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.

2021

Ninety-four legislators were named Ag All-Stars by Food Producers of Idaho based upon their voting records on selected pieces of legislation in the 202 Idaho Legislative session.  Food Producers of Idaho, representing over 45 different agriculture commodity and farm organizations in Idaho, annually honors legislators for their voting record on issues supported or opposed by the organization.  According to Executive Director Rick Waitley, the first year a legislator is honored, the award is an Ag License plate that reads, “AL STR.”:  Each year after the initial award, a smaller plate with that year engraved on it is presented to each honoree.  Ag All Star legislators are important to Idaho’s agriculture and natural resource industries.  The award has been presented for the last 21 legislative sessions.  Every bill that is identified as a tracked issue by the Food Producers organization may be a bill that will be used on the organization’s scorecard at end of the session.  The following were recognized as 2020 Food Producers of Idaho Ag All Stars: Sen Mark Harris, District 32, Soda Springs; Rep. Marc Gibbs, District 32, Grace.

Soda Springs Cardinal cross-country and track runner Kelson Smith signed a letter of intent Tuesday afternoon to continue his running career at the College of Southern Idaho.  Smith was a four-year letterman in cross country for the Soda Springs team.  Henwas a part of the state championship run for the Cardinals as a freshman and has followed that up with three team state runners-up in his sophomore, junior, and senior years.  Individually, Smith has been named an all district and all state 2A runner for the last three years, culminating in a 7th place overall finish in the 2020 IHSAA 2A state championships.  Smith boasts a 5K personal record time of 16:30.  “CSI was a great fit for me.  When I went on my visit I felt the environment will be a great place to grow and excel,” Smith said.  

2001

Williams began an investigation last week of an accident that occurred Tuesday evening, Jan. 16 at a compressor station on the Williams Northwest Pipeline system.  The accident, involving three Williams employees, was reported at 6:30 p.m. at the Pegram Compressor Station in Bear Lake County.  One employee was killed in the accident, and two others were injured.  All three were transported to Bear Lake Memorial Hospital in Montpelier last Tuesday night.  The three operations technicians were working on a construction project to tie-in additional compression at the Pegram facility when they were apparently over by fumes and rendered unconscious.  There was no damage to pipeline facilities.  Employee Darrin Wells died as a result of his injuries.  Don Merz was in stable condition last Wednesday at Bear Lake Memorial.  Dino Davis was treated and released Wednesday afternoon.  Darrin Well, 27, an operation technician III from Soda Springs, had been employed by Williams since 1994.  Don Merz, 48, a senior operations technician from Ovid, has been an employee since 1981.  Dino Davis, an operations technicians II from Pocatello, has been employed with the company since 1999.  

With a focus towards family and community involvement, the Soda Springs City Council gave support in principle to a resolution declaring a family night a week in the community.  Berlin Kowallis, representing the Caribou County Healthier Youth, asked the mayor and council to declare a family night once a week, possibly on Monday nights because it tends to be free of school activities.  The idea would be to promote activities as a family and for families on that night throughout the community.  Judge Ronald Hart, who was at Wednesday’s meeting, suggested the July 4th theme be based around the family and have that theme for the parade floats.  “We are excited about this program,” the judge, who also oversees juvenile court proceedings, said about the CCHY group that has organized to help community youth.  He said there were teams focused on the family, community, and schools.  “I think it’s a great idea,” Mayor Kirk Hansen said about the night a week focus on the family.  “Your initiative is admirable,” he told Miss Kowallis.  

Caribou Memorial Hospital’s Auxiliary, also called the “Pink Ladies,” has recently purchased an original oil painting by Grace artist Marie Prescott Jenkins.  It will be on permanent display on the walls of the hospital, administrator John Hoopes said.  The painting is of a local scene, Burton Canyon, which is located northeast of Grace in Caribou County.  Jenkins said her paintings are a continuation of her life experiences.  An artist must relate to the subject in some way in order for it to say something, and one hopes that the viewer will enjoy the experience as much as the artist did while painting it.  “Burton Canyon” is a vivid fall scene pulling the viewer into the autumn phenomena of the valley.  The autumn colors usually appear with hunting season.  Jenkins says she gets “a little nervous painting out there during the hunting season with the hunters buzzing around, but life without a few risks could be rather boring.  “I could put up a fluorescent umbrella, but that would distort and ruin the colors in my painting,” she chuckled.    

The Soda Springs Homemakers Club met Tuesday in the Caribou County Extension Office in the former Horsley Building on First South Street.  Club Secretary Bonnie Summers conducted in the absence of the president, Pat Farnes.  Guest Shelly Thorpe, Extension Agent for Family Consumer Sciences for Caribou and Oneida Counties, presented a program on Healthy Caribou County Youth.  

