Sanders County Ledger - Your Best Source For Sanders County News

70 YEARS AGO • MAY 31, 1950

NOXON MAN DROPS DEAD

WHILE TRYING TO SHOOT A MARAUDING BEAR

A man who had been working on the same Noxon ranch for 39 years dropped dead Sunday before he could squeeze off a shot to kill a bear which was trying to slaughter calves in a pen.

Mrs. Dameron, wife of the owner of the Dameron ranch near Noxon, told this story:

William T. Geske, 61 the worker had been milking cows Sunday evening when a bear moved out of the brush and tried to kill calves in a pen at the ranch. Mr. Geske ran to the house and returned with a rifle. He leaned against a tree and raised the gun to shoot the bear. Before he could get off the shot, he dropped dead of a heart attack. Mrs. Dameron picked up the gun and shot at the bear several times, making one hit. The bear retreated into the brush and the woman called authorities. There will be no coroner's inquest, officers said.

30 YEARS AGO • MAY 21, 1990

FALLS MAN LANDS STATE RECORD FISH

"It feels special to have a state record."

That's how Thompson Falls angler Darrel "Torgy" Torgrimson described his entry into the state's fishing record books after landing a lunker in the Clark Fork River Monday.

Torgy hauled in a 7 lb. 14 oz. northern squawfish eclipsing the three-year old standard by 10 ounces, according to an official from the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Kalispell. The lunker was 27-1/8" long.

The fish was weighed on a certified scale at Ernie's Town Pump in Thompson Falls and local DFWP Biologist Bruce Sterling will assist in verifying the catch.

Torgy said the fish put up a good fight and it wasn't until the fished popped his head above the water that he and partner Ed Benton realized just what they'd caught.

Although squawfish aren't generally a prized catch of anglers, the sheer size of this fish made it a "keeper."

When they reached Thompson Falls they weighed the catch and realized they might have a record. Torgrimson noted that in addition to the surprising length, the fish was exceptionally fat through the belly and appeared to have just eaten a small fish or crayfish because of the lump in the middle.

Like a true trophy angler, Torgy declined to give the exact location or fishing equipment used in the record effort.

This is the second time the state squawfish record belongs to a Thompson Falls resident. In 1985, Jim Conlin landed a 7.09, 26" squawfish below the Montana Power Company dam and eclipsed a 1979 record of 6 lb. 10 oz. That record was broken two years later.

Although squawfish are considered a non-game fish, Mike Aderhold, regional information officer for the DFWP, said the meat is edible although numerous bones work against the diner.

Torgrimson declined to comment as to whether he would have the lunker mounted or stuck away in the freezer among other options. Our guess is that his wife, Penny has her own ideas for the fish.

NOTES ON EDDY, MONTANA

The town of Eddy was named for Dick Eddy from Missoula. He and Mr. Hammond were among the early promoters there.

John McKay was the first section foreman on the Northern Pacific railroad there. He and his wife, Anna McGowan McKay, homesteaded the area where the Fred Mass residence is (the last house and barn on the east end of Eddy Flat).

A man named Russell built the first sawmill at Eddy in 1894. Ed Donlan bought it from him in 1906. A man was killed at the mill in 1909, in a conveyor belt accident. Dr. A.W. Rew came out from Thompson by horse and buggy, as tight as the horse could run but arrived too late. The horse had to be destroyed.

Dances were held in the lumber camp cookhouse. Music was furnished by Hank and Edna Garred at the violin and pump organ.

Other residents of the area in that era were the families of Arthur Lee, Andy Guenther and Harry Ruegemar. Mrs. Lee owned a portable wheat grinder which was borrowed by everyone in the valley at harvest time. All flour was home ground for baking and cooking.