History::
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Earl Rusho
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Charles Cook
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Poirier Pioneers
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Away From Worry l
Naming & Taming of Albeni
Falls
The Earl
Rusho Concrete House
(written by
Fielden Poirier, 1970)
About the
year 1900 Earl and Frank Rusho purchased the Harry Sammons’
homestead of 160 in Section
20, Township 54, Range 5, Bonner
county (Kootenai county at that time), Idaho. The original log
house
was situated on the east 80 acres. Earl and Frank agreed
that Frank should have the 80 acres with
the building and Earl
would take the west 80 acres. So Earl proceeded to build a
small house on his part
of the property until such time as he
was able to build a permanent home. Earl lived in this small
house
until about 1913 at which time he had saved enough money
to build a larger home. He gave it a great deal
of study and
finally decided he would build a poured concrete house. He had
many problems to overcome. There was no electricity or water
system at the time. Before he could build he had to provide
these facilities.
Earl had very little formal education’
however, he did possess a great deal of imagination and
knowledge that many college graduates did not have. Blanchard
Creek flowed through his property just back of his
small house.
He proceeded to place a dam across the creek and install a water
wheel of his own make and design. This gave him power with
which to operate a water pump and this supply he piped to his
new house which solved the water situation.
Then he installed a table saw, grindstone and
other equipment, which he operated by waterpower. Premix cement
was not available; neither were power cement mixers. So he
decided he would build a large mortar box and use a shovel and
mortar hoe. With this system he mixed all the concrete that
went into his large, 3-story house. Before he started to build,
he ordered through the Blanchard Trading Company a (railroad)
carload of cement. This he stored in his barn for future use.
Pouring the foundation and the walls up to a height of four feet
was no problem; however, when he went higher he had to figure
out a different method of getting the mixed concrete elevated to
the next story.
Earl was a very good mechanic and he decided
he could build an elevator to hoist the concrete to the higher
elevations. He constructed an elevator shaft along the side of
the building with a series of pulleys and a cable. On one end
of the cable he built a platform large enough to hold a
wheelbarrow of concrete and one man. On the other end he
attached a 50-gallon barrel which he filled with water which was
pumped from the creek with his water wheel. The water balanced
the weight of the concrete and pulled it to the top of the
building. When the load of concrete was poured into the form he
had to equalize the weight so the platform would descend to the
ground for another load. This he did by merely letting the
water run out of the barrel, making the platform heavier to
descend to the ground by its own weight—a very simple device
that worked. The entire house is built of poured concrete with
two 4-inch walls on each side and a 4-inch dead air space
between. The walls are tied together with metal rods and the
entire house is reinforced with steel rods.
At the time of Fielden’s writing of this
article the house had lasted 60 years without a crack in the
concrete. (Today, it has lasted 89 years without a crack). The
Earl Rusho concrete house will remain for years and years as a
monument to a genius, a hard-working and honest pioneer. We
remember Earl as a “diamond in the rough,” with real charity in
his heart for everyone and always willing to help a brother in
need.
Today the house still stands on Rusho Lane
in Blanchard. Doug Yergens and his wife, June Rusho Yergens
(Earl’s granddaughter) now own it. The Yergens added a room to
the back of the house in 1996. There are 80 acres still
belonging to the family from the original purchase. Descendents
of Earl Rusho still living in Blanchard include June Rusho
Yergens (granddaughter), Ila Rusho Strange (granddaughter) and
Clifford Rusho (grandson).
LIFE IN BLANCHARD: THE DEPRESSION OF 1929
The
Pioneers of Blanchard, Idaho by Fielden L. Poirier, written in 1972
(Editing by
Barb Hornby 2002)
During 1929 the
stock market went on a rampage. Stockholders wanted to sell at
once and this caused stocks in the large companies to be forced
down lower until the situation became very critical and a panic
condition existed. Factories were forced to shut down or reduce
production, which put many people out of work. Building stopped
and many new projects were delayed. To add to this hectic
condition, the Mid-West had several years of drought on the
farms of the Dakotas and Nebraska. This, together with low
prices for wheat and farm products, forced many people to leave
their farms and seek a living elsewhere. Many of these farmers
came west to north Idaho where they could get jobs working in
the woods. While the pay for this work was very low, at least
it made them a living.
The Humbird Lumber Company of Sandpoint decided
to close their saw mill operations and dispose of their lands
and timber holdings in Bonner County. Their holdings were
principally in Spirit valley near Blanchard. For several years
previous to this time Fielden L. Poirier (father of Sonny
Poirier), had been purchasing cord wood stumpage and some land
from the company. Mr. Ole Pierson, father-in-law to John
Humbird, was in charge of making the sale and gave the purchase
opportunity to Fielden. The purchase proved to be fortunate for
the Blanchard community.
