From the Archives - Dec. 10, 2020
Ralph Clapp and crew are pictured on using a donkey engine and boom to pull snags from the water; clearing the way for sternwheeler and river boat passage. The picture is from the 1920s.
(Photo courtesy BOUNDARY COUNTY MUSEUM)
This photograph shows Ralph Clapp’s barge dredging the Kootenai River in 1920s. He and his crew were using a donkey engine and boom to pull snags from the water; clearing the way for sternwheeler and river boat passage.
When a barge line was proposed for moving sacked grain from the Westside districts onto the Kootenai Valley Railway in 1930, the War Department authorized snag removal from the KV railroad bridge to Porthill. Eight to ten 40-ton barges and a tugboat were proposed for the new cooperative; which never came to pass.
Although the museum remains closed, you can still purchase the 2021 Historical Calendar for $5. Call the museum to arrange a pickup time, or send your request though an e-mail or the Facebook page. If you wish to have one mailed to you, send $5 for the calendar and $5 for shipping to P.O. Box 808, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805. Calendars are also being sold at Boundary Tractor. Thank you for your continued support!
Your Boundary County Historical Society and Museum, 7229 Main, Bonners Ferry, Idaho, sponsors this column.
Visit the website at www.boundarycountymuseum.org or the museum’s Facebook page for historical photos and stories. Or we can be reached at doyouremember@meadowcrk.com or telephone 208-267-7720.