Moving History Forward: Finally, a home of their own
This aerial photo from 1950 shows the new North Idaho College campus. Clockwise from the top — Lee Classroom and Administration building, Christianson Gymnasium, Ft. Sherman Officers Row, Sherman School, several small vocational buildings, the six temporary dormitory buildings moved from a CCC camp at Beauty Bay in 1943, and the Mechanical Arts Building.
Photo courtesy of MUSEUM OF NORTH IDAHO
During Christmas break in 1949, NIJC students, faculty, and community members came together to move the school’s books and equipment from its many locations to the new building. Pictured is the moving van that was provided by Stoddard Transfer and Fuel to transport the desks, chairs, and other equipment from the City Hall to the new classroom building.
When we closed the November installment, G.O. Kildow had been installed as the third president of the junior college, World War II had been fought and ended, the trustees had authorized the completion of the mechanical arts building and a plan had been created to add classroom space and administrative facilities to the Winton campus.
After an enrollment low point of 50 during World War II, the spring and fall semester enrollment numbers for 1947 soared to a record-setting level of 330, spurring the board of trustees to fully focus on addressing a need for more classrooms. The first move was to contract for an expansion of the mechanical arts building on the Winton Park Campus.
Walter M. Varnum was awarded the job, and a wing was added to the north side of the building to house laboratories for physics and chemistry classes and a dark room for the photography class. The winning bid was $40,520 ($573,575 in 2024). The money came from funds set aside earlier for the project.
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