From the Archives - Oct. 20, 2022

Official records show that Theresa Temo was born while Idaho was still a territory. When she passed away, Jan. 29, 1967, her age was recorded as 101. Friends believed that her age might have been closer to 105, which would have made her older than the city of Bonners Ferry at that time.

Theresa, the daughter of Temo (Little Spotted Blanket) and Selicitino Slackeslama, was born on a cold January day in 1866, and lived her entire life in the Kootenai Valley. She had two brothers, Nattan and Mishell, and one sister, Ann. In 1882, she married Charley Chiquiet. Charley helped her raise her son Palestine Temo. In 1900, Theresa married Stanislaw Pierreson Bighead. They had three children: sons, Ignatius and William, and daughter, Charlotte.

Her longevity of life earned Theresa a highly revered position as an elder in the tribe. As such, she was always surrounded by a large group of children and young adults who listened attentively to her stories as she taught them how to weave baskets, make moccasins, dig roots, catch fish, and pick berries. She willingly shared her "secret" berry patches and fishing holes with those who called her "Grandmother." When children asked about her wrinkles, her eyes would twinkle as she called them her "lines of wisdom." Theresa was characterized by her friend, Helen Cutsack, as a "smart woman" who knew this country very well. She always knew where plentiful supplies of wild berries were to be found, and when they were ripe. Her knowledge of the "round of seasons" helped to keep her people supplied with food. She continued her huckleberry picking excursions until falling and breaking a hip, at which time she moved to the Restorium for nursing care.

Theresa had been a member of St. Michael’s Mission from the time of its establishment in 1890, and is buried at St. Michael’s Mission Cemetery, leaving her legacy with the Kootenai Tribe and the people of Boundary County.

In 1968, Jerry Kennedy (husband of Gloria Satterlund) painted this oil painting of Theresa Bighead. It was donated by Bev Plato to your museum.

Your Boundary County Historical Society and Museum, 7229 Main, Bonners Ferry, Idaho, sponsors this column.

Visit the museum Thursday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and you can visit the website at www.boundarycountymuseum.org or the museum’s Facebook page for historical photos and stories, and to see upcoming events. The museum can be reached via email at doyouremember@meadowcrk.com or by telephone at 208-267-7720. Thank you for your continued support.