The old lady has been sitting by the tracks doing the same job for 83 years. One can see some changes have transpired but she still presents a picture of dignity and beauty.
She came into being in 1916 and was hailed as an important addition to the growing village called Sandpoint. Unlike her predecessor, who had been surrounded by homes and businesses, she stood pretty much alone because the people had moved to the present town site across Sand Creek.
Her "birth" made front page news in the Pend `Oreille Review of November 10, 1916 when it announced, "New Depot Open-To be celebrated." The paper gave a description of how she looked in her youth: "The new depot is constructed of a fine grade of building brick capped with a green tile roof...." "There is one large waiting room, a rest room for the ladies and a smoking compartment for the gentlemen. Below stairs is the heating plant and the septic tank...Cluster lights have been placed about the outside of the depot while eight posts carrying large candle-power lights have been spaced along the brick platform. The total costs of the construction is about $25,000."
If the Northern Pacific depot could talk she would have many fascinating stories to tell, both happy and sad. She could tell of the happy couples arriving after a marriage or others waiting for the "all aboard" to take them to far places on their honeymoon. She would tell of young boys leaving home to fight in little known places. She could relate countless stories about GIs of both World Wars and of the time that the citizens of Sandpoint brought food to the depot to feed wounded World War I soldiers that were passing through on their way to a hospital.
Joy Ann O'Donnell tells of the importance of the old depot to yesterday's kids of Sandpoint. "Every Sunday we always took a drive and ended up at the depot. Someone would ask `is she in the block yet'?" The signal lights would turn red and presently the steam from the engine could be seen as the locomotive rushed past the station. "We would wave and wave at the soldiers as the train went through and they would wave back."
The old lady is not as busy today but she has done her job well. If you want to see where Sandpoint got its start then give her a visit. If the over-pass comes through her days may be numbered.
To see more great old photos of Sandpoint and the surrounding areas :: Click Here ::
All photographs have been used with permission of the Bonner County Museum.
Old Sandpoint
To experience the charm of a town one must live there. Bob Selle is an old-timer in the Sandpoint area. Here, in his own words, he gives us a peek at a young person's...
Clark Fork Ferry
In 1916 when the drive for a bridge over the Clark Fork river was nearing an end a reporter wrote "The Clarkfork river basin affording an easy grade will...
City Hall
The old building stood across the creek near the railroad station. There were signs advertising chewing tobacco and Bull Durham nailed to its walls...
Early Sandpoint "Hang Town"
Today Sandpoint, Idaho is known for its beautiful lake and majestic mountains. It is known as a good place to find serenity and a sense of peace. But the Sandpoint...
Ferry Boat Accidents
In our day and time the crossing of a river is an easy thing to do. There are bridges at every desirable location and they are crossed without a thought. It has ...
Chinese in Hope
The Chinese that were located in Hope, Idaho came there on contract to help build the Northern Pacific Railroad...
McFarland House
The old building is called the McFarland House by practically everyone that lives in the Sandpoint, Idaho area. It is located on the corner of Highway 95...
The Long Bridge
On 26 May 1908 the first pilings for the first bridge connecting Sagle, Idaho with Sandpoint, Idaho were driven. When completed the bridge was...
Remember the Indians
Bob Green was born and lived in Bonner County most of his life and now lives in Washington State. He remembers well, as a young person, seeing...
The Fish House
The whistle of the strange looking craft broke the silence as it pulled away from the City Docks of Sandpoint...
Teddy Roosevelt
I asked Dale Selle of Sandpoint to tell me a story and here, in his own words, is the story he told me. I am sure you will find it interesting and humorous...
Ice Man
Anyone fortunate enough to be born before the days of modern refrigeration remembers the sound of the horse and wagon or truck nearing the house with its...
Street Cars
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...
Schweitzer Mountain
The dream that started long ago is being realized. The growth of the Schweitzer basin, twelve miles from Sandpoint, Idaho, is a present-day reality...
The Powerhouse
The Power House of the Northern Idaho & Montana Power Company was completed in 1910. It cost nearly $200,000 and, as the Pend Oreille Review stated...
USO Club
The community Hall in Sandpoint, Idaho took on a national function in 1942. The YMCA leased the hall from the city for $1 a year to be used as a USO club...
Court House
The bill forming Bonner County was passed in 1907 and there was dis-order in the court. The city of Sandpoint had a jail and courthouse but the new county...
