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.
2019
Local Fish and Game officers were notified of two mountain lion attacks over the weekend in the Wood River Valley. A domestic dog was killed in Gimlet, south of Ketchum. According to IDFG officers, it was in a fenced backyard when it killed the owner’s dog, a German shorthair. As a result, efforts were underway to trap the animal and remove it from the area. In the case of mountain lions, they were noted by Fish and Game to be likely to return to areas where they had successfully obtained food. Decisions regarding what to do with the wildlife involved in conflict situations are determined on a case by case basis. According to Fish and Game, each situation in unique. Once the facts are known and evaluated, a decision is then made about the required course of action. Lions are opportunistic predators, meaning they will prey on whatever they easily can, including pets. Authorities advise residents of the state to avoid feeding their pets outside in order to minimize the attractant potential for predators.
A project to provide genetic testing for sheep to help producers minimize the impact of diseases and improve valuable traits will receive a grant from the Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission Council. The $209,595 grant to University of Idaho animal science professor Brenda Murdoch will help sheep producers employ an inexpensive test to greatly reduce economic losses to diseases and enhance their flocks’ productivity. Idaho’s sheep industry ranks sixth nationally with 1,200 producers and 255,000 head of breeding sheep and lambs. The Idaho producers are part of the Superior Farms supply chain and are critical to the American sheep industry.
From Colt Ozburn: “Dear Santa, Hi! My name is Colt Ozburn. Can I please have some Lego sets and boxing gloves? How do your reindeers get the magic? What do you eat for a living? How do you get through the chimneys? Merry Christmas!”
2014
From Grace: “Dear Santa, I am Grace. I like Legos. I love my family. I like to write a lot. I like to go camping. How do you deliver presets in one night? Do you like Mrs. Claws? What do you like to eat? I want dolls, please. May I have Legos? I want a puppie please. Love, Grace.”
Stop Hunger Now is on the front lines of the fight against hunger. It is an international hunger relief agency that has been fulfilling its commitment to end hunger for more than 15 years. Since 1998, the organization has coordinated the distribution of food and other livesaving aid to children and families in countries around the world. Employees from the Monsanto and Agrium Soda Springs sites joined Stop Hunger Now in their fight, with over 100 volunteers gathering in Monsanto’s administrative building to package 4,200 packages containing 25,200 meals. The event was co-sponsored by Monsanto and Agrium, and the volunteers were made of employees, retirees, friends, and family from those companies. Last year, nearly 1,000 employees from 88 sites partnered with local nonprofits and organizations and volunteered over 4,000 hours as part of the Rural Hunger initiative.
From Jordyn John: “Dear Santa, Frist things frist. Do you have any children? Would you give the reindeer some carrots? What are your favorite cookies? I would like a stuffed Olf and a Frozen dress. How is Mrs. Clus? Is it cold in the North Pole?”
Two former Soda Springs School Board members now serving as city officials were honored by Soda Springs School District Chair Jim Stoor at last week’s city council meeting. Stoor presented Council member Lynda Lee with an Idaho High School Athletic pass that allow her to attend any sponsored event by the association, along with her spouse, in the state. Mayor Jim Smith, who was also on the school board for many years, was likewise recognized but was unable to be at the meeting. Stoor explained that the award can be given to those who qualify after ten years of service.
From Kate: “Dear Santa Claus, How are you? I’m good. I want a Suprise. Did you know that I have a new BB Brother? I think he wants a surprise too. His name is Brani. Am I on the nice list? I hope I am. Merry Christmas, Kate.”
From Owen: “Dear Santa, Do you think you can go down the chimney if there’s a fire? Just wondering! Love, Owen.”
Councilman Robert Lau gave an update in which a donor has been working with Friends of the Library Foundation for an exterior construction of 1,200 to 1,500 square feet on the front of the library, complete with disability access bathrooms. A $53,000 donation from the donor group would go to the foundation, who would do the construction and then give the addition to the city.
From Brecklyn: “Dear Santa, Please can I have an ipad? What are you doing? How is the reindeer? Do elves have pointed ears? Are you relly jolly? How is Mrs. Claus? How do you go to evry childs house in one night? Do the reindeer relly fly? Do you relly have a sleigh? Do you relly have a long beard? Love, Brecklyn Golightly.”
The Soda Springs Lady Cardinals picked up two wins, including a decisive league victory at Malad, and one loss during basketball action last week. The Cardinals hosted Teton and lost 46-37. Their first league game of the season was a trip to Malad, where they took the W 55-26. The Dragons only managed two baskets during the entire second half, which is not very many for those of you who don’t follow the sport.
The Soda Springs Homemakers Club met at the Geyser View Restaurant for their annual Christmas dinner party with Marjean Duren, Betty Watkins, Jackie Moore and LaRae Rasmussen in charge of the no-host dinner arrangements and entertainment. Club President Jan Nielsen conducted and reported the club was donating to the food back as their annual service project. She also led in singing Happy Birthday to club members with December birthdays. There were 21 club members and two guests, Charlotte Skinner and Lois Burton, in attendance for turley, ham, and pumpkin pie. Skinner player piano music as well as the accordian as Burton led the group in singing Christmas songs.
Gloria Evans celebrated ger 83rd birthday on December 20 at home with her husband Kent, and their sons—Scott and Kristie Evans from Grays Lake, and Christopher Evans from Meadow Grove Hot Springs. She received calls from the couples’ two other sons and their daughter, as well as many of the grandchildren and several missionaries who had served in the Philippines when Kent was mission president there.
