This Week in History - Oct. 26, 2023

100 Years Ago

According to the word received from Boise this week, W.G. Swendsen, State Commissioner of Reclamation, has announced that Idaho has completed the investigation of the feasibility of the drainage project in the Kootenai Valley, and the state officials regard the project favorably.

The new brick building on Main Street being constructed by W.L. Kinnear is nearly complete and will be ready for occupancy in another week. The first floor will be used for store rooms, and the second floor has been arranged for four housekeeping apartments of four rooms each.

Charles Spoor, proprietor of the Commercial Hotel, has taken a four-year lease on the second floor of the C.D. Simonds Drug Store building, adjoining the Commercial Hotel building on the north. The Simonds building will contain 18 outside rooms, all steam-heated, with hot and cold water in each room with four private baths.

50 Years Ago

Students at BFHS are preparing to sell 150,000 board feet of timber. They have drawn up a contract and bid forms, studied erosion problems and wildlife habitat, taken bore samples, and recently marked the timber for thinning and sale. The ambitious project is one of the first of its nature to be undertaken by a high school in the Northwest and is all part of a class, "Introduction to Forestry and Wildlife," taught by Gary Webb and Cam Lopez.

Post Legion 55 is planning to construct a centrally located covered area and a large concrete slab with wind-breaking walls at Grandview Cemetery, where cemetery services may be held in the future.

Elmer Nichols and Wilbur Frederickson were more than happy to have two hounds plus a .300 magnum when they cornered a big black bear. Elmer said his dogs cornered the big bruin in a cave near the Bill McGinnis place in the Meadow Creek area. The bear dressed out at 392 pounds.

15 Years Ago

The 1,100-pound pumpkin Rick Maggi grew at his Bonners Ferry home shattered the Idaho state record. Maggi broke the record set by Brian Christensen of Rexburg in 2007 with a 1,040-pound pumpkin.

A Porthill gas station has raised its reward from $10,000 to $25,000 in hopes of learning who did thousands of dollars of vandalism to a fuel tank on July 9. Main Street Gas had around 1,000 gallons of gasoline ruined after someone apparently pumped water through the air vent of the tank.

Boundary Trading Co. has acquired the China Kitchen property in Bonners Ferry. Gary Morgan, co-owner of Boundary Trading Co. confirmed the sale. The grocer has no immediate plans for the property which was purchased from Don and Sue Mah. The Mahs owned China Kitchen for 17 years and plan to close.

~Submitted by the Boundary County Museum