Remember When

50 YEARS AGO • FEBRUARY 1, 1968

BOY FALLS INTO RIVER BUT SAVES HIS DOG

There’s a stronger than normal bond existing between Gypsy, a three-year-old German Shepherd, and her master, Scott Sol. Gypsy owes her life to 10-year-old Scott, son of Highway Patrolman and Mrs. Joe R. Sol.

While Scott and his sister, Sherry were playing around their home at Birdland Bay west of Thompson Falls the other day, Gypsy was exploring an iced over inlet in the Clark Fork River nearby when the ice gave way and she fell into the icy water.

The two Sol children heard Gypsy yelping excitedly and after noticing her plight called to their father for help. Joe attempted to lasso her with a rope, but the dog was too far from shore.

As the futile rescue efforts continued, Gypsy grew more exhausted and cold as she paddled around in her ice-enclosed pool. Finally after several unsuccessful efforts to reach her with the rope, Scott told his father that he thought he could crawl out on the ice and save his dog.

The elder Sol was reluctant, but finally agreed to Scott’s plan. He tied the rope securely around Scott’s chest and the youth inched his way slowly across the thin ice on his stomach. At the edge of the pool, he grabbed her collar and attempted to pull her up on to the ice.

The ice broke and Scott fell into the icy water with his dog. But, despite the shock of the sudden, icy bath, Scott retained his hold on Gypsy. Then he succeeded in rolling both himself and his big dog up onto the ice as his father pulled on the rope from shore.

Scott and Gypsy then crawled back to safety.

Joe says, “I shudder now to think about the incident, but I’m proud of Scott and the courage he displayed in saving his dog. When the ice broke under him he never let go of his dog.”

Scott weighs about 100 pounds. Gypsy, soaking wet, probably weighed close to that, too.

40 YEARS AGO • FEBRUARY 2, 1978

MPC HONORS TUFFY SMITH ON COMPLETION OF 35 YEARS

“One of the best damn power plant operators I’ve ever seen!” That’s the accolade given to Lyle “Tuffy” Smith Wednesday afternoon by his boss, Harold Crawford, at a brief ceremony in which Smith was awarded a 35-year service pin with three diamonds in it by officials of the Montana Power Co.

Actually Smith’s 35 years of service was completed last May because it was in May 1942 when he began work at Burke, Id. For an MPC subsidiary, the Idaho Transmission Co.

The following year Tuffy entered the U.S. Army Corps and became a B-17 piolet. After being discharged in December 1945 he returned to Burke, where he worked for a year before being transferred to Hauser Lake near Helena, where he worked 4½ years before being recalled by the Air Force to serve 1½ years during the Korean Conflict.

When he got his second discharge, Smith came home to Thompson Falls and joined the staff at the Thompson Falls Hydroelectric plant.

Because he and his wife, Carolyn, loved to reside in Thompson Falls, Smith has turned down promotions that meant he would have had to move from here.

During his years at Thompson Falls, Smith has been active with the Thompson Falls Rod and Gun Club and served as president three years. He instigated a project to have the Dept. of Fish and Game plant bighorn sheep on Munson Creek at Eddy in the early 1960s.

A current project is to get elk trapped in the Beaver Creek drainage and transplanted in the Thompson River area.

Now most of Tuffy’s spare time is devoted to his and his wife’s ranch north of town, where they raise registered Hereford cattle under the name of Tuffy’s Polled Herefords. They show their prize animals statewide.

In the fall, he serves as guide for from four to six hunting clients.

Tuffy and Carolyn have two children, Mrs. Chubb (Eileen) Garrison, and Tim.

Eileen and Chubb have Tuffy & Carolyn’s ranch and still raise cattle there.