From the Archives - May 30, 2024

May 4, 1974, was the opening day for Expo ’74 World’s Fair in Spokane, Wash. The Bonners Ferry Herald ran two photos with a caption saying Merle Brown was taking his draft horses, used for horse logging, to Spokane. It was his plan to "pull a passenger wagon from the Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane to the World’s Fair site.”

Merle and Georgia Brown, and their children, moved to Bonners Ferry in 1968. “They realized the dream of building a beautiful ranch together. Merle was the ultimate cowboy and a horse whisperer long before the term became commonplace. He spent his life raising and training horse for any discipline, be it trail, western pleasure or a family horse. His proudest achievements, however, were in the selective breeding and training of American quarter horses for reining and cutting disciplines. Rarely did someone buy a horse from Merle that they did not return again for more. In 1969, he bought several teams of draft horses and formed a horse logging company that became famous worldwide thanks to an Associated Press wire article. He used those same horses to give wagon rides to visitors to Expo ’74 in Spokane, Wash.” (quote for Merle's obituary)

This photograph, taken in 1974, is of Merle Brown with his horses and passenger wagon on the newly constructed bypass (1972) in Bonners Ferry, Idaho.

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

Visit the Museum Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m., or 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 at doyouremember@meadowcrk.com or 208-267-7720.