Remember When?

80 YEARS AGO • SEPTEMBER 20, 1944

SMALL FARM FOR SALE

45 acres, 35 cultivated, balance pasture and some timber, 1 cow, 1 horse, and household furniture and some equipment. 6 miles from town. Lots of good water. Price $1500.

EARLY DAYS

In the early days before the county was formed and the railroad was first blasting through, and the gold stampede to the C.D.A. over the pass was on, W.E. Lindenborn of the firm of Goodchild and Lindenborn was among the earliest pioneer merchants to establish here. Lindenborn was shrewd and clever and he amassed quite a fortune supplying the lumber camps, railroad construction crews, and miners, and outfitting gold seekers crossing over the pass. Lindenborn helped to create Thompson and established the firm foundations on which the town now rests securely.

Data from Ann Miller’s research “Early Settlers and Pioneers of Thompson Falls” –

The Frontier Index, Thompson Falls, Montana, Saturday, April 12, 1881 - page 2 column 3 - advertisement - For General Merchandise and Miners’ Supplies, go to Goodchild & Co. Smith Street (now Broad Street), Thompson Falls.

The Weekly Montanian October 13, 1894 - page 3 - Messrs Goodchild & Lindenbron have just finished a strong new warehouse.

Edward A. Goodchild died March 1902.

Anaconda Standard, Anaconda, Montana, March 16, 1910 - W.E. Lindenborn, a partner of the firm of Goodchild & Co., and as executor of the last will and testament of the late E.A. Goodchild, has begun a suit against the Montana Antimony Mining and Smelting company for $2,020.92, claimed to be due for money and goods advanced by the Thompson Falls firm.

Lindenborn was a German born Jewish man and returned to his homeland with his money and lived the rest of his life very well off by German standards.

30 YEARS AGO • SEPTEMBER 1, 1994

LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE MIDNIGHT BLAZE AT MILL SITE

Firefighters from the Thompson Falls volunteer departments and the Forest Service attacked a stubborn fire burning wildly in the debris pile at Thompson River Lumber Friday night.

Crews responded to a fire call about 10:30 p.m. There were some large propane tanks located within about 200 feet of where the fire blazed.

When they arrived, however, they found that the fire was fairly well confined to the pile of debris and through a coordinated attack they were able to keep the flames from spreading on the wind-still night. They remained at the scene until well into the night, making sure the fire was out before returning to town.

It was the second time within a week that crews had responded to the mill location about five miles east of Thompson Falls. Earlier last week firefighters and mill employees quickly doused a fire that spread from railroad tracks located to the south of the mill.

Scarcely a week later…

A pre-dawn fire completely destroyed the building and equipment for the planing operation at Thompson River Lumber last week.

Joe Sol, a manager at the firm, said the day shift crew noticed flames in the building when they came on shift Wednesday morning. They immediately called for help and attempted to put some water on the structure, but the fire was well on its way to destroying the building.

Ron Turk, chief of the Thompson Falls City Fire Department that was called for mutual aid with the Rural Fire District, said the building was engulfed in flames when they arrived and within seven minutes the structure was on the ground.

Sol said the cause of the fire appears to be from welding, which was being done in the building at the end of the shift. He said the crew went through the normal procedures for wetting down the work area but apparently a spark may have lingered and smoldered.

The fire was the third in 10 days in the area of the facility located about five miles east of Thompson Falls near the mouth of Thompson River.