Looking Back at Pages from the Past
The following stories are summarized from past issues of the Caribou County Sun over the last fifty plus years. The Enterprise thanks Mark Steele for permission to use the contents, and the Grace Public Library for access to the archives.
5 Years ago, 2019
The Formation drinking water well was reported to be testing at less than 500 gallons of water a minute, which is more than 2000 gallons a minute less than the city was hoping it would. The city was hoping to get 2,600 gallons a minute to replace their spring water source at the same location, which was planned to be phased out due to the potential for surface contaminants. Extensive underground mapping was done of the area to determined where the spring water source was in relation to the underground system that is complex as a result of rock formations. The new well looked promising for flow initially, but the test showed otherwise. The well was drilled to intersect the spring water. The failure to get the needed flow will result in the need for a second well, which the council approved along with additional studies by Willow Stick to find the original water source.
Governor Brad Little had a piece run in the paper in which he discussed the state’s reduction in regulatory oversight. According to the governor, over 40 percent of the state’s regulations had been “cut or simplified” since he took office in January. Little used the mechanism of executive action to implement a number of changes in various sections of the state code regarding rules and regulations. Many of the sections were said to have been consolidated or eliminated in order to reduce redundancy or “unnecessary regulation.”
According to the research company HighSpeedInternet, Idaho has the third slowest internet speeds in the United States. Data was taken from over one million speed tests throughout the county, and determined that Idaho had an average speed of 25.3Mbps, while the national average was reported to be 42.42Mbps. The fastest state by average was Maryland, followed by New Jersey and Deleware. The slowest was Alaska at 17Mbps, then Mississippi, Idaho, Montana and Maine.
ReNee Christensen officially retired after 48 years as the owner and operator of Soda Springs’ Arctic Circle. In a retirement article in the paper, the ups and down (mostly ups!) of a long career serving food to the community were recounted, including the remarkable growth of the business over the years, and some of Christensen’s favorite memories of interacting with the community over the time. One incident that stood out involved a story about a group of teenagers who broke into the restaurant after hours to cook themselves some burgers before being apprehended. A retirement celebration was held at the City Park across the street from the place ReNee had spent the previous 48 years.
The SSHS Lady Cardinals basketball team finished second out of 33 teams at the Dixie State University tournament in St. George. They also played at the Big Mountain Jam at the Mountain America Expo Center in Salt Lake where they went undefeated. SSHS ended up defeating Salt Lakers and Kongo club teams, before beating Blackfoot High School, Cole Valley Christian, and then UC Schapers in the championship game.
Caribou Jack’s planned to host the #10 Extreme Kleaner NASCAR simulator to support improvements at Hooper Springs Park. Sessions in the simulation were $15, with the winner of the fastest lap time over the duration of the contest winning tickets to a NASCAR race.
Idaho Fish and Game reminded residents of the state that as more people made their way into the national and state parks and wildlife areas it was important to remember to not interact with wildlife. Every year, there are reported issues with visitors to parks interacting with baby and young animals in ways that create problems down the road. In addition to obviously problematic animals such as bears, animals such as deer were actually noted to be a bigger problem, as interactions with young deer by the public can create a number of problems for the local wildlife ecology.
An Open House was planned by the Caribou Historical Society for the public to take a look at the building, which the Society had been working on cleaning and repairing for the last six months. The building is planned to be the site of the Caribou Historical Museum in the future, and a limited number of displays will be presented, as well as Robin and Laurie Thomas’ upcoming photo book celebrating the 100 year anniversary of Caribou County. Penny candy will be available at the counter, in recognition of the store’s primary relationship to the children from across the street at the Hooper School.
10 Years ago, 2014
A recount of the North Gem school bond vote has been requested by two residents of the North Gem School District, Caribou County Clerk Veda Mascarenas reported. The $4.8 million bond passed by the exact minimum number of votes needed for the two-thirds voter approval to be reached. The final vote was 290 for and 145 against. The bond had been voted down by two votes in each of the previous two elections. The two residents who requested the recount were required to pay $100 for each precinct, which includes a total of three. The bond will allow for a new school building and improvements at Bancroft.
A proposal for an indoor horse arena to be located at Kelly Park was heard by the city council members of Soda Springs. The cost would be around $1 million and a group led by Teri Bergmeier was hoping to build the facility with donated funds. Mayor Jim Smith told Bergmeier that each city park had a master plan for longer term planning, and that she would need to consult with the Parks and Recreation committee to determine whether such an arena was within the vision for the park.
Pizza’s Car Run Show was reported to be a massive success at the city park, in its 16th year. The Car Show has become a major event for the summer in Caribou County, and has begun to bring in hundreds of visitors, and dozens of cars.
Caribou Memorial Hospital CEO John Hoopes announced that Marion Condie, RN, had been names the Employee of the Month for the hospital. Her nomination stated that “Marion has been devoted to CMH for many, many years! She has worked on the hospital floor, surgery, and now in the Living Center.” Hoopes stated that Marion serves as a mentor to other CMH employees and is greatly respected within the organization. Condie noted that she had seen a lot of changed over the four decades she had been with the hospital.
20 Years ago, 2004
Tommy Thomas of Soda Springs was among those honored on D-Day in Boise at the Idaho State Veterans Home for those veterans who took part in the liberation of France during WWII. Veterans were honored on the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landing by the French government. Thomas landed on Utah Beach in 1944 and was with an armor unit during most of his time in Europe. After landing on the beach and breaking through German lines, forces began liberating numerous towns as they pushed down the coast. His unit skirted Paris and went into Germany with the Third Armor Division, before being called back to fight at the Battle of the Bulge, which he described as “a corker!”
