HUCKLEBERRIES: Braving adversity to trek a new path

Evalyn Adams is too classy to say: I told you so.

But she has a right to do so when it comes to the North Idaho Centennial Trail.

On this day 35 years ago (Aug. 11, 1989), Evalyn, then the first female Kootenai County commissioner, announced her resignation from the centennial trail committee.

Such was the beatdown that she endured as a key ramrod for the project that she removed herself as a distraction.

The worst barrage of the growing outcry against the trail had come two nights before.

On that night, 320 friends and foes of the proposed route of the $2.1 million North Idaho trail, along the Spokane River, traded barbs during a contentious meeting at North Idaho College.

Evalyn took each brickbat to heart.

Some raised the specter of Spokane “perverts” on bikes using the trail to accost kids and rob homes. Others cited safety concerns. The Post Falls Highway District reiterated its unanimous opposition to the Seltice Way portion of the route under its jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. James McClure put a freeze on the $1.35 million in federal money that he’d won for the project.

Evalyn quit the trail committee after she realized she had a credibility problem with the senator and couldn’t communicate with the highway district. She told the Coeur d’Alene Press: “I feel calm, relaxed and not ashamed of anything I have done on the trail.”

Now, fast forward to today.

The trail, stretching 23 miles from the state line on the west to Higgens Point on the east, is hailed as a crown jewel of the local recreation scene. Its proximity increases property values.

Vindication has come for Evalyn and others who braved the withering criticism of those early days.

Contagious blood?

Always quick with a quip, the late Ron Rankin had a tongue-in-cheek ulterior motive for donating gallons to the blood bank — 100 pints of his blood and counting, as of Aug. 4, 1994.

He wanted to circulate his conservative blood far and wide.

Then 65 and an independent candidate for governor, Rankin told the Coeur d’Alene Press: “I’m a genetic conservative. Those who receive my blood vote conservative without knowing why.”

At the time, donors of 80 pints to the Inland Northwest Blood Center were invited to an annual luncheon and awarded a commemorative plaque. Rankin’s 100-pint milestone was so unusual that the blood bank hadn’t devised a special way to honor it.

The Korean War combat veteran began donating blood while he was in military school during World War II. And he had donated 100 pints to the Red Cross before moving to North Idaho in 1965.

“It just takes a few minutes,” he said. “And it doesn’t hurt a bit, and there’s always pretty nurses to talk to.”

But best of all, said Rankin, taking the time to donate blood saves lives.

Who shrunk the boats?

Oldtimers will say that the Diamond Cup races, sponsored by the Coeur d’Alene Hydromaniacs, ended their decade-long run in 1968.

And they are correct — unless you count the scaled-down version staged in 1969. Diamond Cup expert Stephen Shepperd recalls the races that year that took place west of City Beach.

The mini competition attracted radio-controlled model hydroplanes that reached speeds of 50 mph, chiefly from clubs in Spokane and Seattle. It featured four classes of boats racing in seven events around a course of 600 by 300 feet.

The mini hydros drew a decent crowd, according to Stephen. But it became a one-and-done thing.

The Hydromaniacs, according to The Press of Aug. 6, 1969, were promoting model boats and airplanes, while dreaming of the return of unlimited hydroplane racing to Lake Coeur d'Alene.

But, says Stephen, “Things kept getting in the way.”

I will be back

You know that local-boy-made-good Kelly Hughes has entertained locals for decades and once ran a popular honky-tonk at State Line (1984-2004).

But did you know that Kelly survived a literal trial by fire to establish himself?

On Aug. 6, 1984, an early-morning fire leveled the leased building that Kelly had opened that spring for Western music, keg racing, line dancing and old-fashioned fun. Arson was suspected since the fire started in bleachers outside the 12,000-square-foot building.

The Coeur d’Alene Press described Kelly afterward as “calm and optimistic.”

Said Kelly: “We’ll be coming back, you bet.”

He and his business, indeed, rose from the ashes to the yee-haws of cowboys and cowgirls.

Without a trace

Many know that Deborah Swanson, a Sorensen Elementary special education teacher, vanished during the Easter weekend of 1986. But can only imagine the effect that her disappearance had on her family.

In August 1989, Debbie’s sister Barbara, of Minnesota, gave us an idea of the family’s anguish during a visit here.

“I think (Deborah) probably is dead,” Barbara told The Press. “But I’m not going to write it off because I don’t know."

