Latah County Oral History Collection

What I say. One of the only day doctors. They have their own. Method of putting health management together. And we have an account with an organic drug company in Spokane. And when we were up at Melrose, I can remember they. The drugs were delivered.

By the state line.

I never had too much to come. All the questions more about. I do remember, though, already had a a very small showcase.

And that was always moved wherever we went. And in that showcase would be,

Different things that people would like that I know the top shelf always had chocolate candy. and we would always have some chocolate candy. And so I have no idea that the young children got free sample.

There was one thing about my father always had a team of horses, and I wouldn't make any difference what time of day night or how much anyone told him as they called him to come and someone would say, we would bundle up.

Regardless of the weather and take all I can remember saying.

Terrible time.

I was dressed in real heavy clothing. He had a very special.

Ford carefully pulled out over your head and you could barely see his eyes. But that was one thing about my dad and what.

You would call.

Now, when we moved to.

Potlatch in 1970, I went to college, 97. My folks worked. In 1906, I stayed with my stepmother folks in Moscow and, Potlatch Lumber Company. We started September, 20.

September the 22nd, 1905. They burnt down a small shack, a log cabin, squatters that they were called. And I believe that is where the, power plant for the public mill is having today on the spot where the log cabin is located.

1906 they started the mill and.

Started an operation. And the first manager was a barber. The name of William Dairy.

He was,

Hired by the warehousing company. And the mill at the time was built. Was built and laid off. County. About nine miles through four on the Potlatch River. Weyerhaeuser company. And I heard about the big Pine stands of timber that were. Made all county. And they bought all of they could get Ahold of.

And they, they.

Delayed all county. And that was, a real nice meadow where they built the mill. Potlatch is a name from the Indian name, and it means a great feast or general distribution of good things. Therefore, they thought that the potlatch would be the logical name.

For the new mill.

Now, the Washington, Idaho and Montana Railroad. Which was called the dump Dodger, or the Washington Iron, and many railroad. Was built between Washington and Bovill, Idaho. And all there was a separate organization from the Potlatch Company, and played a very important part in the development of the mill, because it gave the outlet.

both who to the.

Great Northern Guard and Pacific and the Inland electric train that was running at that time. And then there was a line built in from Saint Mary's to Elk River, and it made connections in Bovill. Or it was a very good outlet for all of the lumber. The first two locomotives that run the passenger trains were number one and two, and they had three coaches that I remember when they first started.

That ran the proof and then proposed to borrow and.

Then back to school and then back to port back. That was a day's work. And they sometimes had what they call a mixed train. They, they didn't have enough to run a freight train there.

The number 1 or 2 would have to downgrade.

They were capable of moving a pretty good sized mixed train, which would be boxcars loaded.

With lumber or.

It might be flat cars loaded with most of the time that the good lumber was shipped in boxcars.

Now, the big deal to get the.

Logs, the mill from Bovill was to bring the logs down about a 40 mile trip with engine number 21 and 22, and they were very large steam locomotives, quite a bit larger than the ones that, carry the pack. These engines and all of them discarded. I really can't tell you where where they are, except for number one that has been moved around behind the deep, warm collection.

Touch on it. Separate track, and you can see it anytime. If you go to Potlatch, it's.

Kind of a curiosity to see the old the cement.

Now getting back to the town of Potlatch was,

A home old town.

You might call it, with. A one man town hall of the real estate, house, store, hotel.

The school building. And,

Churches were owned by the Potlatch Lumber Company.

There was about 300 houses of.

Of different design.

And they were added to the people who were working in the mill at, very nominal.

Rent.

And it was quite a thriving town. we about 1970.

9 to 38 would be in the neighborhood of between 1500 and 2.

Thousand population. But I believe.

Today, 800 to 1000 would cover.

How much in the purchase there was, Union Church, which had, Quite a large following. remember the first pastor of a reverend state? it wasn't too large a church. It had across the street.

From, grade school. it were here.

Just a very few years. And they built a very fine church.

Called the Union Church.

And it burned down.

And they didn't.

