Bonner County History - Nov. 7, 2024
Brought to you by the
Bonner County Historical
Society and Museum
611 S. Ella Ave., Sandpoint, Idaho, 83864
208-263-2344
50 Years Ago
Sandpoint News-Bulletin
Nov. 7, 1974 – BUILDING DEDICATED
A crowd filled the conference hall Friday for the dedication of the new Federal Office Building on U.S. 2 at the west city limits. Before the ceremony, the high school band directed by Russell Whalen played prelude music in the lobby. Jack Parker was master of ceremonies for the program, which included an invocation by Dr. Harold Huff of United Methodist Church, welcoming remarks by Mayor Les Brown, and an address by Sen. Jim McClure. The modern structure will provide facilities for the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and various Dept. of Agriculture offices. After the ceremony the visitors had a tour of the three-story structure and partook of refreshments. The Presbyterian and Methodist Church women’s groups had each baked 36 dozen cookies for the affair.
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VOLLEYDOLLS END YEAR WITH VICTORY
The SHS volleyball team was late getting to Wallace Tuesday because of a mix-up at the Sandpoint bus garage, but promptly made up for that by erasing the opponents in two two-game matches to close the volleyball season on a winning note. Coach Pat Smith will return five starters off her varsity team next year including Mara Lei Monroe, Cathy Crandall, Angie Weinand, Tammy Chappel and Pam Bradetich. Seniors Cindy Vig, Glory Whittaker, Dara Rigby and Marsha Noble are the only letterwomen that won’t be back next year.
75 Years Ago
Sandpoint News-Bulletin
Nov. 7, 1949 – NEW CHAMPION DOLLY!
Lake Pend Oreille produced another champion – a Dolly Varden tipping the scales at 32 pounds. The lucky angler was Nelson Higgins, Pullman, Wash., who was guided to the payoff spot off Windy point by Jim Eaton, Garfield bay charter boat operator. The big Dolly was shipped to the Bon Marche in Seattle to be displayed for two days, sent to San Francisco for display, and then shipped to Higgins at Pullman. After being exhibited at Pullman, the fish will probably be mounted as a memento of Higgins’ first angling expedition at Lake Pend Oreille.
A record fish of any species always brings out a lot of stories of fish that were bigger. Chances are that many such recollection are accurate – but as far as official records are concerned, fish don’t count unless a flock of the necessary affidavits have been filed. There is no doubt, however, that bigger Dollies have been taken from Pend Oreille. Old-timer H.E. Nesbitt, proprietor of the Lakeshore Tourist Park here, boated a 31¼-lb. Dolly in 1895, the year after the all-time flood. A group of Flathead Indians fishing here at the time said it was the biggest Dolly they had ever seen, Nesbitt recalled. L.E. Ulrich recalls that shortly after he moved to Sandpoint in 1902, an Indian named Joe Bernard caught some unusually large Dollies at Sandy Point and sold them locally, Some of these fish weighed 50 pounds or more, because the Indian would sling them over his shoulder and the tails dragged on the ground as he walked down the street, Ulrich said.
For more information, visit the museum online at bonnercountyhistory.org.