1st Sandpoint Hospital
Prior to the year 1902, in Sandpoint, Idaho, you did not have to ask a physician if he or she made house calls. If you did see a doctor it usually was in your home...
2nd Sandpoint Hospital
It was on May 23, 1903 that the Northern Idaho News heralded the opening of Sandpoint's second hospital by stating, " Dr. Ones F. Page established a hospital...
Bonner General Hospital History
Not only were the people of Sandpoint, Idaho, to have their own modern hospital, but for the first time they were offered affordable health care. A local paper...
Hope Hotel
Hotel Hope was in its prime when Hope, Idaho, grew into prominence after becoming a center of commerce and a division point on the Northern Pacific Railroad...
First School
In the early years of the pioneer town called Sandpoint, it was a struggle for parents to educate their children. Funds had to be subscribed to hire the teachers...
Glacial Lake
The pale sun rolled back the mist like a scroll and the surface of the monstrous lake slowly became visible in the morning light. The swirling water and ice...
Above the Call of Duty
Wilma Allen remembers Sandpoint when it was much different than it is today. She recollects how an old-time doctor responded to some of the needs he saw...
Along the Wild Horse Trail
Long before the white man came there was a trail. The Indians for time immemorial had used it. The old trail started on the Spokane River and ran through...
Youth in the 30's
Elizabeth Montaque Whatley came to the Sandpoint area in 1933. She, in her own words, shares what it was like to be a young person at that time. The picture...
A Place of Remembering
When the little village, that was to be Sandpoint, was very young the people who had gathered along the Northern Pacific Railroad tracks had to have a...
Bonner County Poor Farm
Pat Gooby has lived in Sandpoint all his life and as a child did chores at the old County Poor Farm. I asked Pat to tell me a story about the farm and here...
Clark Fork Campus
The beautiful University of Idaho Clark Fork Field Campus offers a magnificent setting for academic courses and workshops, conferences and retreats...
History of Colburn, Idaho
"Busy Village of Colburn" was how the North Idaho News saw the Colburn area in 1905...
Coming Home
We sat on the lawn in front of the house that had meant so much to her. She, and her three children, had come from Seattle for a time of remembering...
Depression Days
Barbara Blood came to the Sandpoint, Idaho area in 1939. The worst of the Great Depression was over but its consequences could still be felt across the...
Dover Church
Nestled among the houses, while waiting for a ride on the barge to Dover from Laclede, was an eight-room rustic building. It had been built on the banks...
Hope, Idaho
The first white man to come to the area was the famed David Thompson, map maker and fur dealer. He had traveled from Canada and built Kulyspell House...
Early Sandpoint Remembered
Elizabeth Montague Whatley shares, in her own words, some of the things she remembers about her family in early Sandpoint...
Bonner County Ferries
Apparently the only evidence in existence that indicates there was a ferry crossing operated by a man named Smith is the survey of 1892-96. This survey places...
The Campfield Ferry
The Idaho Territorial Legislature granted a license to operate a ferry to Charles H. Campfield and Associates. That was on December 22, 1864. The authorized...
Thama Ferry part1
The demise of Carey's ferry created some real problems for the farmers and ranchers south of the river, especially since there was almost no road to...
Thama Ferry part2
After the war the County changed their system for hiring ferrymen by doing away with the bidding process. They also increased the pay. Charley Shoopman started...
Sandpoint had no Ferry
On April 18, 1891, C.R.Martin and A.T.Dickinson received a license for $36.00 after posting a $1,000.00 bond, authorizing them to operate a ferry at...
Fire Line
Bob Selle is a long time resident of Bonner County, Idaho. He shares his experience, in his own words, of fighting fire when he was very young...
Here and There in Sandpoint 1
Indian tribes from Montana and Washington used to come to Sandpoint by the thousands to pick Huckleberries. The women and children picked...
Here and There in Sandpoint 2
At one time Priest Lake was the scene of a movie camp owned by Nell Shipman. She was an old time movie star and produced movies at Lionhead Lodge...
Indians
This group of Native Americans lived in the northern most part of the Great Basin. From Idaho they spread into Canada, Montana, and Washington...
Kullyspell House
(David Thompson, one of North America's most famous explorers, came to the shores of Lake Pend Oreille and built what he called "Kullyspel House..."
