'Gram' keeps sharp with card games, quilting
(I first met Jim Carothers when he was working on a dedication to Harp and Dolly (Rosemary) Turnbull for The Information Center at Westmond Cemetery. During a later conversation, Jim told me about a person that has meant a great deal to him; He called her Gram. I want to share with you some of his story about his grandmother, Laura Carothers.)
Laura Marion Carothers was born near Mott, N.D., on Nov. 19, 1919, the daughter of William and Sarah Eldred. The middle child of nine, she is the sole survivor of her siblings — five brothers and three sisters. Laura and her family moved to Sagle when she was 16, and she has lived there ever since. The depression was the motivating factor for the family’s decision to leave their farm in North Dakota and head for greener pastures in Idaho. They packed up their household goods and their animals and loaded them onto a train. Two members of the family went with the train and the rest loaded into their Nash for the road trip to North Idaho. They stopped along the way and at night, they would stay at some schoolhouse yard because it offered a necessary outdoor facility. The swings also offered a place for the children to get out some of their pent-up energy.
One night they camped behind a store, and during the night, someone broke into the store. The next morning they were on their way but they didn’t get far because someone reported that a Nash was seen parked at the scene of the crime. The police brought them back to town for questioning but finally let them go on their way.
In 1941, Laura married Arthur Ward Carothers and moved to Mirror Lake in Sagle. Ward and Laura made a living by farming, raising livestock, selling Christmas trees and operating Mirror Lake Resort and Campground. In 1970, Ward was in an accident at Mirror Lake and died because of his injuries. Laura continues to operate Mirror Lake Resort and Campground to this day. Ward and Laura had three children, Arthur Ward Carothers, Andrew Lester Carothers, and Margaret Ann (Carothers) Syth. Laura is the proud grandmother of seven grandchildren, 21 great-grand children and eight great-great-grandchildren.
In 1996, Universal Studios filmed a portion of the movie Dante’s Peak on Laura’s land at Mirror Lake. In the movie, the co-star of the movie, Pierce Brosnan, says, “We are up at the cabin on Mirror Lake.” It is that log cabin, built by Universal Studios, that is Laura’s home today. The studio built the cabin as a shell, but her son Andrew and his wife Cathy, finished the log cabin that became Laura’s home. Some years later, Joey Travolta, brother of John Travolta, directed a movie for HBO (Home Box Office) about a flying turtle, called Mel, which starred Ernest Borgnine. The same cabin was used as their set. Although she lives a life far from that of a movie star, she has rubbed elbows with many of them.
Laura has enjoyed many outdoor activities in her life. She loves to fish, she has spent many days on Lake Pend Oreille catching kokanee, and she used to have a commercial license. She has worn out many a set of oars fishing in her front yard on Mirror Lake for everything from bass, bluegill, rainbow and brook trout. Her gentle way and patience instilled her love for fishing to many of her children and grandchildren. Jim remembered, “We would go out on Mirror Lake and we didn’t have electric motors, it was all oars and rowing. She was always the coxswain and if you did not row just right, you heard from her. She directed speed and direction and was in total control of the fishing trip. She would sound the rowing cadence by hitting her fishing rod on the boat, but never on us. She was always very kind and gentle.”
Anyone who knows Laura will attest her gentle way disappears when engaged in another of her favorite pastimes, card playing. Laura has worn out so many decks of cards that she must have hearts, spades, clubs and diamonds permanently stamped on her fingers. Her love for any card game has served to keep her wit and mind sharp and ready for battle. Jim recalled, “I ran the resort up here for a couple of summers and I lived in a house trailer down by the lake. I was cooking breakfast one morning and I put some bacon on the stove. I found that I was out of eggs so I ran up to Gram’s to get a couple. When I walked in she said, ‘How about one quick hand of cards?’ I forgot about my bacon and we played cards for over an hour. When I got back to my trailer, it was filled with smoke.”
Laura is an award-winning quilter and enjoys making quilts for all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is an avid reader, a great cook, and enjoys canning. Her kind way and giving spirit endears her to all who meet her.
(Laura and her family and friends will be celebrating her 90th birthday on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Sagle Community Hall located at 356 Talache Road. The party will begin at 11 a.m. with a potluck lunch/social. All are welcome, those attending the potluck are asked to bring a side dish or salad, meats and dessert will be provided. Around 1 p.m., there will be an old-style pinochle party for those interested. If you have any questions contact Andy at 509-924-8628.)