Have a church for a while, and now they have rebuilt and a very nice church. And we all grew up volunteer labor. The Catholic church was built. you go through the years and I believe it's still in use. The Lutheran Church was just a small building. Never had very much of a falling. But, Reverend Anderson, that came to Potlatch with part of the Lutheran church where the back of Union Church partnered and, the last few years, I believe the pastor.

And churches holding services both encourage and also and the Union Church.

I don't know too much about the Catholic Church. I remember Father Cole was one of the first Catholic priests on that.

Row.

The sawmill itself, at the time it was built. Quite considered one of the largest in the United States. But that did no good. But for a short time, because I understand that. Build another church in the state of Georgia that was larger, but not very much. The first engineering, the Potlatch mill. That we all operated, built, and probably and the the first 1200 horsepower.

the 12 was. Provided for that? work for the town?

No. Was all, Well, it the second floor. We they cut all the lumber.

And the third floor, it was the rock. The band stores up shop. And there was also a catwalk or the street to go through. Stand up there and watch the operation and the mill. there was always someone up there. We like to have come through to see what was going on, the pretty mill. But this happened before and that's all.

Permanent regular mill. And it was run with the 1000 and.

20 went the advertising, but it was only,

700 horsepower, quite a bit smaller.

The last few years. These engines are all gone and dismantled and everything is run with electric motor. And to go through it now and see the different early days, it was all built home, and there'd be miles of that at all.

Eliminated.

What was the difference in the.

Amount of manpower in the mill? Well, electric motor did come down an awful lot, and I got to know road when I worked in it in 1921, I think it was something like 40 men that, that took care of the lumber and the main part of the sawmill today, I believe that was cut down. But the 12, everything is a push button, you know, and, the steel part of that number wasn't work.

And they used to do the work setting up high enough that you can see everything that's going on. Now, we've mentioned, the fact that my father was an early doctor in Idaho. The Potlatch Lumber Company had their own doctors, and they were called the company doctor. One of them was a doctor, Ekwe Hine, that had a small.

Hospital and who worked. And he came up to Potlatch at least twice a week, and he had a small and a building. But the resident doctor, we had doctor come, very good doctor. He was in Potlatch for many years. And, then one doctor hired quite. There was a doctor by the name of Gibson that came from Saint Marys, Idaho, a very good surgeon.

Who them. I want to know what the railroad broke through. And then he later moved to Mobil. But, But. Not to. Elko. He moved to Potlatch, Idaho.

And they,

The first building that they built in Potlatch, they provided two of them for the single man, and they were called the boarding House one and two.

And in about 1918, they closed up number one boarding boarding house and converted into a hospital. And doctors get who was the first doctor to take over in the new hospital. And part of that. And he was there until 1946, when he retired.

And moved to the coast.

And Doctor Thompson retired, moved to Moscow, and for a while they didn't have a doctor there. But the present time the doctor regular staff in Potlatch, and he had been there for about 11 years.

Now, in 19.

34, we.

Moved to,

Cod, Whiting.

I haven't said where. My wife and I met, but we we met when I was working in the store in Potlatch, Idaho. We quarter later on, she came down there, the demographer and I met her. And the only way to get rid of me was to marry. We have two boys, one of the sells audiovisual in Spokane.

That, to tell you more about how I did something in the Bell and Howell. Right.

He comes in to Cortland about every other week or whatever. He goes, he lecture point to stuff. Junior college. If I need any of his equipment.

Our other boy is, graduating university, right. Idaho. And,

He and a civil engineer.

And find him on the pardon frame. Consulting engineer on fourth Street quarterly. You're the oldest boy.

Graduating from what we're calling the.

Your house is on the other side of Portsmouth. Oh, yeah. I had, Well, not a little bit. The, the lot that, we live on was bought by my father and all about 1905. you know, your brother Bernard adjoining lot here at 2094 drive and.

2 or 11 four graduate two.

94

Where we there were 213 where the brother lived and the one that we are on or, ridge the valley quarter for the man personnel for Fort Sherman. But it burned up. And then it just the empty locker for a long time.

In our alley there. railroad track between us from the junior college. Otherwise, our property were.

And the street would adjoining the campus where the junior college.

