From the Archives - Jan. 25, 2024

In the early 1930s, many lookouts were being constructed and manned by Civilian Conservation Corps men in Boundary County. In the Selkirk range, fourteen miles southeast of Bonners Ferry, at an elevation of 5,027 feet, was Dodge Peak Lookout. It stood on 30-foot poles with a log cabin atop. As the crow flies, ten miles north in the same mountain range, was Cook's Peak Lookout. Walter Peel manned Cook's Peak. On a lonely day, he wrote a poem:

"At  the foot of the hill where I'm standing,

The valley spreads out at my feet,

And I hear the swift rushing of waters,

In a tinkle fantastically sweet.

And the hills and the forests around me,

Are losing their dark green hue,

As the smoke clouds come drifting in closer,

To shut out my beautiful view."

By March 1934, there was a CCC camp in the Falls Creek area. The men were engaged in road construction, building "forest highways." They extended the logging road from Brown's Mill to a point at the head of Snow, Myrtle, and Ball creeks.

This great slide was taken in October 1956 by Dale Sargent. It  is labeled "Road to Dodge Peak."

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

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