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.

2020

The Road and Bridge Department has been fighting beaver activity on the Cow Camp road.  Supervisor Kim Spencer has been in contact with the Fish and Game office, who is working through the issue.  

Beginning July 1, drivers in Idaho will only be able to use electronic devices in hands-free mode behind the wheel, including when stopped at a red light or stop sign.  On other words, the new hands-free law makes holding a cell phone illegal while operating a vehicle.  “Education of motorists is going to be key,” said Col. Kedrick Wills, director of the Idaho State Police.  “Idahoans want to be responsible and to be good drivers.  This law is another way to remind all of us we need to pay attention to the road when we’re behind the wheel.  As law enforcement, we can remind them with education of enforcement, we’re starting with what we prefer, which is education.”  Troopers and officers will issue warnings from July 1 to December 31.  Tickets will be issued starting in 2021.  The rules are that drivers can only use electronic devices and mobile phones in hands-free mode, and are only permitted to touch devices to activate the hands free mode.  Drivers are not permitted to hold or support any electronic devices.  Activation of GPS, voice to text, and making and receiving calls are permitted with one touch or voice command.  Handheld use is allowed only if the vehicle is both stationary and not located in a public travel lane.  Drivers are not allowed to touch a device for texting, email, apps, video, or internet use.   The first offense will result in a $75 fine.  The second within 3 years is a $150 fine.  The third and any further offenses result in $300 fines.  Three offenses in three years can also result in a license suspension.  Between 2014 and 2018 there were 241 people killed in distanced driving crashes across the state and it was cited as a contributing factor in about one of every five crashes in Idaho.

This week Rocky Mountain Power customers have reported receiving a spike in fraudulent calls from scammers posing as utility representatives.  According to reports, the caller insisted that the customer is behind on their bill and demands payment within 30 minutes to avoid disconnection.  More than 300 reported scam calls in one day have been targeted at both residential and business customers in Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming.  Some scammers insist the victim obtain a prepaid card and then share the code.  Customers can protect themselves from these types of schemes by being aware of the following:  Scammers often state that service will be shut off in 30 to 60 minutes, though utility companies do not call customers to demand payment in any cases.  Fraudsters may ask for the purchase of prepaid cards, and ask the customer to share that information over the phone.  Obviously, legitimate businesses do not ask for a third party transaction such as a prepaid card in paying to accounts.  Any questions about a call of this sort can be best addressed by hanging up on the caller, and dialing RMP or other utility directly.

Last week the State Department of Education distributed thousands of gallons of hand sanitizer and thousands of masks to school districts in Idaho to help protect vulnerable populations when school resumes.  “School safety has always been a huge part of our mission, but it has taken on additional meaning during this pandemic,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said.  “I am thrilled that we can distribute hand sanitizer and face masks to make our schools safer, healthier spaces.”  Seven 330-gallon drums of hand sanitizer and 100,000 masks were delivered to sites in all six of Idaho’s education regions, with pickup days scheduled Monday through Wednesday.  Schools and districts filled containers ranging from five gallon buckets to empty shampoo bottles, to transport the sanitizer.  Masks and sanitizer are distributed on a first come, first serve basis, and most of the sites handed out all available supplies.  The SDE is looking into holding another event in August.

Brett Jones, of Rock Springs, Wyoming, set a new catch and release state record rainbow trout while fishing the American Falls Reservoir.  The 31.25 inch behemoth was just long enough to break the record previously set by David Raisch in 2018.  State records are split for rainbow trout between common rainbows and the fast-growing Gerrard-strain trout found in the Coeur d’Alene and Pend Oreille drainages.  Lake Pend Oreille still holds the current catch and release record Gerrard rainbow trout at 36.5 inches.  American Falls Reservoir has a well-deserved reputation for producing trophy trout, having produced several certified weight records already.  The reservoir produced the 34 pound record rainbow/cutthroat hybrid caught by Mark Adams in 2011, and the 20 pound rainbow trout record was caught by Michelle Larson-Williams in the Snake River nearby.  Rainbow trout are the most common species at American Falls Reservoir, but Yellowstone cutthroat and brown trout are also in the neighborhood.  The reservoir is popular for anglers trolling lures for big trout, but also has some good smallmouth bass and yellow perch fishing as well.

1990

Governor Cecil Andrus, in Soda Springs on Wednesday to visit industry leaders and campaign in the community, said that regarding the EPA slag issue, “We are faces with another example of EPA coming to a conclusion not based on fact.  We are left to assume it was preconceived.”  Andrus, who was accompanied by his wife, Carol, met with the mayor and Monsanto officials Tuesday night.  His statement regarding the EPA study recently released and their conclusions that slag posed a significant health risk, took issue with the way EPA arrived at their figures.  “Their numbers don’t hold up.  Five hundred millirems is the figure for exposure to the general public and OSHA has set 5,000 mrems for the workplace,” he said about EPA’s statement that the 52 mrem average found in Soda Springs above background levels posed a health risk.  “Their mathematical model was used without verification of their Science Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science.  We are highly suspicious of the validity of their claims,” he said in an interview with the Sun last Wednesday.  “Monsanto and FMC and Idaho and Cecil Andrus do not want the material used if, in fact, it was detrimental to health,” the governor said, but pointed out he was not willing to accept the bureaucracy’s extrapolation of numbers without scientific evaluation of those numbers.  He said the state of Idaho will use slag they have on hand for one state road project in the area, but will not bid any more using slag until the issue is resolved.  “Pocatello and Soda Spring have been very prudent” in not continuing the use of slag in light of the statements made by the EPA, he said.

