Bonner County History - Feb. 16, 2025

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

Feb. 16, 1975 – WINTER CARNIVAL

Winter Carnival is not a new idea in Sandpoint. More than a few carnivals were held starting in the 1960s, complete with torchlight parades, kids’ events and the rest. Most of the ideas for this year’s carnival had their origins in earlier festivals. What will be a little unusual is that this year’s Winter Carnival, barring an unforeseen disaster, will be the second one in a row. In the past such things as no snow or driving rain forced soggy cancellations. This year’s Winter Carnival Committee has set things up so there will be a carnival no matter what happens. 

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GIRL SCOUTS ENJOY X-COUNTRY SKIING 

Members of Girl Scout Cadet Troop 123 who spent a recent Saturday cross country skiing and enjoying Schweitzer Basin’s beautiful winter scenery were Liz Davis, Mitzi Hawkins, Zale Palmer, Debbie Darnell and Debbie Girtman. Their leader, Verna Mae Davis and her husband, Duane, assistant leader Gail Cinella, and their guides, Rev. Jim Scott and his son, Tim, accompanied them.

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SAWYER-THAMA-MORTON-DUFORT NEWS

Due to knee high snow in some areas and drifted roads in others, people are staying under cover and minding the radio reports to stay home.

The Harold Hennes family at Morton had a reunion last week with their three sons, in honor of Dave who came home on leave from Vietnam. The other brothers and families live in Spokane. 

75 Years Ago

Sandpoint News-Bulletin

Feb. 16, 1950 – FROZEN OVER!

For the first time in the memory of some of the area’s oldest residents, Lake Pend Oreille is frozen over from shore to shore south of the islands. A shack town has sprung up on the ice, whitefishing shacks dotting the entire area from Sandpoint to Sunnyside. Some fishermen report that the cutthroat trout have driven the whitefish closer to shore.

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ODEN-SUNNYSIDE NEWS by Mrs. Oliver Long

Jan. 5 was the last issue of the Oden-Sunnyside news. Since then much may have and likely did happen, but your reporter knows little about it. The snows came down and the wind whipped it about to fill driveways, roads and fields. In some yards, drifts came to the eaves of houses. The milk producers had to sled the milk to truckers on opened roads. We missed 11 days’ mail until plows came through. Snowplows threw high walls, over which sometimes only a high truck top could be seen along the highway. After the Oden school [re]opened, the Sunnyside bus was unable to take the children due to conditions. Part of the road to the Davis and McNutt homes is still open only to teams and sleds. 

•••

BACK IN ARMY AGAIN

Harry A. Lee, 312 Lavina, left Feb. 3 for basic training at Fort Ord, after his three-year enlistment as a corporal in the army. Cpl. Lee saw three years overseas duty in the [WWII] European theater. 

For more information, visit the museum online at bonnercountyhistory.org.