Sandpoint Street Cars
by Bob Gunter
In the early days of
Sandpoint, Idaho there was quite a
transportation problem. For most people
there were two ways of getting around-walk
or ride a horse. The kids in Kootenai had to
walk three miles to school in Sandpoint. Men
from Sandpoint working at the smelter in
Kootenai, the mills in that area, or working
on the Northern Pacific Railroad, had to get
back and forth to their jobs. To catch a
train at the Great Northern Depot at the end
of Main Street meant a long walk or hitching
a ride in a wagon. There was a problem.
Sandpoint's First Street Car.
Click photo to enlarge
A group of businessmen led by Al Filson saw
an opportunity for progress and profit. If
the problem could be solved why not make a
little money at the same time. They decided
to form a company that would meet the
transportation needs of the area. On March
10, 1909 the Sandpoint and Interurban
Railway Company Limited was formed.
Sandpoint was to have a streetcar line.
Work on the line began in early spring of
1909. The system was to run on double tracks
with the power coming from electrical wires
suspended over the tracks. Necessary
structures were built along the route and a
bridge was built over Sand Creek.
The local paper recorded the arrival of two
streetcars on 4 September 1909. The cars had
side doors and were divided into three
sections. The front and rear section would
hold eight people while the center section
would accommodate 18, making 34 the total
capacity.
September 17, 1909 was a big day. The
streetcar line began operating and for a
time did a landslide business. The main
station was located on the corner of Main
Street and 2nd Avenue, about where Truby's
is located today. The cars went West on Main
all the way to the end
where the Great Northern depot was located.
At Boyer and Main the tracks formed a
"Y" and the right line proceeded
to the area where the present airport is
located. From there it turned east and
crossed Sand Creek on its way to Kootenai
and Ponderay. The early line covered a
distance of five miles.
Street car system at intersection of 4th and Main in Sandpoint.
Click photo to enlarge
The cost of riding the streetcar was fair.
It cost 20 cents to rid from Sandpoint to
Kootenai, with a round trip costing 30
cents. It cost 20 cents to get to or from
the train depot. Workers could ride the cars
for $1.00 a week while the school children
paid 50 cents a week.
The coming of the streetcar offered an
assortment of recreational and fun
opportunities. The cars were used each
Sunday to go out to the ball field on North
Boyer to watch the Sandpoint Tigers play
baseball. There was an annual event
featuring a man on horseback racing a
streetcar from Kootenai to Sandpoint and
bets were the order of the day. Kids from
the schools would decorate a streetcar,
dress up in their Sunday best and have a
party while riding down the tracks. There
would be much laughter, cheering and singing
along the way.
By 1917, the automobile had become the chosen
way of getting around. Mills in the area had
closed or were on the verge of closing and
the Streetcar Company lost a great deal of
money. Due to these factors the line closed
and an era in the history of Sandpoint came
to an end.
All photographs have been used with permission of the Bonner County Museum.
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