Region's early settlers had tremendous impact on community

(Today, when we think of the early settlers of Sandpoint names like, Farmin, Whi-taker, Coon, and Weil come to mind. The original white settlers in Sand-point, Idaho, west of Sand Creek, were Joseph L. Prichard, Jack Waters, Wilton B. Dishman, C. R. Martin, and their families. The names of these pioneer families are not commonly associated with the history of the area and therefore they have not had the recognition that they deserve.)

Joseph L. Prichard

Joseph L. Prichard and his wife Mary came to Sandpoint in 1881-1882, when the Northern Pacific Railroad was being built. Joe Prichard was a cook in the railroad camps.

He and Mary stayed after the railroad was completed and made their home in Sandpoint, where Prichard opened a stationery, candy, and tobacco store. The Sandpoint post office was in his store and he was one of the town’s first postmasters.

Prichard also became Sandpoint’s justice of the peace. Joe’s brother, Robert G. Prichard, also came to Sandpoint and started a livery called City Stables.

On Dec. 7, 1889, Judge Prichard filed a possessory claim on 160 acres of land west of the little railroad town of Sandpoint. His claim was bounded by the Northern Pacific track on the east, what is now Boyer Avenue on the west, Larch Street on the north, and Pine Street on the south.

His home and farm buildings were located approximately where 320 N. Second Avenue is today, near the corner of Second Avenue and Cedar Street

On Aug. 14, 1891, Joe Prichard became the local agent for the San Francisco Bridge Company, which had the contract to maintain the long Northern Pacific Railway trestles in the area.

Prichard was responsible for finding and purchasing the needed materials and locating sub-contractors to do repairs on the bridges.

Unfortunately, Prichard began experiencing health problems and finally had to give up working. He sold his claim to L.D. Farmin in 1893.

Part of what was originally Prichard’s claim was platted as the town site of Sandpoint, and the remainder of his claim became Farmin’s Addition to Sandpoint.

J. L. Prichard and his wife left Sandpoint some time after 1894.

It is not known where Prichard was at the time of his death. His widow, Mary, was living in Harrington, Wash., in 1904.

Jack Waters

Jack Waters also came to Sandpoint with the construction of the Northern Pacific railroad.

Waters was a single man and he decided to make Sandpoint his home. Waters settled in the southeast part of Sandpoint.

Pine Street, bound his claim on the north, on the west by Fourth Avenue, on the south by the Pend Oreille River, and on the east by the Northern Pacific right-of-way. His house and farm buildings were located where the “Weil” or “McFarland” house is today, 227 S. First Avenue.

Waters became a rancher. He cut the hay on the bottomland along Sand.Creek and the Pend Oreille River.

A little settlement of Waters’ farm hands grew up around his place and it was called “Whistletown” by the local residents, so named because all westbound trains stopped near his ranch at the east end of the trestle across the lake and blew their whistles before crossing.

On April 26, 1892, Jack Waters was passing the Williams & Long slaughterhouse in Sandpoint when a stray bullet, which had been fired in an attempt to kill a beef, struck him and shattered his arm just below the shoulder.

The arm had to be amputated and three days later, 50-year-old Waters died.

Jack Waters left no will and he had no known family. Attempts were made to locate family without success.

Ignatz Weil, who had a general store in Sandpoint, became administrator of Water’s estate. Weil then supposedly located a brother in California, a brother with a different last name, and through some agreements Weil gained possession of the Waters claim. The land that originally belonged to Jack Waters became Weil’s Addition to Sandpoint.