Barbara suffered nightmares and did double takes when she saw green-eyed blondes who resembled her sister. Debbie’s mother felt like she was sleepwalking through life. Another sister required therapy. And Debbie’s grandmother died at 103 without knowing her loved one’s fate.

The grandmother said: “Whoever took Debbie was the devil himself.”

Huckleberries

• Poet’s Corner: The little peas are green and round; when squashed they make a squishy sound/and plop green goo upon the floor./What child of two could ask for more? — The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Dining with Baby”).

• Good Sports: On Aug. 5, 1964, The Press published the rarest of rare photos — two-term Prosecutor William A. Reagan shaking hands with Pat Arney. So what, you say? In a rematch, Arney had bested Reagan 1,957 to 1,362 to win the Democratic primary for the office. No anger. No personal attacks. No complaints. Just a handshake. The good old days.

• Star Struck: Count Hollywood idol Robert Taylor and his wife, Ursula Theiss, among celebs who were smitten by Coeur d’Alene. They spent Aug. 6, 1954, on Beauty Bay with hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Anton Moen. And watched the Moens’ daughter, Nancy, 18, perform aquatic tricks. The Western movie star said he’d love to retire here. And: “You can bet we will be back.”

• Derby Dandy: Believe it or not, grocer Ron McIntire once sponsored a demolition derby car: Miss Half ‘n Half. Purchased for $50, Henry Browning’s 1962 Ford Galaxy was worthy of Ron’s backing. In 1974, Browning had won two of three derbies — and $1,000 in prize money — as he prepared for a fourth one. Said Browning: “I guess I just like to tear up cars.”

• Snake Handlers: On Aug. 5, 1969, Post Falls firefighters handled one of their strangest SOS calls — ever. Seems owner Richard Cummings of the Deer Park Zoo at State Line needed help transporting an attraction: a 26-foot Thai python, age 40, weighing 200 pounds. The volunteers complied. But one said later that he preferred handling a standard canvas hose.

• Small and Mighty: Many remember the late Carnie McArthur for two things: his size and his toughness. Carnie, an engine driver for the local fire department, was 5-foot-4 and weighed 135 pounds. But 35 years ago, he won his Toughest Competitor Alive division, ages 30-39, at the World Police and Fire Games III in Vancouver, British Columbia. It wasn’t his first win either.

Parting shot

We won’t know the fate of the Roosevelt Inn until a city-imposed moratorium on destruction of historic buildings is lifted later this year.

But the community should thank John, Tina and Scott Hough for preserving the historic grade school for the last 25 years.

Sons of the late Bob and Colleen Hough, of Coeur d’Alene, the brothers jumped at the chance to buy their old school, which was converted in 1994 into a bed and breakfast.

According to a Press article July 16, 1999, John and his wife, Tina, learned the property was for sale while celebrating their 20th anniversary there on Valentine’s Day 1999.

John and Scott had grown up a few blocks away.

Between the two of them, they figured they had the right tools and knowledge to continue running it as a bed and breakfast.

Now, retirement calls. And a Washington developer is working with the city to find a way to build townhomes on the property while protecting the old school.

Keep your fingers crossed.

• • •

D.F. (Dave) Oliveria can be contacted at dfo@cdapress.com.

    In 1994, Ron Rankin prepared to give his 100th pint of blood to the Inland Northwest Blood Center, assisted by nurse Sue Bell.
  

    In 1969, Miss Coeur d’Alene VI Betsy Darling, center, and Coeur d’Alene Vikettes Sue O’Connel, left, and Jean Nelson displayed model hydroplanes prior to the Miniature Diamond Cup.
  

    In 1989, Barbara Swanson visited Coeur d’Alene still hoping to find her sister, Deborah.
  

    In 1964, Prosecutor William Reagan, left, shook hands with Pat Arney.
  

    In 1954, actor Robert Taylor and his wife, Ursula Theiss, enjoyed a skiing exhibition by teenager Nancy Moen, center, on Lake Coeur d’Alene.
  

    In 1974, Sponsor Ron McIntire talked with Henry Browning, driving Miss Half ‘n Half, prior to a demolition derby.
  

    In 1969, Post Falls volunteer firefighters moved a 26-foot python.
  

    In 1989, Coeur d’Alene firemen Carnie McArthur, left, and Capt. Marty Knapp medaled at the World Police and Fire Games III in Vancouver, British Columbia.
  

    From left, John Hough, wife Tina and brother Scott Hough posed shortly after their purchase of the old Roosevelt School in 1999.