Saccomanno, Naccarato set up sawmill
River pigs work their magic during a log drive in 1944.
100 Years Ago — 1920
New sawmill operating
Joe Saccomanno and Tony Naccarato have set up a sawmill in the Settlement. The motive power for it is furnished by a 20 h.p. steam engine.
90 Years Ago — 1930
Meegan’s egg hunt fun for all
The Easter egg hunt at the Meegan School was well attended by young and old. The children had great fun finding the peanuts hidden inside, too. A treat for all were the brightly colored Easter eggs that tasted as good as they looked.
80 Years Ago — 1940
Businesses news
A new grocery store is soon to be opened in the Beardmore Building under the management of Bombino and Maio. The E. C. Olson mill started operations this week. Although logging operations in the woods have not started yet, the mill has a supply of logs that will run it about a month.
70 Years Ago — 1950
Children fall from car
The two daughters of Mr. And Mrs. Hobart Wheeler avoided serious injury Sunday when they fell from the family car. The car had just rounded a curve when Mrs. Wheeler saw Gail, 7, fall. Bringing the car to an abrupt stop, both parents jumped out and started to pick her up when they saw, running toward them, the smallest daughter, Marlene, 3, whose earlier fall had passed unnoticed. Both children suffered bruises and abrasions, but no serious injury. Since the handles had been removed from inside the car doors, the Wheelers felt the door must have opened on its own when the vehicle rounded the curve.
60 Years Ago — 1960
Gets three-year term
Richard Burkeybile, 33. Spokane. Convicted Thursday on a federal kidnapping charge, was sentenced to three years “in any institution that the United States attorney designates.”
Burkeybile was found guilty by a federal court jury which deliberated only 20 minutes in reaching its verdict. He was accused of forcing a Spokane cab driver, Glen Johnson, 48, at gunpoint to drive him from Spokane into Idaho last Dec. 29.
Burkeybile was captured at Priest River, after Johnson slipped a note telling of his plight to a service station attendant at Sandpoint.
50 Years Ago — 1970
New highway work progressing
Commencing on the hill west of town, considerable gravel has been spread, reaching to about one-half mile from the Newport bridge. The road is excellent if one drives slowly. The bridge across the Priest will be open to graveling crews about May 15. Workmen have been busy painting the steel superstructure.
40 Years Ago — 1980
Old city dump to be sold
The city council voted to start proceedings to sell the site of the old city dump. Situated on Cemetery Road, the dump will first have to be surveyed.
30 Years Ago — 1990
Earth Day observed
Earth Day (April 22) celebrations were conducted around the country this past weekend, and not to be outdone, the Priest Lake Ranger Station held an ecology fair at Priest River Junior High School.
The all-day event brought crowds to see displays from students, government agencies, area EMTs, and private industry. Highlighting the activities were visits from Woodsy the Owl and Smokey the Bear, and a tree-planting ceremony.
20 Years Ago — 2000
AID closing
Advanced Input Devices Corp. will close its 20,000-square-foot Priest River plant by mid-June, effectively ending the company’s production of bare circuit boards.