Library in the Early Years
The roots of the present library system in Bonner County, Idaho, started in 1905 when a few individuals opened a "free reading room". Hope was...
Library Maturing
In September 1966, the people of Sandpoint, Idaho, gathered in the city hall council chambers to witness the signing ceremony that would transfer the post...
There she Comes
The old lady has been sitting by the tracks doing the same job for 83 years. One can see some changes have transpired but she still presents a picture of dignity...
Logging in Bonner County
Bob Selle has lived in this area since 1923. He was seven years of age when his family came to the Sandpoint area. His first experience in logging...
The Museum
The Bonner County, Idaho, Museum is a special place that is dedicated to finding and preserving, for future generations, the history and heritage of the...
Newspapers
The beginning of the newspaper business in this area had its roots in Rathdrum, Idaho. There the Kootenai County Republican first appeared on Friday...
The Sundance Fire
The Selkirk Mountains still show scars from the devastating effects of the Sundance fire. The fire started on August 23, 1967 with a lightning strike...
Northern Mercantile Company
On April 18, 1891, C.R.Martin and A.T.Dickinson received a license for $36.00 after posting a $1,000.00 bond, authorizing them to operate a ferry...
Old P-51 Attacks Sandpoint
Don Johnson, a Sandpoint native, was a member of the class that took an aviation course back in 1946. He remembers well the plane and the men that were...
Pend Oreille Lodge
The two old chimneys still stand like two fingers pointing to the heavens. They are all that remain of what once was a show place along the banks of...
The Pioneer Citizens
On April 29, from 1-4 pm, there was a reception for all who have lived in Bonner County for 50 years or more...
Radio Stations
Throughout Sandpoint and Bonner County, Idaho, the event had been awaited with much anticipation. People gathered around their receiving sets, tuned...
Sandpoint 1901-1902
When you walk the main streets of today's Sandpoint you will find most of the businesses are geared to meet the need of the tourist that frequent the area...
Sandpoint Tidbits
Sandpoint was just a few years old when someone thought a name change was in order. The streets we are familiar with today were not always called...
Schools of Glengary Peninsula
But there is one that still stands proudly as if waiting for the children of the area to come by foot, wagon, or on horse back to get "book learning" from a tall...
Smelting Companies
It was in March, 1903, that the Kootenai County Republican announced that "ground will be broken in ten days" for the new smelting company located at...
To Stop a Thief
The method used in the Sandpoint Post Office for protecting their valuables stayed hidden for many years but recently it was discovered, and what a surprise...
Street Names
At the time the streets were named many of them were just in the minds of the Farmins and their guests because much of the land was dense forest...
Technology
Men invent things for two reasons: There seems to be in every person a desire to find a better way of doing things and the second reason for invention is to make...
That's the Law
Take a look at any old town's codes and ordinances and you will find many laws that seem to make no sense at all. Sandpoint, Idaho had their own set of laws...
The Wagon Bridge
Word had come to the doctor in Sandpoint that his help was needed on the South side of the river. It was 1907 and the doctor must make a decision on how he...
Train Technology
Sandpoint, Idaho, came into being because of the railroad and timber. The advances in technology in these two areas are mind boggling. Follow the railroad...
Old High School
Thousands have walked through the doors and glanced up at the crest above their head. It read "Sandpoint High School" and marked the entrance to the building...
The War Years
Many people were uprooted and had to move around the country as a result of World War II. The people who came to Sandpoint and Bonner County...
The War Years 2
Many people came to Sandpoint during the war years. Two of them were Beth Knight and Price May. Her story, in her own words, continues and she tells about...
The War Years 3
Many people came to Sandpoint during the war years. Two of them were Beth Knight and Price May. Her story, in her own words, continues and she shares...
Timber Industry
Sandpoint, Idaho, has always been a timber town. The advancement in the timber industry is no less dramatic than the advances in railroading. The old steam...
Trestle fr. Sunnyside to TrestleCr.
The picture is of the old trestle that used to go from Sunnyside to Trestle Creek just a few miles from Sandpoint, Idaho. In the picture there is seen...
What's in a Name
There are some places located in Bonner County, Idaho that have had name changes. Often the changes reflect a bit of history of the area. Here are a few...
The Whitaker House
This is a story of a house located at 410 Railroad Avenue in Sandpoint, Idaho. It proudly stood overlooking Lake Pend d'Oreille when Sandpoint was...