And the byway is going in right away …

It was school year 1957-’58 and my second-grade teacher was Bessie Loman. One day she came into class and showed us the drawing of the state’s Sand Creek Bypass. As second-graders she even had to explain what “bypass” meant. At that time the “bypass” now “byway” for some reason — was a large wooden creosoted piling bridge, going up Sand Creek in basically the same area now planned. The cost was incomprehensible to us then — well over $100,000. In context the 5-cent refund then on a quart pop bottle was a lot of money to grade schoolers. And I remember Mrs. Loman closing the class discussion by saying, “… .and it’s going to go in right away”  — meaning the bridge would be soon finished.

Well, a lot’s happened in the last half-century. The then-”new” Long Bridge was built out of steel and concrete, not wood. Most of Sandpoint got paved streets. And Mrs. Loman passed on a few decades ago, bless her. She was a good teacher, and right about most everything else, except the bypass.

I have grandchildren myself now, but I don’t think I’ll tell them, “… and it’s going to go in right away.” Kids still need to believe in something!

BRUCE H. GREEN

Sandpoint