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Stitch in Time |
Looking Back is a column by Jack
Flinn remembering yesteryear in Bonners Ferry and Boundary
County. If you have memories or comments, feel free to e-mail
Jack at
jflinn@newsbf.com.
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The following, an excerpt from the poem "At the
Canyon," was written by Martin M. Fry, in 1876
Bonners Ferry's first permanent white resident,
and sent to his grandson, Charles L. Fry, in a
letter in 1930. |
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Well, looking back
into my memory I recall a fire. It was in the
early 1950s, not sure of the exact year. |
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January 23, 2013:
On this day in 1915, Bonner County, Idaho, was
split and a new county, named Boundary, was
created, with its county seat established in
Bonners Ferry.
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The Pace-Kerby Insurance Agency was started in
1914 by a young lawyer named Frank Bottum.
O.C. Wilson joined his brother-in-law in the
business in 1916. In 1920, Mr. Bottum left and
the business became the O.C. Wilson Insurance
Agency.
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I received an interesting email yesterday from
Claudia and David, and I'd like to see if any of
you can shed some light on the mystery.
They live at the old Bill Leech place on Holmes
Road in Copeland, and they say there are several
people buried there, most of them, according to
what they were told, with the last name Ball.
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"Two months before
the '48 flood, we moved to our home on the South
Hill. Three families stayed with us, and I
converted my old Texaco service station (now
Mugsy's) into headquarters for dike walkers. When the flood came, I can still remember the
water coming across Main Street. It didn't upset
us much because everybody in town was working
together and pulled together."
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The city of Bonners
Ferry is the result of a merger of two cities.
On February 1, 1892 , the town of Eaton was
created by resolution of the Kootenai County
Commissioners.
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The weather was cold until late May, then came
June with real warm days. The
town and valley had no dikes, and the river
filled fast.
People began to vacate their homes and moved
possessions to higher ground.
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Joe Vevera committed suicide with a shotgun in a
house later lived in by Milt Branson in year
1903 or 1911 ... not sure which.
He's buried alongside what is now Highway 95.
The headstone was turned around to face Highway
95 later, but the grave was never moved.
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As I recall from by childhood days, sometime in
the 1953-1956 era, it was early spring and high
water time on the Kootenai.
The fairgrounds parking lot wasn't as we now
know it; back then it was a low, large bowl. It
has been filled with gravel since this story.
Water had seeped into the parking lot back then
and created a large pond, irresistible to
adventurous youngsters.
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