Bonner County History - July 13, 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

and Sandpoint Bee

July 13, 1975 – SCHOOL BOARD MEETS

In a lengthy school board meeting, Marian Ebbett was re-elected chairman of the board, and bids were accepted for work to be done in the district this summer: $6,017 for blown fiberglass insulation at Hope, Priest River and Sandpoint Junior High in areas where no insulation presently exists; $4,928 for two fire escapes each at Hope and Colburn; and $6,592 for 1400 feet of chain link fencing at the Sandpoint Jr. High and at Northside School; $6,960 for emergency exits required for basement use of classrooms in the Clark Fork and Priest River High Schools and at Idaho Hill. In other business, the board voted to replace retiring transportation supervisor Otis Hart with building and grounds supervisor Ken Holt, when Hart retires next month. 

•••

VANDALISM UP IN DISTRICT SCHOOLS

Glass windows in Bonner County schools are being replaced with plastic in some cases, following a rash of vandalism that has cost the district $1500 in broken windows in the past month alone. The plastic polycarbonate window material is similar to plexiglass, but harder and less susceptible to distortion from sunlight and heat. The plastic initially costs about 20 per cent more than conventional glass but should save substantially on window replacements. “It’s really just an experiment right now,” said buildings superintendent Ken Holt. “We’ll just have to see how durable the plastic is.”

75 Years Ago

Sandpoint News-Bulletin

July 13, 1950 – SCHOOL BOARD DECISIONS 

At Monday’s school district board meeting, the ballot taken of Oden school patrons was canvassed and the decision for closure of the school was declared officially. The students will be transported to Hope school in the coming term. A petition signed by 35 patrons of the Grouse Creek school and another petition signed by five from the same district were read. The majority petition asked that pupils from the Grouse Creek district be transported to the Pack River school as a “trial run.” 

•••

SANDPOINT COLD STORAGE BECOMES IGA

The Sandpoint Cold Storage is now a member of the IGA stores of the Inland Empire, said owners Loren Book and Harold Marley. IGA officials were here this week assisting with arrangement of the store to bring it up to IGA standards. The 2200 sq. ft. interior has been completely changed to provide better display and more convenient shopping. The meat dept. has a self-service display so customers may pick out cuts of pre-wrapped meats. The store’s interior has been refinished in sparkling white paint. In addition to the meat and grocery departments, the store also has ready access to the large number of cold storage lockers which was the foundation of the business established a number of years ago. 

•••

NEW DEPUTY SHERIFF

Harold C. Peterson took over his duties as a deputy in the sheriff’s office Thursday.

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