Dense fog forced Canadian pilots to land on Lake Pend Oreille
(It was during World War II that a local paper ran this headline, “Canadian Warplane Thrills Sandpoint Folks.” The story continued, “Hundreds of persons, including school children, flocked to the city dock at Sandpoint, Friday and Saturday when this Royal Canadian Air Force twin-motored plane, weighing 15 tons, came down on Lake Pend Oreille.” The story that brought such excitement to the people of Sandpoint has long been forgotten. Recently, I was having coffee with Ira and Rosemary Dyk when it emerged from the recesses of time. I hope you enjoy Rosemary’s story as much as I did.)
“My maiden name is Rosemary Duncan. I was born in Nelson, British Columbia, in 1952. My dad flew as a bush pilot for 25 years on the Upper Arrow Lake. He owned and operated Arrow Lakes Airways. He spent many hours patrolling for forest fires and he flew loggers, fishermen, and hunters wherever they needed to go. He had his own floatplane and at one time, he had a little Piper Cub on which he had skis that allowed him to land on the ice.
“I grew up with a pilot and was always listening for my dad to come home. I was very aware of the sound of an airplane when I was a child. My dad would usually pass by our house that was located on the shores of Upper Arrow Lake, three miles south of Nakusp, British Columbia. We would often run outside and he would wave and dip his wing and we knew he would be home soon.
“When my older brother, Mark, was 16, he took his first solo flight with my dad. He and my other brother, Roger, both joined the Canadian Air Force. So you can see that I came from a flying family. My mother had no desire to learn to fly a plane but she enjoyed going up for a ride. That held true with my sister Kerry and me. I was always proud that my dad and brothers were willing to serve their country.
“Our house in Nakusp was on a pristine lake and the surrounding area was very rugged and beautiful. I always enjoyed the beauty of the mountains and the peaceful waters.
“However, when I was 13 my dad decided we would move to Sidney, which is located on the Saanich Peninsula, on Vancouver Island, 20 kilometers north of Victoria, the capitol city of British Columbia.
“It was there that I discovered the seashore and my dad discovered sailing. He built his own sailboat right from the hull on up. My sister and I discovered horses and we spent hours riding after school when we were teenagers.
“In 1971, my last year of high school, I went on a choir tour to England where I met Ira Dyk, who was a farmer from South Dakota. I retuned home and after graduation, I started a dental assistant course. Ira came up to visit and he decided I should move down to South Dakota. We were married in August 1973, we did move to South Dakota, and we stayed there for 25 years and raised our family.
“In April 1998, we moved to Sandpoint, along with 25 llamas, and we fell in love with the beauty of North Idaho. It is so awe-inspiring and it reminded me of my home in B.C. We called my dad and told him we were moving to Sandpoint, Idaho. He said, “I’ve been to Sandpoint; I was there during World War II.” And that’s when he told me a story I had never heard before.
“My dad’s name is John David Duncan and he was in the Royal Canadian Air Force. His job was to fly over the Maritime Provinces, mainly off the coast of Nova Scotia. He was ordered to fly a Stranraer Flying Boat from Halifax to the coast of British Columbia.
“Two planes were to make the trip from the east coast all the way to the west coast of Canada, which meant stopping for gas all along the way. Dad said that they were approaching what they thought was Kootenay Lake when they hit a dense fog barrier. They needed to stop for gas because they only had about fifteen to twenty minutes of fuel left; it was a dangerous situation. They could only land on water and if they could not find the lake, they would have to bail out or crash. The other plane that left Halifax with them was lost and never found.
“My dad told me that they decided they had gone about the right distance so they slowly lowered the aircraft, and just as they did, the water of a beautiful lake rose up to greet them. They believed they had found Kootenay Lake. It was only when they taxied up to the Sandpoint docks that they knew they were in the U.S. and had landed on Lake Pend Oreille. They stayed in Sandpoint overnight and they were well received by everyone. The next day they flew to Coeur d’Alene to refuel. Dad said they all were thankful that God was with them and provided a miracle that saved their lives.
“My father died two months after we moved to Sandpoint at the age of 81. Now that I have called this home for 12 years, I am so glad he shared with me the incredible miracle that happened over Lake Pend Oreille.