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Slippery history of the Ash Street hill |
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March 22, 2017 |
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With all the mudslides occurring this year and
in particular the slide off on the South Hill on
Ash Street Saturday, the staff at the Boundary
County Museum thought the folks of Boundary
County might enjoy a “slip sliding away” history
of how the South Hill arrived at its current
predicament.
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1946 slide. |
In 1892, the Great Northern had laid tracks
through town and had begun construction of a
temporary depot. A new 24 x 70 depot was soon
constructed 125 feet west of the first one. It
was a fine structure, but the station agent had
a problem. His view from the station of trains
coming in from the east was obliterated.
A portion of the hillside extended out just
enough to block his view. Not a problem.
The railroad crew removed just enough of the
hill to restore his line of sight.
And so it began.
Removing a chunk of the hill was like opening up
a can of worms. Soon other chunks were removed
to be used as fill for various projects. Not
only did the railroad crews help themselves, but
the growing village of Bonners Ferry also needed
fill material. The surrounding area resided on a
flood plain and did not have the level
appearance that one sees today.
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1954 slide
that claimed two, but spared three
children. |
Low spots were filled and railroad beds were
raised, along with the streets and the business
buildings.
Over the years, that small notch in the hill
became a much bigger notch.
Even after the hillside was no longer being
dipped into, it continued to erode and the base
of the hill had to be cleaned out each year.
Sloughing, now and then, spilled onto the road,
but was usually quickly cleaned up by the
highway department.
In 1935, during the Great Depression Era, there
was government money available for putting
unemployed men to work. A project was created to
terrace the South Hill and curb any future
sloughing. Fourteen terraces were scheduled to
be constructed across its eroded face; only four
were completed before the funding ran out in
1936.
Things seemed to be okay until 1946, when a
large portion of the hill gave way, covering not
only the highway, but the railroad tracks as
well.
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Saturday's
slide is just the latest, and likely not
the last. |
Back in 1954, east of the erosion site but still
on Ash Street, the then South Hill Grocery &
Locker was destroyed by a slide. The owners were
asleep in the rear of the building and were
killed. Their three daughter’s bedrooms were
upstairs and the girls survived.
In 1972 a small slide occurred next to Dr.
McIntosh’s Dental Building on Ash Street.
In recent times, further efforts have been made
to stabilize the hill. However, when weather
conditions become like what we are experiencing
now one never knows what might happen.
Perhaps the moral for this story is, "don’t mess
with the natural settings of steep hillsides
unless you’re willing to pay the price sometime
down the road."
Unfortunately, even that is not a sure
guarantee. |
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News Bonners Ferry
thanks and a tip o'the hat to the
Boundary County Historical Society for
researching and writing this article! |
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article?
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