Bonner County History - Sept. 20, 2026

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

Sept. 20, 1976 – SERVICE NEWS 

Meritorious service at Fairchild AFB, Wash. has earned the U.S. Air Force Commendation Medal for Tech. Sgt. Thomas C. Brown Jr. son of Mr. and Mrs. Claude B. Brown of San Angelo, Texas. Sgt. Brown, a carpenter, was presented the medal at Andersen AFB, Guam, where he serves with the Strategic Air Command. The sergeant’s wife, Gertrude, is the daughter of Kenneth Reed, Sagle. 

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WOODLAND NAMED AUTO HAUS MANAGER 

Ed Woodland has been named the new general manager of Sandpoint’s Auto Haus located at 915 Fifth Ave. He replaced former manager Gene Johnston on Sept. 1. Woodland, who has lived in Sandpoint since 1966, has worked at the Auto Haus since its opening four years ago. He was employed by Washington Machinery Co. in the same building for two years before working at the Auto Haus.  

•••

SANDPOINT SEEKS $1 MILLION GRANT 

The Sandpoint City Council voted Monday to apply for a $1 million grant to be used to replace the wooden water mains currently existing in the city’s water system. City Engineer Joe Haynes said  the money is available under the Accelerated Employment Act passed by Congress last July. In other action, the council voted to fill in the beach loop with dirt and plant grass.  

75 Years Ago

Sandpoint News-Bulletin

Sept. 20, 1951 – CITY IN BRIEF 

Pvt. John T. Dunn, son of Mrs. Grace Dunn of Kootenai, has competed his basic airmen training course at Lackland air force base, San Antonio, Tex. 

Lloyd Scott and his daughter, Mrs. Bill Wesselman were in Spokane last week while Scott had his fractured right forearm treated by a bone specialist. He was struck by a falling snag while clearing right-of-way at Lakeview. He is the crew foreman.  

A few art exhibits from the Bonner county fair remain unclaimed and may be picked up at Ann Foster’s Gifts where they are being held. 

•••

FROSH INITIATED! 

A downtown parade of high school freshmen, all decked out in fantastic costumes, marked the culmination of initiation by the seniors last Thursday. Streets were swept by a crew of broom wielders, shoe shine crews were busy along the curbs, and freshmen stopped at intervals to bow before the seniors. After the parade, the seniors treated the freshmen to ice cream at the high school.  

•••

ENGINEER KILLED AT CABINET

The second accidental fatality to occur at the Cabinet Gorge site of the WWP hydroelectric dam near Clark Fork was reported Saturday when a construction engineer was accidentally knocked into a 40-foot test hole by the bucket of a drag line. The engineer, who was struck by the shovel and toppled head-first into the deep hole, was killed instantly.

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