ATHOL - Maggie Schmidt said she knew something was about to happen Sunday when she was pulled off Silverwood's Steam Train No. 7 during the bandit stunt show.

She was not, however, expecting one of the bandits to be her boyfriend, Owen Lewis, and she was even more surprised when he dropped to one knee to propose.

"When you get pulled down to the staging area, I was like, 'This is weird, I never get picked for stuff like this,'" Schmidt said. "I kind of had an idea something was up."

She said despite his face being covered by a bandana, she knew it was him pretty quickly.

"He has very distinct eyes," she said. "It just dawned on me, like, 'Oh boy he's going to propose.'"

Lewis had been in contact with Silverwood for about four months to plan the grand marriage proposal, to which his girlfriend of four years said "Yes."

"I've been watching YouTube videos of proposals for two and a half years," Lewis said. "I was trying to figure something out that was unique that no one has done before."

The Silverwood train ride includes a stunt show where "bandits" board and shake down guests for money, which actually is donated to charity. Silverwood's Marshal Jack, played by Chris Tortora, and his deputies wrangle the bad guys during the show and recover the stolen goods. Tortora said there was no way he would miss it so he changed roles and dressed as a bandit to be present for the big event.

"I think the actors and I were more nervous for Owen than he was," Tortora said. "At first, I don't think she recognized Owen when he came out of the silver mine in his bandit costume, but once he dropped his mask, her laughter quickly turned to tears of joy. You could hear a pin drop when Owen proposed and the crowd, and us, went crazy when she said 'Yes.'"

Schmidt and Lewis, both of Coeur d'Alene, share a love of trains, the Old West and country-style things.

"She loves her cowboys, so I wanted an opportunity to dress up as a cowboy," Lewis said.

They are the first couple to get engaged on Silverwood's historic train in such a big way, and Schmidt said it's awesome to now be a part of the park's history.

"The fact that he got to have his trains involved and I got to have my cowboy, it's kind of like a little dream come true," Schmidt said.