This Day in History

History for March 2, 2016

100 Year

Work on repairing the S.I. bridge was temporarily stopped Saturday because of failure of a shipment of timbers to arrive, which is still on the way. The timbers were ordered from Seattle. It is stated the order has been in for over 60 days and yet some of the timbers are still standing in the trees, so difficult is it to have orders filled promptly.

Jim Haworth was brought back from Troy Sunday by Deputy Sheriff McMahon and has been committed to jail to serve out a 60-day term imposed for non-support of his family. He had been allowed his freedom on the conditions the he turn in a stipulated sum for the support of his family each week and also that he report to the probate judge at stated periods. This he had failed to do.

Mrs. Thomas Hooker has had some trouble the past week from a badly infected thumb on her hand. She scratched the thumb very lightly on a nail protruding from the wall and thought nothing of the scratch at the time, but infection set in and it was necessary to lance the thumb.

Joe Banning had a watch stolen last week, which was taken from his vest while hanging in his place of business. Suspicions rested against a “floater” who was in town at the time but evidence wasn’t strong enough to warrant conviction. The watch was a 23 jewel Waltham and a valuable timepiece.

One of the most enjoyable times in the history of Curley Creek was that of Saturday evening, when a masquerade ball was given. Some remarkable stunts were pulled off to keep the people from knowing each other. Every one was out for a good time, the prize stunt being the wheeling of one or two grown people into the hall in baby carriages.

50 Year

The bids of four firms have been received for the main construction work on the Libby dam project. The dam will be 3,055 feet long, 420 feet high, and will have four initial generating units and eight ultimate generating units.The project will require 4,100,000 cubic yards of mass concrete and 130,000 cubic yards of structural concrete. There will be 550,000 yards of rock excavation, 5,700,000 yards of common excavation and 3,800,000 cubic yards of downstream channel excavation. The reservoir will be 90 miles long, with 42 miles extending into Canada.

The Bee Line Water Association has received tentative approval of a Farmers Home Administration loan of $71,250.00 as part of the cost of a project to install the new Bee Line water system. The system will be designed for 100 members at a total cost of $178,810.00. A grant of $88,900.00 from FHA will provide another major portion of the project cost and about $18,660.00 will be provided through membership fees.

One of the more popular and exciting sports events of the year will get underway this Friday with the start of the 19th annual American Legion Invitation Grade school basketball tournament. The tourney will be played at Bonners Ferry high school and will continue through Saturday. The tournament is a single elimination affair and winners will move into the championship play-offs while losers will continue action in consolation bracket games on Saturday.

The Bonners Ferry Badgers lost their first two games in the District A-2 basketball tournament at Kellogg last week and Post Falls, Intermountain league winner, defeated Wallace in the Saturday night finals to win the tourney championship.

15 Year

A Boundary County man pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of lewd conduct with a child under the age of 16 in a plea agreement with prosecutors. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors agreed to drop a second lewd conduct charge against Leland A. Ridgley. The second count was filed earlier on Tuesday and apparently involves another alleged victim. Ridgley, 48, waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Magistrate Court, clearing the way for sentencing by a District Court judge. Ridgley could be sentenced to a life in prison.

Former Boundary County Sheriff and county commissioner Ron Smith announced Tuesday he is seriously considering running for the District 1 county commissioner’s seat currently held by chairman Murreleen Skeen. Smith, who was Sheriff from 1983-1988 and also served as county commissioner from 1989-1995, said he has been unhappy with the commissioner’s stance on last month’s school levy as well as the DUI emphasis grant they recently denied.