This Week In Bonners Ferry History

100 Years Ago

P.E. Shepherd, President of Kootenai Fruit Growers Assoc. Orchards at McArthur, visited here from Chicago. The company has some 600 acres in apple trees which should have borne fruit this year but for the unusual late frosts. The company is raising fine stands of clover and grains between the rows and with the second cutting of clover this week will have about 250 tons of the finest clover.

Forest fires in Idaho are burning out of control mainly in the Selway Forest area near Clearwater. The forest service announced that a million dollars has been spent fighting fires in North Idaho and Montana this season. Locally, a fire started Saturday near Meadow Creek, but is reported under control today.

The new school at Copeland is to be built and ready for occupancy by Nov. 1. Work will start at once. The new building will have two large classrooms, a library, large corridors, full basement and heating plant. The site is on a slope overlooking the Kootenai Valley. Frank Clapp of this city is the contractor. The school is to cost $8000.

50 Years Ago

Great Northern Railway filed an application to abandon a 25 mile branch line providing once a week freight service between Bonners and Porthill. The line services 8 grain elevators and 1 pulpwood log operation. The track is in poor condition and the present usage does not warrant maintenance.

Logging operations in the Kaniksu Forest have been put on restriction due to extreme fire danger.

Sue Wilson, senior at B.F.H.S., placed fourth in the AAU Track Meet at Cheney. She was accompanied by her coach, Mrs. Elsie Hollenbeck.

The Porthill ferry will be sold at a public auction on Oct. 6. This ends a long era of river crossings by ferry in Boundary Co. as the Copeland ferry was sold several months ago following completion of a bridge at the site.

15 Years Ago

The Boundary County Fair Board is building a new barn and you can help by supporting “Kiss the Pig” at the fair. Also, the Board introduces the 2004 Fair Royalty Candidates: Casey Neumeyer, Amanda Farrens, Brittany McLeish, and Mary Cowin.

A sexual misconduct case has been dismissed. The alleged victim will file a civil suit against a former BFHS teacher.

A hearing has been slated for a cemetery tax district.

— Submitted by the Boundary County Museum