New motels spring up in town
10 Years Ago — 2009
Roberts heading up new PRPD
This is Priest River’s second police department. It’s been in existence three years. There was none for a while, the Bonner County Sheriff’s Department gave coverage — short lived.
The sheriff thought the city needed its own force. Ray Roberts was hired as chief under the Sheriff’s mandate, you’ll have 90 days to set up your own police force. Roberts hits the ground running.
20 Years Ago — 1999
Come meet the finalists
Four finalists for the position of superintendent of West Bonner School District No. 83 will be in Priest River May 6 for board interviews and staff and community receptions. The candidates are: Don Armstrong, Polly Crowley, Steve Deal, and Joe Malletta.
30 Years Ago — 1989
Board okays Coolin lodge
The Bonner County Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional use permit Thursday for John Young and Dorothy Dailey to operate the Priest Lake Lodge at Coolin.
40 Years Ago — 1979
New buildings going up
Rigdon Construction is putting up two new buildings in Priest River. Dr. Edward Boas, family practitioner, is having a new 1,295 square-foot office building with full basement constructed next to Cooke & Lamanna’s law office. A 15,000-foot shopping center complex is planned for just east of the post office by Robert Beasley of Coolin.
50 Years Ago — 1969
Locals buy Modern Supply
Pete Maurer and Jerry Naccarato have purchased the Modern Supply business from Mr. and Mrs. Jim Ketchum and have taken immediate possession.
60 Years Ago — 1959
Final tally
Over 1,000 forest fires burning over 117,000 acres and doing nearly a half-million acres in damage is the final record of the 1928 fire season in northern Idaho, according to statistics compiled by the Forest Service and the State Forester. Fires losses in 1928 were much greater than in 1927 but not as severe as 1926.
70 Years Ago — 1949
New motels
Priest River will have two new motels in operation this season. The 22-unit motel being built by Cliff Hohman of Spirit Lake, just east of the Dewey Phillips Co., will soon be completed. E. G. Milan is constructing a new motor court with six units near his home on the street east of the high school.
80 Years Ago — 1939
Tragedy strikes two Priest River men
On Monday evening two Priest River men met an unexpected violent death when they encountered a masked gunman who attempted to hold up Nita’s Club, a roadhouse one mile west of Sandpoint.
vJames McFall and James Turpin were both the victims of a cowardly killer, who escaped across the railroad tracks into the black of the night after he had fired a fatal shot into the body of Turpin and one into Jimmy McFall, who died about an hour later in the Graham Hospital.
90 Years Ago — 1929
Hospital renovation under way
Priest River will have an up-to-date and completely modern hospital with new surgery, new X-ray equipment and new fluoroscope as well as bungalow roof and sun porch when the renovating project now commenced is completed, according to Dr. A. E. Lower, physician in charge.
100 Years Ago — 1919
Joy-riding in a Hupmobile
The Times family played hooky Monday and accepted C. P. Lindsley’s hospitality in the form of a trip with him in his new Hupmobile to Colburn and Sandpoint.