Sandpoint used to be just a 'regular' town

Sandpoint Furniture/Carpet One, home of The Ponderay Design Center and Selkirk Glass & Cabinets (208-263-5138), sponsors this column.

(Today, I want to share with you some of Lloyd Larson’s memories about the place where he was born and grew up — Sandpoint.)

“Things have changed a lot over the years. Sandpoint used to be just a regular town where you knew everyone but now it is mostly tourist. The streets weren’t paved like they are now and I remember when they dug up all First Street (First Avenue) and Cedar Street There was an engineer by the name of Ticklebeck (sp) and he got big rocks and put them all the way down a street for a foundation. One whole summer we just had a muddy deal while he was digging it out, but he sure did a good job because it’s holding up pretty well now after all these years.

“First Avenue was retail stores mostly. I don’t think there were near as many real estate offices and stuff like that. I used to know ever merchant in town back then but now I hardly know any of them. It’s just changed so much and it’s a different clientele for your store. You built up a trade made up of people that worked in the woods, the mills, and so forth, and now it’s a lot of tourist trade.

“People say where there are lumberjacks, mills, and mining, there had to be some brothels, and Sandpoint was no different. There was one right across the street from the old Jennestad and Larson and there was one above the Eagle Pool Hall. There were three or four others down towards the other end of town on First Street and they were all upstairs places. They went out of business when Farragut came in. They closed them up then, that was in the 1940s.

“Farragut brought a lot of business to town but it also caused a problem; we couldn’t get enough merchandise. We were open every night, Sunday’s and all for a while, and we were really busy. It was during this time, 1943 that I was drafted in the service and I was gone for two years; I was in the Navy. When I came back we hardly had any stock in the store. The first thing I did was go over to Seattle to the Black Manufacturing Company. I did pretty well; I got quite a lot of merchandise. Yes, business was really good when Farragut came in and you could sell anything you had. Of course, they had price controls and people did not get robbed or anything.

“Here’s another thing that has changed. I remember the Indians used to go down on the beach all the time and I really enjoyed them. I don’t remember how many years ago it is now, but they always had a powwow down there about every summer and played stick games. They’d sit down and play that stick game but I can’t explain it really. We used to go down there when we were kids and we enjoyed it very much. They came from Bonners Ferry, Montana, and other places in Idaho and they would pitch their tents and stay for a while. I think all the local people really enjoyed them. In fact, I would like to see them come back and have some more powwows.

“I think when liquor really got started here was when FDR (Franklin D. Roosevelt) got in office. Sandpoint had over thirty churches and over thirty saloons. We really didn’t have any problems with the lumberjacks drinking and being destructive. They would come in town and buy moonshine and there were quite a few moonshiners in Sandpoint. Some of the lumberjacks would leave their money at our store and then they’d come and get $50 every day until they went broke, and then they would go back to camp. That was in the early ‘30’s and they didn’t really cause any problems. We had one policeman here that seemed to keep every thing in order and his name was Matt Benson. He’d be on the street walking and he would go down to the hobo jungle down near Humbird Lumber and keep the peace there.”

To be continued.