Read The Press, Made Me Go "Hmmmmm...."

I started the morning like any other, with breakfast while I read the CdA Press. Say what you will about The Press but it is KootCo's best source of local news and info. But while I turned the pages I saw three items that made me go "Hmmmmmmm..."


1. Editorial recommending more parks be named after distinguished locals, citing a Post Falls Park named after Hilde Kellogg.

Nothing against Hilde, heck, I've known her since I was a little kid and she has done much for North Idaho & KootCo. BUT, I always have to wonder about naming parks after people. Here are two good examples here in CdA.
Person Field on 15th. I've lived here all my life and am still a little fuzzy on who "Person" was. And over the years it has been erroneously called everything from Persons to Piersons Field. I'm betting that only a handful of locals could tell me about Mr/Ms Person.
GO Phippeny Park on 7th St. I remember that Mr. Phippeny was a long time educator and the park sits on the one time site of CdA High and Jr. High Schools. But I can't give many more details.
Fifty years from now will anyone remember Hilde and what she did?


2. Letters to the Editor regarding the reversal of suspensions for CHS Viking football players.
First question I had to ponder was, who took the photos of beer swilling, minor students? Could it possibly be an LCHS minor student at the same party in a proverbial calling the kettle black situation?
Just because I was a Viking doesn't mean I'd look the other way. But looking the other way when high school students misbehave is nothing new. Remember when the first LCHS graduating class pulled their senior pranks which accounted for literally thousands of dollars of damage to a brand new school paid for with taxpayer dollars? You don't? I guess we looked the other way that time, too.


3. Yet another news article where Fort Hood killer Nidal Hasan is referred to as a "suspect". Suspect? Alleged? Does anyone actually think he's innocent until proven guilty in a court of law? The guy KILLED people, no if's and's or but's about it. Are we so politically correct that we can't call a spade a spade?


Dunno about you, but stuff like this always makes me go "Hmmmmmm...."

The Old Neighborhood

When I was born my parents lived in a little house at 1220 N. 5th St in Coeur d'Alene. I have no recollection of that house at all. The house is still there, and is currently for sale, right behind the Goodwill store.

After that we moved to 1310 Ash, just a block from Sanders Beach. This house was where my first memories are from. I remember playing in the sand and all the chunks of bark from the sawmill that washed onto the beach. I also remember my babysitter who would lay in the summer sun, a perfect job if it wasn't for the tyke.

Then my parents bought the above house in 1959. It was (is) at 11th & Homestead in what was then the new (first) Monte Vista addition. The house is about 200 yards north of I-90 which was just being finished at the time. I remember laying in bed and hearing the noise from the heavy equipment that would officially bring an end to Hwy10.

The house faced west and the backside living room window looked towards Best Mountain. The trees weren't that tall and you could not only see the big clearing where CHS students would put a big 'C' for all the town to see, but the red light blinking atop the KVNI (1240 on your dial) radio transmitter tower that sat in the low flat just north of the foot of Best on the east side of 15th Street.

The neighborhood was roughly defined in the triangle of 11th, Homestead and Syringa. It may have been the greatest place in the world to grow up. There were over 60 kids of all ages; from college age to tykes. There were families with one kid (like mine) and some with up to a half dozen.

We went to Borah School, just 3 blocks away. I remember days when I actually came home for lunch. I have a hundred stories about the friends I grew up with and the crazy things we did to entertain ourselves in the 60's and 70's. Stay tuned.

Cowboy Duds

If you wanted to look cowboy, the best place in North Idaho to go shopping was the Bar-B-Q- Ranch. Jack and Hilde Kellogg ran the Bar-B-Q and it was here that my folks bought most of my blue jeans, at least a couple sets of boots, a hat and the obligatory western cut shirts.

The Bar-B-Q sat where USBank is in Post Falls now, northwest corner of Idaho and Seltice. It was, as you can see, a great place to pull in tourists with the original giant cowboy. an assortment of wooden Indians out front and animals ranging from dinosaur to chicken on the roof.

Jack never failed to hand me some Bazooka bubble gum every time we went. I was always amazed with the wide selection of colors of boots and shirts, the hats, Stetson and others, and a gift shop full of all sorts of western/wooden novelties.

Jack passed long ago but Hilde went on to elected office, her claim to fame being helping get the greyhound track approved and having the mechanical rabbit named for her. Is it really 25 years ago when each race started with the announcer's call of "Here comes Hilde!"?

Time goes on but so do the memories and the photos to go with them.