WHERE IS SWORD RIVER?

There were established trails across this continent before the Europeans explored here. One of the greatest of these being the trail from Montreal to the mouth of the Columbia River. This trail ran through what is now Sanders County, this particular section of it known as the Kootenai Trail. This trail, near the present site of Dixon on the Jocko River, called “Sword River” by the Indians, and closely paralleled the Flathead River which it crossed near its junction with the Missoula (river). From that point, the trail continued along the Clark’s Fork River to Woodlin Flat, where a meeting ground was located. It was this natural meeting place of the Indians from the west with those of the east which prompted the Northwest Fur company to establish a trade post on this flat, detailing David Thompson to put up the post, which was done in November 1809, and subsequently led to the naming of Thompson Falls and the Thompson River.

The trail led westward, following the north side of the river to the mouth of Bull River, where it branched, one trail going up Bull River to the Kootenai, the other following the Clark’s Fork westward to Pend d’Oreille Lake. John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company decided, in 1811, to establish a post along the trail in competition with that of Thompson’s, and late that fall Ross Cox was sent out to establish one. He chose this site near the mouth of Bull River and built the post there. Although the two fur companies were rivals, and employed all manners of tricks to entice the Indians to trade with them in preference to the other, Cox and Thompson were good friends and Cox records in his journals of spending Christmas day and part of the winter of 1811-12 with Thompson on Thompson’s prairie.

30 YEARS AGO • FEBRUARY 24, 1994

TENTATIVE PLANS REVIEWED FOR MPC’S PROPOSED ISLAND PARK

Residents and visitors in Thompson Falls will have another recreation opportunity as a result of a project to be completed by the Montana Power Company.

As part of their relicensing application for the Thompson Falls Dam and power plant,with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the company is planning improvements to the island that separates the main dam and the “dry channel” dam. Planned improvements will enhance the recreational use of the island and will provide for handicapped access to the recreational site.

Montana Power Company spokesman Elvin “Speed” Fitzhugh presented updated plans and concepts at a planning meeting held last week.

Emphasis for the recreation area includes safe use of the island property in a passive recreational setting. Access will continue at the north end of the Gallatin Street bridge to the island and at the south end a concrete path will take recreationists to a viewpoint near the main dam. From there a trail will basically skirt the south and east sides of the island, ending at the north end of the abandoned “high bridge.” From there another trail would lead either back to the Gallatin Street bridge or to an overlook near the dry channel to the west. At that far location, a picnic table will be placed.

As envisioned by engineer Bob Fulton who planned the project for MPC, the project also includes vault toilets, interpretive signs, other picnic tables, a fenced overlook area and handicap accessibility where practical.

Fulton noted that the project calls for an improved, raised surface along the Gallatin Street bridge to accommodate wheelchairs and concrete walkways will be constructed on the island to all but the most remote sites.

Fulton’s plans also looked at expanding and restricting recreational use at the south end of the high bridge, the popular area known as the mouth of Prospect Creek. There he envisioned a closure of the current road and limiting the area to pedestrian traffic with improvements such as picnic tables and a vault toilet.

The group reviewing the plans discussed that option but generally concluded that without access across the high bridge, which has been condemned, the Prospect Creek improvements did not fit into the overall scheme of the projet as well. The group instead asked Fitzhugh to try and obtain a commitment from Montana Power to invest an equivalent amount of money towards the refurbishment of the high bridge for pedestrian and bicycle access rather than invest it in the Prospect Creek site.

Note: Sometimes the wheels of progress proceed very slowly. The historic high bridge project was finally completed in May 2010.