Museum exhibit recalls 1918
Photo by TANNA YEOUMANS During the WWI and 1918 rememberance day, community members were treated to a lunch in the railroad courtyard.
Photo by TANNA YEOUMANS Doughboy stew and a cheese bread was one of several era inspired foods served during the event.
Photo by TANNA YEOUMANS Howard Kent spoke about the WWI and the affect it had on Boundary County as well as local changes over the past century.
BONNERS FERRY — Community members came together to remember the year 1918 and the effects of World War I on May 4 at the Boundary County Museum.
The museum opened at 10 a.m. for visitors to browse the displays, followed by a lunch in the railroad themed courtyard and a historical presentation by Howard Kent. Stories and games were also available to entertain the minds of youth attendees.
The lunch consisted of Doughboy Stew, traditional breads, soldier biscuits, and world war one cake, bringing the common foods of the time for attendees to enjoy.
The servicemen in WWI were referred to as Doughboys, in which the origin of the nickname is unclear. But what is clear is the official 1918 publication of the military magazine ‘Stars and Stripes,’ in which the American Expeditionary Force Commander, General John J. Pershing, stated for the term, “Doughboy is attaching itself to every living man who wears the olive drab. Of late, with the original doughboys in the very vanguard of the AEF, the name appears to have taken on a new accent of respect. Infantrymen, and artillerymen, medical department boys and signal corps sharks, officers and men alike, all of them are called doughboys and some of them are rather proud of it.”
Doughboy Stew is a general name for the food that was made at camp, when fires were allowed. There were limited rations, so the meals consisted of different compilations of the rations received.
The stew served at this event consisted of ingredients found, but not always readily available during the time.
Accompanying the rations that the soldiers received, were regulations on the consumption of certain foods and materials for those that remained nationwide, such as sugar regulations.
Citizens of the era were encouraged to utilize fresh fruits and vegetables in their daily diets, which encouraged the public to maintain a steady supply of more easily shipped foods to support the troops overseas. ‘Meatless Tuesdays’ and ‘Wheatless Wednesdays,’ were a couple of things that citizens practiced so that their loved ones overseas would have a better chance in receiving rations after the war desecrated farmlands and brought a food shortage in France.
National war saving stamps were sold after the government conducted an assessment of the products that each area was able to contribute to the war effort, which assisted in areas contributing their best to the nation during the war. In Boundary County, we supplied a good number of timber to the war effort.
In Howard Kent’s presentation, he pointed out the food regulations as well as the fact that 100 years ago in Boundary County, the Prohibition was still in effect, making alcohol illegal.
In 1915, Boundary County became its own county, separated from Bonner County, and named according to its proximity to the Canadian border as well as the Washington state and Montana borders, and it remains to be the only county in the nation that borders two states and a foreign country.
Community members came together in various ways to support the troops in France, including knitting clothing, baking foods, and volunteering for the Red Cross as nurses and supporters of those at war.
This was a time when people didn’t always volunteer their lives to support the country, but were required to via drafts. Those that shirked their draft duties were labeled as ‘slackers,’ meaning they did not step up to the responsibilities assigned to them by the community and government, and resulted with repercussions. The term later applied to those that were unpatriotic.
Thomas B. Plunkett was the first soldier to die from Boundary county in WWI as a result of injuries. He also served in the Spanish-American war and the Boxer Uprising in China.
Kent went on to discuss the changes in Bonners Ferry from the visual aspect to the community. He pointed out the changes throughout the downtown buildings and their occupants, the changes in landscape, and compared Bonners Ferry in 1918 to what it is now a hundred years later.
“Wonderful event,” said David Brinkman. “Thank you to everyone who made it happen.”
Visiting history and acknowledging the changes over the past century brings a whole new light to both residents and visitors. For those that would like to know more about the history of Bonners Ferry, visit www.bonnersferrymuseum.org