Remember When

50 YEARS AGO • DECEMBER 4, 1969

SPRING BURSTING OUT ALL OVER

The official arrival of winter is more than three weeks away, but the signs of spring are bursting out all over around Thompson Falls.

Calvin Wilson displayed budding pussy willows and lilacs last week. Mrs. Edna Mooney has strawberry plants blossoming and also some green strawberries growing in her garden.

And at the home of high school principal and Mrs. Gene Jones, the tulips are up and growing lustily.

The evidence of spring bears out the claim of the local chamber that Thompson Falls boasts Montana’s mildest climate.

CITY COUNCIL ANNEXES OLD GOLF COURSE AREA

A resolution to formally annex the remaining portion of the old golf course area to the city was adopted by the City Council at its December meeting. The city and School District 2 are the two principal property owners in the area.

The area is being annexed in order that the city may provide fire protection and city water service for the new high school to be built in the area, Mayor Orin P. Kendall explained.

School District 2 trustees and Supt. Oliver Holo requested the council’s assistance in removing old car bodies from the metal dump. The councilmen noted that if a new garbage dump site can be obtained, the possibility exists that the car bodies can be flattened and placed in the present dump trench and covered. Hope was expressed also that local citizens may volunteer to help on a work party on week ends to help with the project.

The need for finding a new site for a garbage dump to meet the needs of the city and the surrounding populace was discussed at length.

Now readers know how Golf Street in Thompson Falls got its name. The town’s garbage dump was located where the Babe Ruth field and the Search and Rescue barn now are. The metal dump was located where Thompson Falls High School is.

40 YEARS AGO • NOVEMBER 25, 1979

17 CORN-LADEN CARS DERAIL ON EDDY FLATS

by Pat Sullivan

Twisted metal, railroad ties snapped like toothpicks and tons of scattered corn were what clean-up crews faced after a Burlington Northern grain train derailed 17 cars Thanksgiving Day on Eddy Flats east of Thompson Falls.

A westbound freight train with a cargo of corn lost 17 cars when a journal burned out east of Eddy Flats. The two engines and forward section of the train continued on to Spokane after the wreck.

Clean-up crews from Paradise, Thompson Falls and Dixon, with help from special work trains sent from Missoula and Spokane had the track repaired by noon Friday.

Apparently, the journal, on the second derailed car burned out and caused the chain-reaction wreck. The journal, which is the bearing on the axel of the railroad cars’ bogie, caused a set of wheels on the car to lock up and consequently sidetrack the following 15 cars and the one ahead.

The accident tore up about 50 yards of roadbed and track and damaged about 40 yards more. The careening and buckling cars narrowly missed a set of siding signal towers and a large stack of railroad ties. The siding track will be out of service for some time according to Thompson Falls Section Foreman Jim Pratt.

Most of the grain was salvaged with undamaged corn loaded into cars brought in the area. The rest of the shelled corn was salvaged and sold to Sanders County ranchers as livestock feed. Deer, elk and even bear discovered the corn and were regular visitors helping clean up the spilled corn.