The 2004 Community Safety Expo and the 4th Annual Patricia Sorensen Bike Rally, sponsored by the Soda Springs Police Department and SAFEKIDS Southeastern Idaho, took place over the weekend. Lorna Anderson won the $50 drawing prize from the Chamber of Commerce, and Jade Watkins won the $25 drawing award from Cedar View Supper Club. Three bicycles donated by Kerr-McGee were won by Tyler Humpreys, Tayon Smith, and Daisy Dudley. Walker Henderson won the Motorola Talk-about, donated by R&L Communications.
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission set hunting seasons for doves and sandhill cranes. No early good seasons were proposed by the staff. Mourning dove season was scheduled for September, with a daily bag limit of 10. Sandhill crane controlled hunts were scheduled for the first two weeks of September, with 165 permits available.
Over 400 home owners throughout the county were advised that they would likely see their home values increase by 13 to 15 percent by County Assessor Preston Phelps. New property assessment notices were sent out last week and 435 residences—primarily in the county—will show those increases in their property values due to a state requirement to keep assessed values between 90 and 110 percent of market value. Values of many of the homes in the county were noted to be at around 78 percent of market value.
Janet Tolman, president of the Caribou Historical Society, announced that the group’s first summer field trip would be along the Oregon-California Trail from Soda Springs to Big Hill east of Montpelier. The group planned to stop at several locations along the way to view wagon ruts, and listen to experts speak about the trail and history of its use. Norm Tolman, Dr. Mike Bateman, and other knowledgeable trail enthusiasts will share aspects of the trail’s history and preservation efforts. The group would then spend the afternoon in Bearl Lake county at the “Rails and Trails” exhibit at the museum, then travel to Big Hill to view the steepest descent experienced by emigrants on the trail.
30 Years ago, 1994
Former students of the SSHS who attended school in the soon to be demolished building on Highway 30 East were invited, along with the class of 1946, 1947, 1948, and others who planned to hold a reunion over the weekend, and anyone from the first years in the school through 1960, to a Western Dance in the “Junior High” gymnasium to meet old friends and reminisce, as well as spend a last time in the building before it is torn down. The building was converted into a junior high in 1960 with the completion of the new high school that year.
It was reported that former Soda Springs resident William “Bill” Henry McDonald IV died during a climbing accident at the Grant Teton. It was on the descent from the summit that McDonald slipped and was unable to prevent himself from falling up to 300 feet. McDonald’s body had to be recovered by helicopter the next day, due to the location and high winds at the time of the accident. In Soda Springs, McDonald was an avid climber, and a assistant manager of Superior Tire, as well as the owner of the Texaco Service Station. He was also a reserve officer with the SSPD.
Grace citizens had apparently done well enough conserving water that a planned water restriction was deemed unnecessary for the moment. Related, the city’s plan to collect on long overdue city water bills was reviewed and it was reported that the largest delinquent bills had been sent out and collection procedures could be initiated. The council was clear that they wanted to be fair with residents, as long as they had contacted the city about plans to pay the bill in the future on a reasonable schedule.
Kristie Godfrey, graduate of BYU in elementary education with a minor in music, has been chosen to play the part of Annie in the performance of “Annie Get Your Gun” at Soda Springs High School.” Kristie met Cleston Godfrey in Clearfield, Utah, where she was teaching and the two married and moved to Soda Springs where Cleston works for the Soda Springs Elevator as a grain merchandiser. Kristie was delighted at winning the audition, and expressed kinship to the historical Annie Oakley who was similar in height at just over five feet.
40 Years ago, 1984
A special meeting for defendants in the Idaho Power initiated lawsuit against water users in the Portneuf River Drainage, Blackfoot River Drainage, and Freedom water district was called at the Caribou County Courthouse. The group, which calls itself The Idaho Water Rights Defense Group, represents the large group of residents who will be affected by the suit. The suit seeks to give Idaho Power priority water rights, which will allow them to cut off water to the defendants in time of shortage. Many of the defendants (around 5,000 residents) use the water for irrigation purposes in the Swan Falls ruling of 1982.
Tommy Thomas was appointed by mayor David Clegg to the Soda Springs City Council to fill the vacancy created when Carl Schenck resigned before the end of his term to spend more time with his family. Thomas ran in the election the previous fall and lost by only a few votes. He is a retired engineer for the Department of Transportation.
It was reported that Utah Power and Light Company told the city that they had read the wrong table, and the an estimate to bury a power line behind Thirkill School would end up being $8,000 in 1984 money more than the original estimate. City Administrator Roy Rainey reported that the school district did not hand that much extra money on hand, so would have to run the line overhead rather than buried in order to afford it.
Ernest Young discussed the potential to buy or lease the old city dump on the Bailey Creek Road to store car bodies and do salvage work. Young said the several of the people in the area he talked with didn’t have any objection to the idea, although he had not talked to everyone who might be effected. Mayor Clegg expressed skepticism about changes in attitude throughout the city about reopening the site for dumping again, as it had failed to pass a rezoning petition twice in the recent past.
Members of the Soda Springs City Council and the Chamber of Commerce cut the ribbon to open the old log cabin at city park for use as a tourist and information booth for the area. The center was planned to be open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and earlier on Saturday. Judy Stoor, Bobbie Brangham, Bryan Summers, Phillip Merchen, Tommy Thomas, and Edie Tracy were all on hand for the official ribbon cutting.
The theme for the upcoming 4th of July celebration had been decided on—“Old West Days.” Activity schedules were released, and included the Second Annual Chili Cookoff on Main Street. Chili has to be cooked from scratch on site in order to qualify, and tasting cups will be sold to the public interested in sampling the entries. Everyone is a winner in this case.
