Remember When?

50 YEARS AGO • APRIL 10, 1969

COUNCIL MAKES FIELD PERMANENT CITY PARK

A resolution perpetuating Ainsworth Field as a city park and recreation area was adopted formally by the city council at its April session in answer to requests from various local civic organizations which had encouraged the city dads to take the step.

Under the resolution, the field now will be known as Ainsworth Park.

Attorney James W. Cunningham informed the council that the resolution can be undone by some future council, but that a favorable vote of the people would be required before the council could sell or lease the site for another purpose.

WULFEKUHLES BUY LOGGING OPERATION

Purchase of a part of the logging equipment and operations of the Rossignol Logging and Ranch Co. of Lolo by Al Wulfekuhle and son, Jerry, was announced this week.

Al Wulfekuhle said he and his son have purchased the portion of the Rossignol firm which was logging for the Anaconda Co. The Wulfekuhles have named their firm the Little Thompson Logging Co.

The elder Wulfekuhle has been employed as logging superintendent for Rossignol for 28 years since 1941. Previously he worked with Dick Rossignol for three years. The two worked 11 years in Lolo Creek, 11 years in the Blackfoot and six years in the Little Thompson River drainage, all for the Anaconda Co.

Little Thompson Logging Co.’s contract with Anaconda will involve logging 10 million board feet of timber annually.

Machinery involved in the sale includes a truck and two bulldozers. Employees are Ralph Elmes, Jack Hamilton of Thompson Falls and Don Cole, Plains, sawyers; Roy Kelly, Plains, cat skinner; Sonny James, Thompson Falls, heelboom operator, and Art Landwehr, Thompson Falls, truck driver.

40 YEARS AGO • APRIL 12, 1979

LEDGER LINES by K.A.E.

The Ledger last week began its 75th year of continuous publication, a record we believe that can not be equaled by any other Thompson Falls business. Correct us if we’re wrong.

During the past 25½ years, we’ve been privileged to chronicle and watch many changes in the county. Here in Thompson Falls, only Harold and Helen Jensen, owners and operators of the Rex Theater, Harold and Wilbur Vaught at Motors Garage, the Flodins and Bryces at the Flodin Lumber Co. and Jim Brown of the Thompson Falls Lumber Co. retain the ownerships they held when we first arrived in Thompson Falls in August 1953. Bud Moore almost qualifies, but he sold his oil dealership for a short period and then re-acquired it.

In a subsequent issue Doc Eggensperger was corrected. He wrote “As we feared, LEDGER LINES omitted one Thompson Falls business that was going strong when we acquired this newspaper in 1953. Hershel Butte was operating his Butte Services, Inc. providing coal and Pres-to-log, drayage and garbage service the same as he does today, except that coal has been eliminated.”

To my knowledge, Butte Services is the longest ongoing business in Thompson Falls and the oldest and most continuous advertiser in The Ledger. Hershel’s son, Bob took over the operation after his father’s death. The drayage service mentioned above was a throw back to the days when freight arrived on railroad cars and Hersh would take his turquoise 1½-ton truck up to the station and pick up and deliver freight to customers.

Another link with Thompson Falls’ early past was severed a few days ago when Mrs. Clay (Minnie) Spekker died in Spokane. Born in Murray, Idaho March 24, 1889, she had resided most of her life in Murray and Wallace.

Her late husband, Clay, drove a stage coach for many years between Wallace and Murray and also drove a stage between the Ward Hotel at Thompson Falls and Murray. The stage forded the Clark Fork River just above the falls in the days before the Thompson Falls Power Co. built the current dams and hydroelectric plant.

Several years ago we interviewed the Spekkers and did a feature story on Clay’s recollections of his stage driving days out of Thompson Falls.

We recall he enjoyed flirting with the pretty girls who were his passengers and often would invite one to ride “shotgun” with him atop side.

A favorite stunt was to turn the horses loose when they headed down the hill into Murray and let the stage roll. The speed and rolling and rocking motion of the stage almost invariably caused his female passenger to grab onto Clay in fear for her life. It was great fun, according to Clay.

His hands were gnarled and drawn into a form that would seem natural for holding onto reins.