Remember When?

50 YEARS AGO • JUNE 22, 1972

NEW LOG HAUL RECORD

A new worlds record for log hauling was claimed this week by LHC, Inc. after a truck driven by Floyd Veach of Heron pulled seven trailers loaded with logs in one trip 32 miles down Thompson River to the Anaconda Co. Forest Products Division’s log landing five miles east of Thompson Falls. The previous record was claimed by a British Columbia log hauling firm which pulled five trailer loads of logs. The Canadian record was established after LHC earlier had transported four loads in one trip. Driver of that record setting load was William (Cougar Bill) Widner of Thompson Falls.

The seven-trailer log load was a joint effort between LHC and Clyde Smith, Whitefish logging contractor, who decked the logs and loaded the trailers. Joe Milner, LHC foreman, and Veach handled the trucking arrangements. Milner said the load had a total gross weight of 674,860 pounds and that the net weight of the logs totaled 551,220 (275.61 tons).

40 YEARS AGO • JUNE 24, 1982

CHANGES BRING DECLINE TO HERON

By Jan Fraser

The trains no longer stop, the mills are silent, 17 saloons have dwindled to one and the hotel no longer exists. But at the turn of the century, all of this flourished in Heron.

Local citizens received the opportunity to listen to eight “Heron originals” speak about their heritage June 9, at a program sponsored by the Heron So n’Sews.

Although I’ve always heard bits and pieces of Heron’s history while growing up, it was fascinating to listen to others tell about their families and what it was like in Heron.

Glenn Larson, a former state senator and bank president, now of Thompson Falls, began the program. His grandparents (my great grandparents) came to Heron in 1883. When they arrived in New York City as immigrants, they met Henry Valard, a promoter for the Northern Pacific railroad. He talked the Schwindt’s into going west. They stopped in Heron and then Spokane, but decided Heron had a much brighter future and more prospects, so moved to Heron. The populations of both places was around 2,000.

Heron, at that time, was the division point on the railroad. Sawmills were busy harvesting the stands of timber. Hundreds of Chinese were kept busy working on the railroad. Seventeen saloons provided entertainment.

My great grandparents left for a few years, only to return for good in 1891. Along with the general store, they ran the post office, which stayed in the family until 1958.

When the 1910 fire roared through the valley, a work train was sent out to keep the trestle over Elk Creek soaked down. Today that trestle is steel, but in 1910, wooden timbers supported the main line. The railroad crew eventually set a back-fire to keep the trestle from being destroyed.

In 1915, the first automobile arrived in Heron. My great uncle Adolph and Emil Gavin took a trip in it to Yellowstone Park. No record was kept as to how long it took.

Fire burned one of the town’s saloons in 1917, just east of today’s store. Glenn recalled going to the scene the next day to watch men pull out cases of whiskey from the basement. At that time, Washington and Idaho were both “dry,” while Montana sold alcohol until 1918.

Bootleggers would ride the train out from Spokane or other points west and spend the day in Heron. Their empty suitcases were soon filled, and they returned home on the afternoon’s train. Later they began driving over, as they could haul more back. The biggest problem facing the bootleggers were the costs: $5 for the Idaho Law enforcement officer at Cabinet, $5 for the one at Clark Fork, etc.!

The 1918 flu epidemic added many new graves to the cemetery. Heron had no doctor, so relied on the one from Clark Fork. After riding the train up in the mornings, the doctor might get waylaid at one of the saloons along the tracks, and be hours late making his rounds.

In 1921, Heron’s end was approaching. A sawmill west of town caught fire. The blaze burned everything up to my great grandparent’s general store. The depot burned to the ground as everyone was trying to save other buildings. Nothing was rebuilt.

To be continued….