Remember When?

90 YEARS AGO

SEPTEMBER 20, 1933

ROADS IN MARVELOUS SHAPE

Do you remember the way the roads were a couple of years back? Rough, rocky, bumpy, crooked and narrow. If you traveled over Montana roads much then you can hardly conceive as you glide along the oiled graded highways that are now evident that you are now in Montana.

The Clarks Fork between Plains and Missoula, eighty miles, is now completed, graded, graveled, bridged with concrete, and now partially oiled. Before the year is out the entire stretch will be oiled. You skim along, smooth and silently, so silently that you hear every creak in the old Ford and wonder if something isn’t the matter, since on rough roads the rattle is so much worse that the little squeaks aren’t noticed. Remember how the Evaro hill grade used to be? Remember the detours out of Paradise to Plains? All these improvements were in the last few years.

No matter how good the roads get they will never get so good that housewives can run into Missoula for a spool of thread. The plain facts are that though they won’t admit it, little businessmen are cutting their own throats when they boost for good roads when they are located only a comparatively short distance from a large city. The Missoula merchants charge a good deal higher price than your general merchants, with the exception of displayed bargains to draw you in, but still plenty of people travel a hundred miles to shop in Missoula in preference to their local merchants. Seems not much has changed in 90 years.

EACH MONTANA COUNTY TO HAVE LICENSE NUMBER

By their numbers Montana motorists will be more readily identified after February 1. In compliance with an act of the 1933 legislature each of the 56 counties after that period will be assigned serial numbers from 1 to 56, instead of the present system of blanket numbers of all cars in the order in which registration is made.

Registrations will be made not later than February 1 with county treasurers but the issuance of plates will be handled by the state registrar of motor vehicles at Deer Lodge.

Note: The counties were assigned numbers based on population. Number 1 is Silver Bow County (Butte area) Number 56 is Lincoln County (Libby area), Sanders is Number 35.

CLAIMS ALLOWED BY COUNTY COMMISSIONER

Following are the wages county office heads received: Commissioners received approximately $47 per month, Treasurer, $166, Surveyor, $88, Assessor $150, Clerk of Court, $150, Sheriff, $187, Undersheriff, $150. Attorney, $75, Recorder $166, County Superintendent of Schools, $163, County Agent, $136.

Some miscellaneous claims the commissioners allowed at this meeting: Old age pensions were $10 to $15. Mother’s Pensions were $30. People were paid various prices for “Care of the Poor.” And finally, John Pettit got $1.50 for mixing poison.

30 YEARS AGO

SEPTEMBER 16, 1993

A second candidate has announced his intention to seek the sheriff’s job for Sanders County.

Gene Arnold, currently the undersheriff, issued a statement Monday that he intended to file when nominating petitions are accepted in January. Arnold has served as the undersheriff for Bill Alexander.

In his statement, Arnold notes “I was born and raised in Thompson Falls and feel the citizens of Sanders County deserve a working department that is unified in its commitment to serve and protect the citizens of the county.”

Arnold says that he initially had no plans to file for the sheriff’s position until the pending court case involving Sanders County Sheriff Bill Alexander had been settled. However, due to the current unrest amongst the citizens in the county surrounding the appointment of the acting sheriff by the county commissioners and urging on the part of supporters for Arnold to run for the post, he decided to announce his intention at this time.

Also announcing his intention to file for the sheriff’s position was Deputy Perry Mock. Mock made the announcement last week although neither candidate can officially file until January of 1994.

Note: Sheriff Bill Alexander was suspended from his position pending the outcome of charges against him. Commissioners appointed Sam Tomas as acting sheriff for the remainder of Alexander’s term or the outcome of the charges against him.