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105 YEARS AGO • AUGUST 7, 1919

BOOTLEGGERS CAUSE EXCITEMENT

A party of Washington bootleggers caused considerable excitement in the west end of Sanders County last Friday and gave the local officers quite a chase, resulting in the arrest of five of the bootleggers and confiscating 55 gallons of whiskey and two Super Six Hudsons and an Oldsmobile.

The party of bootleggers had gone to Missoula from Spokane to purchase 120 gallons of whiskey from Geo. Miles. On Thursday evening about 7 o’clock they went to the old brick yards where Miles had the whiskey cached and it was put in the cars and just as it was loaded up one of the bootleggers came up and ordered all to hold up their hands as he was a U.S. Revenue officer. Miles figured it was a frame up and started a fight with the one representing himself to be the revenue officer. The others then jumped on Miles and he was beaten badly and left unconscious and the bootleggers then drove away.

Miles came to in a few hours and rushed to the sheriff’s office where word was sent out to stop the cars and deputy sheriffs Roy Hart and Jack Prouty were on the watch here. The cars came to town about 2:30 Friday morning and they split up taking side streets, and the officers, including Sheriff Hartman who had come down to catch No. 4 (the train) started bombarding the cars with their revolvers, but failed to disable any, although it was afterwards learned that one car was hit in three places and a bloody handkerchief was found in the car that was hit.

The officers with I.M. Wade and his speeder then followed the cars and at Trout Creek left word to phone to Noxon which side of the river the cars were coming. The cars started up the river and the word was phoned that they were coming up the north side but they evidently started that way to fool the officers on watch, as they came back and crossed the bridge and got by Noxon on the other road.

One car got as far as the Clarksfork ferry when the occupants John Arnold and Wm. Nason were arrested and brought back here and later taken to Missoula. The whiskey had been cached and the occupants of the other cars abandoned them.

On Saturday J. Matthews with his lawyer A.B. Slagle of Spokane arrived here and tried to claim one of the cars, but it happened the victim of the hold up, Miles, was here with Sheriff Green of Missoula, and he identified Matthews as one of the gang and was placed under arrest and taken to Missoula with Arnold and Nason. On Monday another car was recovered at the W.R. Ginther ranch where it was left by the men saying it was broke down and they would go after repairs.

Fifty-five gallons of the whiskey and the Oldsmobile are in Sandpoint where Sheriff Spohr contends that it is contraband for Idaho as it was found on that end of the line.

But the local officials expect to show Sheriff Spohr that he is mistaken.

The bootleggers certainly made a supreme effort to reach the Idaho line. Their time from Plains to Thompson Falls was 35 minutes and they drove at a speed of 50 to 60 miles an hour all the way. One must remember that the roads were narrow, winding and composed of gravel with potholes at that time. Most cars at that time also didn’t go that fast in 1919. The Hudson Super Six was introduced in 1916 and was an early performance car. Before its introduction to the public it recorded an average stock chassis 24-hour speed record at an average of 74.9 mph, the record of which stood until 1931. The Oldsmobile at that time boasted a V-8 engine.

Pretty exciting times for sleepy Sanders County!

64 YEARS AGO

JUNE 1960

STATE INSTALLS PARK FACILITIES

Western Sanders County’s new Birdland State Park on Noxon Lake (now the Thompson Falls State Park) was becoming a reality this week with the installation of picnic tables, toilets and fireplaces.

Employees of the State Parks division arrived Thursday to begin work on the first park facilities. Wednesday, Sheriff A. Ben Cox assigned one of his county boarders to assist the two men.

Overnight camping is permitted in the state park, but no drinking water is available. The state plans to drill a well or pipe water into the area as a future development.