And in the early days, there was, shingle mill just to the south of our property on the lake. And it brought up about 1898. But I understand that, they also saw lumber and they saw the lumber for the first boat that were built, put on the lake that were called the Army.

And we were named after the.

The youngest daughter of the war commander. But I don't want to say too much about corduroy, because I didn't come here until 1934. And I think that there are other people who were capable of giving a much better outline.

And I can.

And they, I recall a.

Little red church at the end of the block.

Or the first church, part of the, port personnel. And I believe it would for a short time, it was.

Also used as a school.

Or port some.

People. And then there was a nice school built not too.

Far from the port, probably about three blocks, and which would have been torn down, but that was called the port from school. Port Herman School up here. No. Is a very fine building.

And there were so close to our home that we could watch our boys go to school.

Come on back door.

Now, there's the one thing.

About it here. Human interest story that comes into this, that we're.

Really quite, quite different. Why wasn't public?

I went to school where the families, and their name was here.

And they came to Potlatch in 1908 to Cairo or. And because, the mother and father, three girls and three boys, they were schoolmates from, I would say about sixth grade to high school, but one of you ever heard. Dropped out of school and or helping his father on a farm. And he, suddenly disappeared. And they thought that he'd grown up on a small mountain and fell in a mineshaft.

Nevertheless, they couldn't quite shut down the.

Military to look for him. However, he wanted.

Were dead until. Around 19. 64. They found out that he was alive. And I think the way they found it out was the fact that he went to Princeton, Idaho.

We're talking about here. well, my school 64. Ever have went to Idaho.

With a little town potlatch about three miles from Potlatch.

That is inquired what had happened to the family, and we were informed that they were buried in Cairo, Oregon. So he went down there, and a section of the graveyard.

Gave them the railroad gray hair and oh, crap.

Contact the gray hair. And sure enough, the last few years and there know many members of the family that two boys and two girls, and we made it a point to meet with them at least twice a year. Now, the reason we wanted to make contact with.

The family was a friend of years had passed away from California, and she didn't have any errors on.

The state of California, just the state. And in the meantime, Everett had married and, his wife died.

In 1934, who had remained in Bakersfield, California, where he was manager of the Bakersfield Inn. And yet the funeral,

The state. And we thought it would be the only thing to contact his brothers and sisters and really to say to them, because he knew that he was dying of terminal cancer.

And we wanted to be sure that the family would come and state.

After he passed away, they had a memorial.

Service in Spokane and all of the.

Friends that they knew or were about.

Were notified. And we went and put down for the memorial service. And it was.

A very touching.

Thing. There was a lot of the people there that he's on the school and.

A cousin that would have to turn to tell a poignant up there. The memorial address. And it was very important.

To be included. No.

The plaque here.

My wife and I went to,

Baltimore, Maryland to visit and plan, and we went to, Washington, D.C., but yet it.

Was a battlefield. Harpers ferry. And the night before we came home, we went into a restaurant where they served for a special deal with food.

And our friend said, you are in order that you would like this. I think you.

Have something that you really like, and I did. I had this food that I never heard of. And then when I started to pay for our meal, I said, I don't feel exhausted around to any place. Who do you pay?

And, I said, well, I've paid here before you pay the waiter, I will call.

So I got up, walked around the table, and I walked up to the waitress and I said, you know, I was born and raised in the backwoods in northern Idaho. I never ate out very much. And, I just didn't know the proper procedure, but I understand. And to tell you a little lady look up at me and give me a nice smile.

And she said, you know, a couple of years ago, my husband and I drove up to Seattle to visit my sister, and we stopped at the prettiest little town in northern Idaho, and it was called corduroy.

And, you know, it's a small world.

And I think with that, I better quit one. That we got to go to the potluck. Well, I think the ladies I mentioned, the fact that I went to school for the first grade to high school, but I didn't dwell on it very much. But I might tell you this, that the,

The, officials of the white House who probably provided this with.

A car paper check for, for school.

The good to the left. Who were they? Warehouses down by the.

Railroad track or. No. And and I went there one year.

And I built a really high school building that. Would you? Until the freshman year, they, The crews. Well up on sixth grade.

And if I remember correctly, there wasn't any, furniture in the building. And they marched this up and took a picture.

