the ladies of the Alter Society. Claude O’Callaghan won the quilt.
The Crescent Garage sold a 5-passenger Ford auto today to Edgar Charles, proprietor of the Mission Hill Dairy. Mr. Charles will use the car for making milk deliveries.
There has been some talk going the rounds of the town that Dr. Faucett had failed to pass the physical and mental examination recently taken preparatory to his going into the service of Uncle Sam. Dr. Faucett received a letter this week advising him of his acceptance and that he would soon be given orders to report.
50 Year
The Bonners Ferry city council has appointed Councilman A.J. “Aug” Baylon as mayor to fill the vacancy created by the death June 18th of Mayor Joe Wombacher, according to an announcement received from Mrs. Violet Lande, city clerk. Mayor Baylon was elected to the village board of trustees in 1957 and has continued in office since that time, changing status to councilman when Bonners Ferry’s classification was changed from village to city, in January of 1966.
A spectacular lightning and thunder storm struck over Boundary county Wednesday night, but there were no reports this morning of any fires started by the lightning storm that continued for nearly an hour. There was a power outage in Bonners Ferry during the storm, apparently resulting from the lightning cutting off the local power supply from Bonneville Power.
Outdoor Notebook by Jim Parsons – Records are readily available of the largest game animals and fish of various species taken in Idaho, but what about birds? Until one larger is proposed, we’ll nominate a 57-pound trumpeter swan as the biggest waterfowl ever killed in the state. This huge bird, which had a 9’4” wingspread, was downed with a .30-.30 rifle October 11, 1895, at Pend Oreille.
Carl Wommack, North Bench farmer and rancher, was named Boundary county Grassman of the Year following a tour of outstanding farming operations recently. Wommack operates a 44-acre ranch on the south side of Kings Row and leases pasture on a per-head, per-month basis south of Elmira for 92 head of cattle. Wommack will be automatically entered in the district and state Grassman contest and will compete for the honor of being named Idaho Grassman of the Year.
15 Year
Boundary County authorities halted the annual Independence Day fireworks display after somebody sent a military flare rocketing into a crowd of people at the fairgrounds. With over a thousand people gathered for the display, law enforcement canceled the event after they were unable to track down who deployed the device, known as a “slap flare”.
The second-degree murder case against Joseph Allen Manley was dismissed July 2 after forensic biologists offered conflicting interpretations of the blood evidence found on the suspect’s clothing. This dismissal was yet another kink in a case that appeared to have more than its fair share of twists and turns.
Nearly 50 kids from 8 to 16 turned out to learn proper golf etiquette and how to swing a golf club at the 2002 Junior Clinic at Mirror Lake Golf Course last week. Emphasis was placed on the grip, posture, stance and alignment. Each day, kids worked on different parts of the game. They learned putting, chipping, iron shots and of course they all enjoyed heading to the driving range with a driver in hand.
A Boundary County woman and the Bonner General Hospital nurse who examined here were both treated in the emergency room last Wednesday night for rashes believed caused by exposure to a toxic chemical. However, authorities are still puzzling over what caused the arm rashes, burning sensation and, in the nurse’s case minor respiratory problems.