Bonner County History - May 13, 2021
From the archives of the
Bonner County History Museum
611 S. Ella Ave., Sandpoint, Idaho, 83864
208-263-2344
50 Years Ago
Sandpoint News-Bulletin
May 13, 1971 – KAMLOOPS HID ON K&K DAY
Where were Lake Pend Oreille’s fish on Saturday? That is being asked by the 30 guest sportswriters and broadcasters here for K&K Day, and is also on the lips of hundreds of fishermen who went fishless almost to a man or woman, though the lake was ideal most of the day. Except for a small (14 oz. to be exact) rainbow caught, all the guests on the Alibi and the 19 other boats furnished by residents, never had a strike, much less a fish to brag about. It was by far the poorest fishing day ever in the 26 years of K&K Day celebrations.
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ROBERT ALDERMANS MARRIED APRIL 16
Sandpoint United Methodist Church was the site of the wedding of Billie D. O’Donnell and Robert A. Alderman. Mr. and Mrs. William O’Donnell Jr., of Dover and Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Alderman, Kootenai, are parents of the couple. For her going-away, the bride chose a pink pants suit. After a honeymoon on Lake Pend Oreille, the Aldermans are residing in Kootenai Bay. He is employed by Pack River Lumber Co.
•••
STREAMS BOOMING WITH HOT WEATHER
Warm days last week and this, with temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s, pushed waters of the Clark Fork to near flood stage. Sunday the river was running high and dirty and it continued to rise during the week. Streams such as Pack River are running bank-full, adding to the lake’s inflow. The spillway at Albeni Falls dam is flowing free and the gates will not be replaced until the flood peak is past.
100 Years Ago
Pend d’Oreille Review
May 13, 1921 – AVIATOR TAKES PLUNGE
John Van Alste, 28, of Goldendale, Wash., was seriously injured and narrowly escaped drowning, and Dan Nolan’s new J-1 standard biplane was almost totally wrecked in a 50-foot plunge into Lake Pend d’Oreille Wednesday, a mile from the city dock, during a trial flight. The aviator’s life was saved due to artificial respiration administered by Hudson Livingston and Edward Thomason, both trained in first aid when they were Boy Scouts. Nolan and his wife, following the test run from a boat, reached the scene minutes after the accident, finding the plane almost submerged and the aviator 18 inches under water. Nolan unbuckled the strap holding the aviator in the cockpit and, with help from Livingston, Thomason, and others who had been in boats watching the test, Van Alste’s limp form was moved to the Nolan launch. Artificial respiration was given as the boat beat back to the city dock, where the injured man was rushed by car to City hospital.
•••
LACLEDE G. N. STATION BURNS
Fire early Wednesday burned to the ground the Great Northern depot at Laclede. Flames were first discovered in the freight room and the fire had such a good start it could not be subdued. Mail sacks were saved but the building and contents were otherwise a total loss, estimated at about $2000.
For more information, visit the museum online at bonnercountyhistory.org.