“Pocatello Youth Improve Grays Lake Settler’s Cemetery” by
Ellen Carney

Those interred in the small, isolated graveyard at Gray, sleep not only in peace, but in a greatly improved setting, thank to 130 young people from Pocatello and their leaders. 

The small cemetery at Gray has about 30 graves, mostly of early settlers to the Grays Lake Valley, except for two local infants buried there in the 1980s.  It had been overgrown with weeds, some headstones were tipped over, the fence was unsightly, and the gate sagged on its rusty hinges. 

In 1989, Ron Clayton, a member of the Centennial Committee in Pocatello, came to Grays Lake, looking for information about his ancestors from this area.  He found many of his ancestors, but was appalled at the condition of their almost forgotten resting place, and determined he would do something about it.

A short time later, when the Pocatello North Stake was looking for a Centennial service project for their LDS youth conference during this Centennial year, Clayton suggested restoring the cemetery.  Members of the stake presidency and youth leaders visited the area and decided to take on the project.

To stimulate interest, Ellen Carney was asked to speak about the area, and tell of some of the early residents who rested there, in a stake youth fireside June 10.  

Walker Monument in Pocatello heard about the project and brought their hoist truck to help reset headstones, along with one of the owners, Ted Witt, and Chris McCoulouch.  They provided expertise for leveling and resetting stones,  and brought cleaning solution for all of the gravestones in the cemetery.  

Bruce Wilson carved redwood markers for the two recent graves, which did not yet have headstones.  

Stake President Ted Panter, his counselor Gordon Wilkes, Stake Young Men’s Leader Richard Watt, and Stake Young Women’s Leader Jodi DaBell, were among the 30 adults who accompanied the 130 young people.  

David Smith and Brian Muir from Grays Lake brought a posthole digger and helped with refencing the cemetery, Reed Humphreys donated posts, Blaine Docksteader offered wire, and Evan Kackley offered post treat.  Dave Smith brought bracing material.

Young people clipped, mowed, helped fence, cleaned tombstones, and painted fence posts.  They carefully placed plastic flowers which had been brought to the cemetery on Memorial Day, back on the newly groomed graves.  When they finished the project, there was little resemblance to the place they had started with.

Who is buried in this quiet, out of the way spot?

In 1879, the James Sibbett, Samuel Sibbett, David Robinson and William C. Simmons families entered the Grays Lake Valley from the southeast, following the Lander Trail, known along this strip as the “Old Salt Road” because it was used by wagons from the Salt Works near Stump Creek to transport salt to Boise and other points west.  

They settled in Grays Lake and were soon providing beef and produce to the miners at the Cariboo (now Caribou) mines.  James Lowry Sibbett and his wife, the former Amanda Alemeda Simmons, because known for their hospitality and big-heartedness and were soon called “Pap” and “Mam” Sibbett.  She served as a midwife in the area.  Many of the Sibbett, Rose, Wakeman, and Corbett families in this area find James and Amanda in their family lines.  

Nels Nelson and his wife, the former Olive Olsen, came to this area and homesteaded on Eagle Creek.  They had been advised to move because of Olive’s health, but her activities here would never suggest health problems.  Nelse did some mining at Cariboo.

Olive needed a kitchen range, so the family packed up and went up to the mountain to work.  Olive cooked at the Greenhouse.  Nelse butchered the meat, hauled to wood, and other chores.  Their oldest girl, Zelman, helped with cooking and cleaning at the Greenhouse, and the two younger children, Nephi and Lili, carried meals to the miners at the diggings.  Some Burton, Lindstrom, Harrison, and Beus families in this locality descended from Nels and Olive.

Helmar Ronback was a bachelor who mined and who homesteaded on Bridge Creek.  

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Burton were big sheep people in the area.  Their son died as a youngster and was buried at Gray.  His brother, Kenneth Burton, is now living in Boise.  

Harlow Sibbett was only 37 when a big fire on Grays Lake prompted him to ride with haste to get his brother, who was fishing over 12 miles from home.  His horse dropped dead from exhaustion.  Harlow and his family didn’t fare much better.  After the fire was out, he became ill.  His problem was considered to be from over-exertion while fire fighting.  He died a short time later.  His wife, Harriet, was expecting a child, and the baby died at birth.  She died a few months later.  They are buried at Gray.

A large proportion of the graves are infants, who mostly died during winter months.  One can picture bereaved parents laying their child to rest in the cold soil, during a Grays Lake winter, and the heartache they experienced.

Those who restored this cemetery should be commended for taking time to look at the past and those who have gone before us, and for showing their respect for these pioneers by improving their resting place.