Of the youngsters that were in who I like in seven and,

19

And we went into the new school building. And that was a great school for two, eight or many years. And that who was.

A converted Lutheran church that was across the street, the first four graduates of the Potlatch High School.

Graduating from the basement room in the grade school building. And then when they built the new work Lutheran Church, they, remodeled the first Lutheran church for a high school building.

And that's where I went for four year.

And, I graduated there in 1921. Let's go over here to the high school for several years now. They have a new high school to the high where you come into Potlatch from the wide. And they. Building that they you fry school for quite a while is been converted to grade school. And the original red school building has been remodeled, rebuilt.

And I haven't been in it, but it's a very fine.

Apartment now. Good luck. One thing about recreational.

Well, in the early days, there was there wasn't any recreation department. We had good baseball. Everybody played baseball. And. We had a very fine gymnasium, and there were quite a.

Lot of activity there that, and basketball and.

Indoor baseball, which we called, we call softball outdoor softball. Now we have indoor baseball that was above all that would come up.

But we we played the yes, we had we have to play.

it was my very good fortune to be included in that. Quite a lot of them from, the time that I was in the seventh grade to high school, I don't remember too much about them, but I do remember being in a play that was called, for example, that, be a very good comedy. And then the next one that I remember was The Merchant of Venice, up to date.

And I can remember that because.

Was a couple of things that, very unusual happened. They,

Merchant of Venice up to date. We have the character on the porch who was looking out the window.

And, they.

opposed the football and hard. And when I did, I was going to elope with her. Wouldn't have caught the nose and made my nose bleed.

Well, I had on this clown outfit with the leather from that outfit.

Again, and I went over to the edge of the stage, and I kept whispering.

To the umpire and the manager was running a curtain.

And I kept asking for a handkerchief. I wasn't talking very loud, but I knew that I had a tip off the bag and I wasn't getting it. So finally, right in the middle of the whole play, I just hollered out, give me a handkerchief! And that brought down the house. But I got a headache, and some two days after the play was on, they returned it found out that people in Spokane and they got a bill for $15.

Whoever had the crown outfit on ruined it because I got it all covered with blood, and they questioned me about that. Yeah, let's remember I asked for a hundred, and that turned.

Out very well. on it as well as bad. And I do remember one, one thing in the play and.

not too much about, but.

They wanted to know if they were going it alone. I said no, that.

There must smell. Tell people. so I remember, but, they have,

Like celebration. Oh, yeah. They always had a.

4th of July celebration, and then they had what they call potluck and potluck. They was a very similar thing. What they have on the 4th of July, they would have, quite a crazy.

High school band. And then the proof band, the joint. And that would be,

All the time they bring lawn equipment and then they'd bring it up to date with the new modern equipment. They don't do the w.i and then railroad cars to win, long and bobble anymore. The black cars have all disappeared, and they bring them in the truck, so they would sell some of the old hard mill trucks, but the logs the first.

Time, and then they tillable like modern trucks to bring a move. Well, now that we'd be stopping, they bring them in.

Are crazy that you get them in the back country.

Would like to do that kind of organized.

It's quite different now that the the old one cook.

The crew would go around and I have.

To verify put.

Those old as well as, you know, don't we but I.

You know.

What we, what we do and all that that's gone. Now they can go right into the logs. I would cook.

And then have local people. Well, I do have a hobby.

It's a little bit different than.

The regular run of the mill. If you want to call your group. And maybe I,

Take a little bit.

Farther than I do. And I started doing a little juggling, and then.

I would quit it, get tired of it. And then I caught the car dealer in 1934.

I would ride away with them in a paper and attempt.

So I joined up with a fellow of the name of Jordan, caught. That was a barber who was also a good magician, and George and I went.

Around the country and put on the show and helped with a different.

Program. And then he left to court warden.

So I put in one way or the other, and Lee Hogan was go and we do high school. And then I.

Took a couple of pictures from George, caught.

A beautiful Lee Hogan. Put together my own show, Mad Dog, and I'm 74 years old and I will help with the program. The. Buddy and Mark. Come work for you. I don't think will come home. That's because no one will know I those go.

Look, I think the most responsible person, as I recall it, like the.