From the Archives — Dec. 7, 2023

“Pearl Harbor is a U.S. naval base near Honolulu, Hawaii, that was the scene of a devastating surprise attack by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941.

"Just before 8 a.m. on that Sunday morning, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended on the base, where they managed to destroy or damage nearly 20 American naval vessels, including eight battleships, and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,400 Americans died in the attack, including civilians, and another 1,000 people were wounded. The day after the assault, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan.” (History Channel)

Small-town Americans went into protection mode.

The Bonners Ferry Herald of December 11, 1941, ran the headline, "U.S. DECLARES WAR ON AXIS." The front-page articles reported that a municipal defense council was immediately formed in Boundary County, so that every section of the county was protected. A system of observation and communication squadrons were created. Warning sirens were to be installed. A guard was placed on the highway bridge over the Kootenai River, with members of the American Legion Post No. 55 alternating in two-hour shifts.

The Herald reported: "It was a stunned nation that snapped out of the customary Sunday rest period to hear broadcasts almost as fantastic as Orson Welles broadcast a few years back — only this time the happenings were actually going on."

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

Visit the museum Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or visit the museum online at boundarycountymuseum.org or the museum’s Facebook page for historical photos and stories and to see upcoming events. The museum can be reached at doyouremember@meadowcrk.com or telephone at 208-267-7720.