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Bonner County History - May 26, 2026

Bonner County Daily Bee | UPDATED 1 month, 3 weeks AGO
| May 26, 2026 1:00 AM

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

May 26, 1976 – RAINEY RECOGNIZED 

Francis V. Rainey was recently presented a 30-year employment pin by Dale Addington, PP & L District Manager. Rainey began his career with PP & L in 1946 as a groundman, advanced to meter reader, and since 1953 has been District Storekeeper. He has lived in Sandpoint since 1945.  

•••

OPEN HOUSE TO HONOR FINLEYS 

Noting 64 years of marriage, George & Anna Finley will be honored by open house at their son’s home at 141 Valley St., Dalton Gardens in Coeur d’Alene from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday.  

•••

FIRST LUTHERAN GETTING NEW PASTOR 

Sandpoint’s First Lutheran Church will begin summer with a new pastor. Pastor and Mrs. Dennis L. Hanson and their children, Mark and Karyn will arrive this week from Whitefish, Montana where they have served since 1964. Pastor Hanson’s first sermon here will be on Sunday. 

•••

GRADUATION HONORS AT CFHS AND PRHS 

Bruce Stutzke, Valedictorian for Clark Fork High School’s graduating class, will speak at their commencement. Bernie Frank is Salutatorian.  

Priest River High School’s Kathleen Branham will be Valedictorian for graduation exercises next Tuesday; Scott Ballbach is Salutatorian of the class.  

  

75 Years Ago

Sandpoint News-Bulletin

May 26, 1951 – AT RADAR SCHOOL 

Pvt. Malcolm N. Fredstrom of Sandpoint recently reported at Keesler AFB, Biloxi, Miss., to begin training in the air forces radar school. 

•••

BELL FINDS ITS VOICE: WAS SILENT A WEEK 

  The warning bell on the traffic light at Second and Cedar recovered its “voice” after a week of silence. On May 10 an unknown person took the broken bell to the police station, after it evidently was hit and brushed off the light by a high-loaded truck. The new bell, installed Thursday, is a husky young bell with a loud, important-sounding tone that  speaks with authority as the light flashes from green to red.  

•••

FAST LOG TOW FROM GRANITE CREEK 

Favorable winds and current resulted last week in the fastest log tow of the season down Lake Pend Oreille.  A Kenmor Marina tug tied up just above the N.P. bridge only 24 hours after it left Granite Creek. Previous fastest tow was 27 hours. The logs, from Russell Oliver’s clearing operations on the Green Monarch transmission line, are unloaded at Dover and trucked to Pack River Co.’s Colburn sawmill. The tow was made by Ted Farmin and Carl Rojan. 

•••

STREET OILING TO START SOON 

The Sandpoint highway district is planning the oiling of residential streets, said highway district board member Karl Greef. Oiling will begin early next month, depending on weather.

   

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