Touted as the best A-3 team in the state, the Valley Vikings felt little threat as they took the floor on Friday night in Grace.  The unbeaten Vikings had disposed of the Grizzlies in mid-December and felt confident they would brush by Grace once again.  But the Vikings hadn’t counted on a stifling man to man defense by the Grizzlies, and a potent inside game that kept Grace ahead throughout the night, and gave them a 71-57 victory.  Valley closed the gap within 6 points in the third quarter (42-36) but the Grizzlies came storming back to increase the lead to 49-36.  Five Grace players scored in double figures, with Rawlee Yamauchi scoring 13, Scott Thomas and Jordan Stoddard each putting in 12 points, and Ryan Smith and AJ Bitton contributing 10 each.  Senior Kyle Hardy is still recovering from an ankle sprain and did not play.  Coach Greg Bergholm praised the effort of his team.  “We played hard and went strong to the basket all night,” Bergholm said.  “It was a good win for us.”

Thirkill Thunderbirds School Reports:  Kindergarten—This week we loved show and tell because we al brought things we received from Christmas.  I was great.  We are also reviewing numbers and words we have been working on this nine weeks.  We are glad to be back from Christmas vacation.  

1st grade—Christmas was so much fun.  We got lots of fun toys.  We played with our cousins and we are glad school started again so we can see out friends and teachers.  We got to show our best present for show and tell.  We hope it snows, too, so we can play with our sleds.  

2nd grade—Out class is the best.  We’ve been learning about bones.  We read about the skeleton.  We like to play football at recess.  We like Soda Springs and school.

3rd grade—We have been learning division and times tables too.  We have been doing Accelerated Math.  Lots of kids are in that.  We help our teachers do work, like pass out papers and tests.  

Reporters: Wendell Oviatt, Karly Gilgen, Dakota Petersen, Janae Godfrey, Erik Hayes, Alesha Kelley, Shawnee Perry.

1991

Soda Springs Mayor Kirk Hansen, speaking before the local Chamber of Commerce, gave the group a state of the city address.  Before he did, though, he pointed to the “tremendous interest in what’s happening there,” regarding the air attacks made the night before by the United States against Iraq.  “Servicemen need all of our support.  The decision was made and now we need to follow up with our support.  In a democracy, people have a right to their own opinions,” he said.  “I don’t care much about the oil, but the man there is a tyrant and a murderer,” he said, sharing his opinion of the war underway in the Gulf.  Regarding the city, the mayor said the Bear River Task Force recently completed their recommendations about development and the state’s role on the Bear River.  They recommended possible sites of Rocky Point southeast of Montpelier, and the Soda Dam site just south of Soda Springs, for potential dam developments.  “Our choice is the Caribou Dam site.  Rocky Point, near Montpelier, would be very expensive,” he said, because it would require moving a state highway and a railroad that would be flooded.  He also noted the following: Most residents are now drinking Ledge Creek water from the new million-gallon water tank the city constructed to utilize more of their water right at that location.  A city power system that has been very good to the city and allows them to do things other areas cannot.  He did say that lines in the city are becoming outdates and will need to be updated from 2,400 volts to 7,200 volt lines for more efficiency and safety.  That project will be expensive and spread out over a number of years in a systemic changeover.  The mayor will be appearing before the EPA’s Science Advisory Board in Washington, D.C., regarding the study results and EPA’s conclusions and the city’s concerns with them.  “The city is very strong financially and we are strong in our methodology. Your funds are well-protected.  We are in a mode of good things happening.  Major industries are doing well,” he said, adding that other companies are looking at locating in Soda Springs, but it was premature to give details yet.

Allyne Crossley reported that “Joining the growing list of Scouting leaders of Caribou District’s Award of Merit recipients are Cub Scout leader Lynne Weaver, Bancroft, and Wayne Alder, Boy Scout leader, of Grace.  Mrs. Weaver was presented the award by her husband, Ron Weaver.  Lynne has been a den leader, has helped in several ways on the pack committee including advancement chairman, Scout-O-Rama ticket sales chairman, and popcorn sales chairman.  She has also helped on the district with several activities including leader training, day camp, pinewood derby, and Physical Fitness competitions.  Lynne is the mother of six children, four of which have all completed cub scouts and achieved all of their advancements, and one who is almost ready to receive his Eagle.

Alder was presented the Award of Merit by his wife Janet, also a scouting leader.  He is the father of six children.  Four of their sons have received the Arrow of Light and Eagle awards.  He has been a Blazer leader, scoutmaster, and has served the last two years as District Commissioner.  One of his joys as a scoutmaster was being able to be the scoutmaster for his own son and being able to present him with his Eagle badge.”

For about an hour and a half on Friday, Jan 25, a walking tour will be conducted by the University of Utah military Science Department, under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel James T. Austin, Commanding Officer, and Captain Ed Guisbert.  The location of the outdoor classroom will be 4 ½ miles northwest of Preston.  Last year the government designated this confrontation site the “Bear River Massacre National Historic Landmark.”  The Military Science Departments of the various western universities will be studying this site as part of their courses entitled Western Indian battles and confrontations of the 1800s.  The public is invited to walk with the cadets around the 1863 route taken by the California Volunteers in the campaign against the Northwestern Shoshone who were at their winter encampment. The study of the controversy surrounding the site has been hosted by the University of Utah Military Science Department since 1987, with other various intermountain universities participating.