Ellsworth Arthur Teed, lost in the line of duty in 1934, was recently honored for his dedicated service to the state of Idaho.

Nearly 90 years after his death, Deputy Game Warden for Idaho Fish and Game Teed was accepted into both the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and Idaho Peace Officers Memorial. The Idaho Peace Officers Memorial will be unveiled May 18 in Boise. The honors are significant and certainly well-deserved, especially given the unusual circumstances surrounding his death in 1934.

Teed was an Idaho native, spending his childhood in Clearwater County. After working in mines for many years, Teed relocated his young family to Shoshone County, where he soon found employment in a relatively new profession — deputy game warden for Fish and Game.

Teed was an avid outdoorsman, so as a deputy, he was passionate about and dedicated to his role of enforcing fish and wildlife regulations. His days were often spent patrolling the mountains of North Idaho to ensure harvest of fish and wildlife was legal, responsible and ethical.

Aug. 28, 1934, started like any other day for Teed and his wife, Alma. Teed left his house that morning and told Alma he was headed to Boulder Gulch, south of Mullan, to investigate a tip he had received on the illegal harvest of game. This was the last time Teed was seen alive.

The days following laid claim to the largest recorded search effort in Shoshone County history, involving three states, bloodhounds, airplanes and thousands of civilian search hours.

Teed was due back by early afternoon Aug. 28, 1934, for the funeral of a young neighbor, a funeral he would not have missed. When he didn’t return by the following morning, Alma contacted local authorities, who quickly mobilized a search party.

Teed's Model A Ford coupe was found just past the upper Mullan cemetery, near Boulder Gulch, where he had said he would be headed in on foot to investigate poaching. The day prior, he had found evidence to suggest that poachers had illegally harvested multiple deer and game birds out of season.

Teed’s car was found locked with his lunch and coat left inside. No additional evidence found was confirmed to be linked directly to Teed. Evidence of unlawfully killed deer was found when searchers located three shallow graves containing the deer. Feathers in the area also confirmed the likely harvest of game birds during closed season.

City, county and state officials eagerly began coordinating the search and rescue of Teed, and later the investigation of his likely death. These efforts were assisted by Washington's Walla Walla Penitentiary, which brought bloodhounds over in an attempt to track Teed’s movements.

Airplanes and ships were used from Spokane and Lewiston to fly the area south of Mullan and the St. Joe district toward Montana, as well as south to the St. Joe River. Boys from the Civilian Conservation Corps camps volunteered, mines were closed for days so workers could join the search along with hundreds of local volunteers.

“Hot clews” were reported by papers on multiple dates, however, those were never revealed to the public and may never be known. Sightings of Teed were also reported and covered by the papers, but authorities discounted the likelihood of their merit. Shoshone Sportsman League and family offered monetary rewards for the return of Teed, dead or alive.

The search continued for well over a month until the weather no longer permitted. Teed was never found nor heard from again. Shoshone County court documents state that Ellsworth Arthur Teed was officially declared dead Feb. 6, 1942.

While the particular events that unfolded Aug. 28, 1934, may never be known, all evidence points to Teed being lost that day while pursuing his duties as deputy game warden of the state of Idaho for the Shoshone County district. As such, his recognition by and acceptance into both the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and the Idaho Peace Officers Memorial honor his life and service to the state of Idaho.

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T.J. Ross is a regional communications manager for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.