Bonner County History - Jan. 4, 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
Jan. 4, 1974 – BIRTHS
Dec. 24 – Mr. and Mrs. Robert Verdal, Sandpoint, boy, 8 lb. 8 oz.; Dec. 25 – Mr. and Mrs. Michael White, Sandpoint, boy, 8 lb. 5 oz.; and Mr. and Mrs. Rickman, Sandpoint, boy, 5 lb.; Dec. 27 – Mr. and Mrs. Richard Murray, Priest River, girl, 7 lb. 10 oz.
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TIME CHANGE THIS WEEKEND
Along with the rest of the nation, Idaho will go on Daylight Saving Time at 2 a.m. [Sunday] Jan. 6. The exception in North Idaho will be the Coeur d’Alene mining district. including Wallace, Kellogg, Mullan, Osburn, Pinehurst and nearby communities. It has been pointed out that the Idaho Legislature could act in its upcoming session to exempt the state. If it does not act, daylight saving time will be in effect in Idaho and nationwide for the next two years.
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GAS PINCH REDUCES DEATH TOLL
Across the nation, the highway death toll during the holiday season totaled the lowest since 1955. Idaho highway and law enforcement officials agreed traffic volume on the highways was down drastically over past years, a byproduct of the energy crisis and gasoline shortages. Drunk driver arrests were down more than half, said Capt. M.J. Bays of the Idaho State Police. “Traffic slowed down to beat the dickens over the Christmas holidays” he said. “People drove slower and we had fewer accidents.”
75 Years Ago
Sandpoint News-Bulletin
Jan. 4, 1949 – NEWS FROM WOODFAIRE
The temperature has been 10 degrees below zero several mornings lately. Snow on the flats is 28 to 30 inches. Jewel Lake is frozen over but skating is discouraged due to the amount of snow on the ice.
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CITY FIRE DEPT. BUSY OVER HOLIDAY
The fire department had two runs on Christmas day. The first was to the George Bangman home, 401 Marion, where an oil heater smoking out of control caused smoke damage. A short time later, there was an alarm for a chimney fire at the T.B. James home, 302 S. Boyer. Monday morning the motor on refrigeration at Chris and May’s cafe shorted and burned out. That evening at 9 o’clock came a call that the Merchants Transfer warehouse at Fifth and Oak was afire. As the department drew near, great white clouds billowed from the building. It was a most unusual false alarm. The automatic thermostat had tripped and excess steam from the hot water heater was issuing from the bypass regulator into the frosty night air, creating the illusion of smoke.
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CITY IN BRIEF
Mrs. Joe Bloxom and children were at the station Friday to meet Mr. Bloxom, who was arriving for the holiday week end. He is a signal maintenance man for the Northern Pacific railroad at Vader, Wash.
The O.H. Verdals had their children home for Christmas: Mr. and Mrs. Robert Guettel (Thelma) of Seattle, Gus from university of Idaho, Mr. and Mrs. Thor Verdal, Miss Olivia, and Carl, all of this city.
For more information, visit the museum online at bonnercountyhistory.org.