Remember When?

40 YEARS AGO • OCTOBER 6, 1983

JOE GARRISON

Obituary

Graveside services were conducted at the Thompson Falls City Cemetery for Joe Garrison, 96, pioneer resident of Belknap.

Mr. Garrison was born September 15, 1887, in Enfield, Illinois. He moved to Belknap in 1905. On October 20, 1909 he married Clara Moen in Coeur d’Alene. The couple moved to Belknap in 1911. In 1918 they moved to the ranch near there. It became their permanent home.

Garrison was a rancher, farmer and horse trader, and was a charter depositor in the First State Bank of Thompson Falls. He and his wife had celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary before her death.

Here is an excerpt from a story his granddaughter Lucy (Roe), wrote for her children: ‘Great Grandpa Joe lived some of the adventures that others just read about. He was a stagecoach driver in eastern Montana, also a great horse man. I guess “horse trader” describes him best. He and his brothers raced horses, often on the streets of towns as there was no paving and only boardwalks if there were any at all. He and his brothers helped to build a ‘race track’ for their hobby only to have it incorporated into the present highway which now runs through Belknap.’

After he and Clara were married they stayed in the Belknap area and soon bought 160 acres that they cleared and farmed over the years on the bench above Belknap. He still had horses but also raised cattle and hay and a family there.

From the Sanders County Ledger: had (editor) an interesting conversation with Joe Garrison, who is nearing his 80th birthday. “Joe, with the help of his wife, ranks as one of the more successful ranchers of the Clark Fork Valley. He recalls he stepped off the train at Belknap 62 years ago. Fellows nowadays frequently comment that he bought his land when it was cheap.”

Joseph and Clara Garrison had the following children: Marion (Walt Roe); Stella May (Morkert then Fulk), Joseph A. ‘Charlie” (Maude Heidebrandt) ; James ‘Jim” (Jean Murdock); Audrey (Mackey); Evelyn (Ray Aldrich); Florence Louise (died as a child).

Clara died December 28, 1975 with burial in the City Cemetery. Joseph died September 30, 1983 with burial in the City Cemetery.

30 YEARS AGO • OCTOBER 7, 1993

DIXIE VAUGHT HONORED FOR 35 YEARS OF COUNTY SERVICE

Co-workers and friends helped Dixie Vaught celebrate the anniversary of one of the longest, if not the longest, careers in government service in Sanders County.

Vaught, who still serves as clerk and recorder, began her “official” service with the county October 1, 1958. Originally she worked as a clerk in the office then held by Clerk and Recorder Dorothy Dodson and Deputy Clerk Floy Johnston. Then in 1970, in one of the closest elections ever in the history of Sanders County politics, Dixie won the office by a 15 vote margin.

Since then she has been rarely challenged to the office she has served so diligently and faithfully.

Dixie said that over the 35 years of her public service she recalls the biennial elections as being the most exciting times. Her office had and still has the responsibility for registering voters, staging the elections and providing for the counting of the ballots. That duty, which comes twice every other year, was just recently automated in the counting of the votes. Instead of results being tallied manually, vote by vote, a computer tallies the specially marked ballots in mere seconds.

Instead of results available in the wee morning hours, they are available before midnight.

Dixie said the computerization of records within the courthouse has made the job more efficient. She recalls that when she started working, there were three employees in the clerk’s office plus a part-time assistant. Now, 35 years later, there are four employees, and many times more business to attend to. “Computers have been a real boon in that area,” she noted.

Although Dixie was last elected to office in 1990, she won’t be waiting until the next election, in 1994, to vacate her office. Instead she has opted to retire December 31 of this year so she can spend more time with her husband, Wilbur.