Ten years older is Maryellen Porter, who celebrated her 93rd on December 19 at her Bailey Creek home. Family included her twin daughters—Marilyn and Lloyd Spencer of Idaho Falls and their son James and family, and Carolyn and Coy Pratt of Preston with their children Doug (Peggy) Porter and Mitch (Donna) Porter, and daughter Karen Ackli and her daughter
Lori Williams.
1984
The BLM has recently completed its roundup of 200 wild horses from public rangeland in southwestern Idaho. District Manager Martin J. Zimmer said the horses are being held at the BLM’s wild horse corral near Boise and will soon be offered to the public for adoption through the agency’s “Adopt-A-horse” program. According to Zimmer, the wild horses were removed from overpopulated herd management areas in the Cascade and Owyhee Resource Areas to protect the range from overgrazing. He said that left unchecked, the horse herds would soon grow large enough to damage the rangeland and compete with livestock and big game for available forage. Zimmer said that under the Adopt a Horse program, individuals may adopt up to four horses and may obtain title after one year of proper care. The adoption fee is $125 per horse or $125 per mare and foal combination.
North Gem Cowboys faced the Richfield Tigers in the North Gem Tournament championship game and came out ahead with a score of 79-39 to keep the coveted trophy, according to reporting from Annette Bunch. “I was pleased with the team’s overall effort in the game with Richfield. It’s nice to win the tournament, as it was one of our goals for the season. The best part of the fame was that the team played very well together. Out fast break was very good and our press really hurt Richfield,” commented Cowboy Coach Weldon Wardle. Straatman played excellent defense and held Richfield’s best player to only four points. Redford was the leasing Cowboy scorer with 13 points and B. Barfuss made two three-pointers. Marc Modersitzki came out with 12 rebounds to help the Cowboys win. The Cowboys team record stands at 3-1 with the single loss from Cokeville, Wyoming with a score of 50-49. The Cowboys JV team played the Soda Freshmen and bounced ahead with a 77-41 score. Argyle and Weaver each scored 17 points and Hensen came up with 16.
The Soda Springs Varsity Boys dropped behind early but made a strong comeback only to lose to Grace on an offensive interference call with one second left. Greg Bergholm led Soda with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Chad Hansen had 11 points and 4 assists. Ryan Young had 9 points and 5 assists. Kent Crossley had 6 points and 8 rebounds. Darren Dockstader had 6 points and a game high 11 rebounds. Against Malad in the next game he put up a season high 14 boards. Panter led Grace in scoring with 16, followed by Kingston with 9.
The matchup between Grace and Soda Springs also featured a father-son coaching outing, as Soda Springs coach Gerald Jolley and Grace head coach Charles Jolley battled it out on the court.
A new law will be in effect on January 1, which requires parents and guardians of children under four or weighing less than 40 pounds to be buckled into child safety seats when they are riding in cars. This law is for resident drivers only, and applies to cars with manufacturer installed seat belts. “There are automobiles manufactured since 1966.” Noted Tina Kircher, Traffic Safety Specialist with the Transportation Department. Older cars and some motor homes with no manufacturer installed safety belts are not covered by the new law. Exceptions to the law include a provision for temporarily removing the child from the safety seat for the purposes of nursing or attending to other immediate physical needs, such as changing a diaper or illness. The law also states that when there are more people or children in the car than there are safety belts, children are to be places in the rear seat of the car. The child passenger safety law was passed in the 1984 legislative session as a statewide safety measure. Each year, around 10 Idaho kids are killed and over 300 injured in vehicle accidents, Idaho was the 48th state to adopt seatbelt requirements on its roads.
1963
Flames consumed the remains of the old Burgin Warehouse, on Main Street, next the City Transfer and Storage. Rita Burgin, owner of the warehouse, gave permission to the Chamber of Commerce to raze the building, and Al Hopkins acted for the Chamber. The building was razed, then set afire, to clear the site of debris.
Evan Vonberg, son of Mr. and Mrs. Archie Vonberg of Soda Springs, was the subject of a recent sketch in the merchandize publication concerning his occupation with the Morrisson-Merrill Co. in Boise. Mr. and Mrs. William Mead spent the weekend in Salt Lake City, where they attedend a family dinner held Sunday at the Hyrum Jenkins home. Jenkins is brother to Mrs. Mead.
1953
Max Butcher, 15, was the subject of a search in the China Hat district Sunday evening after he had left a pickup truck stuck in the snow. Max had gone duck hunting with two friends, Larry Lewis and Bob McGinty. On their way home the boys took a short cut and the truck got stuck. Larry and Bob went to get help and Max remained at the truck. When it got dark, Max, thinking he was faced with a night at the truck struck out for home. The boys returned and found him missing. Ralph Marriott organized a search party and found Max walking along the Government Dam road at about 10:30 p.m.
Mrs. Heber Lau was hostess to the Ladies Literary Club at her sister’s home. The reading and discussion of the play “Volpone, or The Fox” by Ben Jonson was under the direction of Mrs. Paul Tipton. Mrs. Tipton, in speaking of the life of Jonson, told many interesting anecdotes of this great dramatic genius.
1906
Michale Mickleson’s mother and his sisters, Anna Wait and Rebecca Morefat, and their husbands, all of Teton Basin, are paying him a few weeks visit. Will Herd moved his household effects to the Presbyterian parsonage last week and intents “hanging up” there this winter. It is said that two pigs under a fence can make more noise than one. Will Herd wants to know if it is a sure sign a fellow is being talked about when his ears ring. L.C. Eastman has received an appointment as notary public for this precinct and is now ready to attend any business in that time. Miss Myrtle Anderson departed last Tuesday morning for Montpelier, where she expects to remain until after Christmas.
