In the spring of 1926 Bill Winkler advertised a Percheron at stud “at my barn in Council, Idaho.” Soon after this he was selling “a few thousand pounds of wheat.” At the end of that year, he reentered a former occupation when he was elected Adams County Sheriff. Prohibition had outlawed alcohol in 1920, and pursuing moonshiners became part of his job.
Adams County Leader, Apr 13, 1928: The former H.S. Levander Co. has changed its name to “Merit Stores Incorporated” Ernest and Nellie Winkler, Nathan Summers and Frank G. David are the “incorporators.” The paper said Ernest “has been in the Council store for 10 years.”
In the summer of 1928 the Leader mentioned Lewis Winkler was operating the Golden Rule mine on the South Fork of the Salmon River. That fall, Bill Winkler arrested Dan Bisbee of Wildhorse for moonshining.
In the fall of 1929, Jim Winkler moved his Cash Grocery out of the Odd Fellows building and into one of the brick building on the same side of Illinois Avenue. Meanwhile, Jim Kesler moved his jewelry store into Winkler’s former Odd Fellows location.
Adams County Leader, Nov 29, 1929: George A. Winkler (1909–1962), son of Lewis Winkler, married Ruth Wines October19 in Baker, Oregon. Ruth Winkler was Council’s librarian for years. Their son was Wm. Neal Winkler (1935-2008). By the way, this makes three George A. Winklers in the story so far; confused yet?
Adams County Leader, July 4, 1930: Troy Perkins bought Winkler’s Cash Grocery. Jim Winkler retired.
In 1931 Fred Lappin bought the old Mark Winkler ranch from E.I. Osborn. Fred and his wife, Alma Kesler Lappin, had that place (2325 Hwy 95) for many years. Fred was raised on Lappin Lane, which was named after his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lappin.
By 1932, George A. Winkler, son of Lewis Winkler, was running the Evergreen Service Station with Marion Young. This building still stands today, although it has been remodeled to the point of being unrecognizable. It housed Ruben’s Amaco station for years and now contains Council Guns.
In 1936 Carl Swanstrom – Adams County’s Prosecuting Attorney for many years and a man noted for his nearly seven-foot stature – started construction of a law office on the site of the former Winkler blacksmith shop on the NE corner of Moser and Main. That building still stands today as the WICAP office. The Leader said Swanstrom purchased the lot from Bill Winkler.
By this time, Bill Winkler was not in good health. He had retired in 1935 and was living in his house that had been the first county “courthouse” just a few lots north of Swanstrom’s office on the same side of Main Street. Remember Bill’s house had also stood on the NW corner of Moser and Main as the Council Journal newspaper office before it was moved.
The October 14, 1938 Leader blared a headline about a development that would significantly affect Council’s economy for the next half century: “Boise Payette Company Secures Option for Planing Mill Site Here. Option on fifty-three acres to be purchased from W.F. Winkler filed in county recorder office Thursday.” This “planing mill” turned out to be a major sawmill that would become a foundation of area commerce. The mill would not be built for another couple years after this news was announced.
In the spring of 1939 the Leader said the The Golden Anchor Mine on the Cesesh (sic) River belonging to Wm. and Lewis Winkler and A.L. Freehafer was sold. I believe this was actually the Golden Rule mine, not the Golden Anchor. The paper said they bought it in 1914 and that Lewis was always the main ramrod of the operation, and that work could only be done in early spring while run off supplied water for the giants water nozzles also known as “monitors.”
In December of 1939, Bill Winkler died and was buried in the Winkler Cemetery. It have always envied what he saw during his lifetime. When he arrived in the Council Valley in 1878 he was 12 years old. He saw almost every road, every fence, and every building that came to be here – to see the town look somewhat similar to the way it looks today. He missed events that would happen soon after he died – the boom of the timber industry and the Second World War.
Continued next week.
100 years ago
February 15, 1924
D. C. Campbell has installed a bakery in the Elk building.
“The Hager Hardware Co. closed its doors here on Monday of this week. It is stated on good authority that Cambridge will have another hardware store soon.”
“Joe Allison and will have to stand trial in Boise February 23, for an alleged violation of the liquor law, the grand jury having returned an indictment.”
“The warm weather has almost cleared the upper country of snow, and as a consequence the going is bad for either wheels or sleds.”
“For some reason unknown, Miss Maymie Cox, a 16-year-old girl of Council, hanged herself last Sunday at her home in that place. No further details are available this week.”
75 years ago
February 17, 1949
About 30 inches of snow has fallen in the past week and have blocked many rural roads in this area. “Clarence Williams, who is employed by Julie Riggin in road clearing operations, reports that the Goodrich road has been dozed out so many times that he could not see over the top of the snowbanks by standing on top of the cab of an Army truck, and that further drifting would probably call for the abandonment of the road to Cambridge.”
Railroad snow removal equipment has been diverted to the Pocatello area, leaving the P. & I. N. without sufficient snow plows. Locomotives have been, “pushing their way through the heavy snows, plowing a ‘furrow’ just wide enough to allow passage. Train arriving at the station following a snowstorm, bringing with them a pile of snow that falls to the depot platform as the engine comes out of the furrow into the cleared station platform.”
Warmer temperatures have loosened numerous slides along the route. “The train leaving Weiser Saturday morning encountered 12 slides before reaching the Mesa siding. The train, which carried with it a bulldozer for clearing the heavier slides encountered, ran into one in the canyon below Midvale that was from 10 to 30 feet deep and nearly half a mile long. After dozing this one out, the train proceeded to the canyon below Cambridge where four more slides confronted the train men. The first slide, the largest, had to be dozed out, after which the engine was uncoupled from the train and with throttle open, it plowed through the remaining three slides, which were about 5 or 6 feet deep. In ‘crashing the slides’ the engine pushed snow clear to the top of the smokestack. As the train proceeded toward Council, the dozer broke down while clearing another slide, and the train was forced to return to Weiser without reaching its destination.”
Died in a car accident near Caldwell: Thatcher Wagner, formerly of Cambridge.
It has snowed 69 inches since February 2, and we now have received a total of 133 inches so far this winter.
Died: Fred Moritz, 57, a lifelong resident of Washington County. Burial in the Cambridge Cemetery.
J. H. Jackson of Weiser purchased Fisher’s Grocery.
The funeral of Mrs. Gay Johnson was held Monday at Council
49 years ago
February 13, 1975
“Members of the Midvale Literary Board had a meeting at the library Monday. Two architects from Boise met with the board. Plans are tentatively set to build a new library in Midvale. A lot was purchased several years ago for the proposed building site next to the Valley Market. Plans will be announced later.”
Married: Christie Love, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Archie Love, and Joe Olson of Plummer, Idaho.
Died: Maude B. Weems, 82, of Council. Born in Nebraska in 1893, she married James J. Weems in 1917 in Texas. They moved to Cambridge in 1929. He died in 1954. Since 1959 Mrs. Weems had lived in Council.
25 years ago
February 18, 1999
A boy was born to Tonya Wilson and Jeff Butigan at the Ontario hospital on February 1. They named him Michael Robert Butigan.
U of I graduates from Cambridge are now teaching agriculture education. Justin Mink is teaching at Kimberly High School, and Duane Pearson is teaching at Rimrock High School.