Spokane and the Inland Empire used principally
wood for fuel at that time, and so there was a ready market for
cordwood. Since many people were out of jobs, there was no
trouble in getting woodcutters and so a very active business
developed that lasted through the depression years and
afterwards. During these years, the timber was loaded for
shipment onto railroad cars in Blanchard. Fir and Tamarack
brought $4.50 per cord and Black Pine, $3.50 per cord (this
had to be green cut and seasoned). The dead cut Black Pine
brought $2.50 per cord. The woodcutters received $1.00 per cord
for cutting the wood in 4-foot lengths and piling it in the
woods.
Fielden put many men to work and supplied some of
their needs through the store he operated (The Blanchard Trading
Company). The workers lived in small houses built in the woods
near their work. For men wishing to cut wood, the Blanchard
Trading Company furnished a saw, an ax, maul, and wedges, and
weekly groceries—this generally amounted to about $15.00. A
good worker could cut about one cord of wood each day; others
did even better. These men would generally stay all during the
winter but most of them would drift off to better jobs during
the summer. In the fall they would return to woodcutting and
continue again through the winter. Many of the families that
came here during those hard times bought cut-over land from
Fielden, on time, paying for it by working in the woods and
doing a little farming. Some of these original purchasers
continue to reside here.
On March 6, 1933
with the inauguration of President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, banks
were ordered to close, and this caused a very serious
condition. All wholesale houses went on a cash basis. Our
money in the banks was not available and no loans could be
negotiated. The Blanchard Trading Company had to go on a barter
basis for practically all of their dealings. Farm products and
anything of value was taken in trade. Our supply base, Spokane,
went on a cash basis and also used script as a medium of
exchange for transacting business. Fielden who had been selling
wood to the Johnson Bungay Fuel Company, in Spokane, previous to
the closing of the banks, worked out a deal to trade cord wood
for supplies for the store in Blanchard. Wood was shipped to the
Johnson Bungay Company and they transferred credit to
McClintock-Trunkey, our wholesale grocer, and they, in turn
supplied Blanchard with groceries. The woodcutters took
groceries in pay for cutting wood and the wood haulers did
likewise. Since there was no money or medium of exchange,
Fielden conceived the idea of having some brass made up in 25
cent, 50 cent and $1.00 coins. This was good for trade only. It
was successful inasmuch as it provided a means of convenient
exchange. The brass was used for several years, and after the
banks were opened we drifted back to normal times again. The
brass in circulation was redeemed however, many coins were never
returned.
Blanchard got
through the depression because of the cooperation of the people.
By working together our little community came through these hard
times with very few scars and our needs were provided for. The
best supporter Fielden had during these times was his father,
Louis M. Poirier. Louis contributed advice, finances and help
to his son and to Blanchard as a whole. Other help is credited
to the Humbird Lumber Company of Sandpioint, Mr. Hohn Humbird,
and Ole Pierson, the McClintock -Trunkey Company, Jensen Byrd
Hardware, Johnson Bungay Fuel Company and many more. Fielden
said, “For all of them, I am grateful and I hope that
another depression of this nature will not visit us again.”
(Editors
note: The pioneering spirit of people like Fielden L. Poirier
and those he mentioned still lives on in Blanchard. These
courageous leaders brought community success during the
depression years and even now. For it is through their example
that we can continue without failure. The same
dedication and cooperation remains in “The Little Town That
Could”—FOR WE ARE “Spirit Valley” and the inherent
qualities we have been gifted with will continue to reside here
in good times and in bad. Sometimes it takes a crisis, or the
telling of one, to show us what we have and to reveal our
hidden strength and undiscovered talents. )
History of
the Blanchard Post Office
Sources: The
Pioneers of Blanchard, Idaho: The Spirits That Made Spirit
Valley by Fielden Poirier Sr. 1977,
Writings by Charles Barker, Charles Cook, & (Bryon Defenbach
-1933 History of the Gem State).
Postmarked Idaho:
A List of Idaho Post Offices--Compiled by Guy Reed Ramsey for
Idaho State Historical Society 1975. Internet source: https://webpmt.usps.gov/pmt003.cfm.
—Editing and
rewriting by Barb Hornby February 2003
The early history
of mail service to the Blanchard area began primitively in 1880
with a relay station near where Rathdrum is now located. The
station was for packers and furtraders and was located on the
old Wesley Wood’s place. At that time very few people lived in
the area. The nearest post office (to Blanchard) was established
on the banks of the Pend Oreille River in 1890 at a point called
Newport, Idaho. Mike Kelly, a young Irishman built a log store
and he was successful in getting a post office established
there. Mail was carried from Rathdrum Idaho, through Spirit
Valley (Blanchard) and then to Albeni Falls by horse team and
buckboard. The postal station on the Pend Oreille River was
called Newport because it was a “new” “port” on the river. Jacob
Martin, father of William and Clara Martin, carried the mail in
the early years for this station. Later the station was moved
across the Washington State line and was renamed Newport,
Washington. The first postmaster there was R.I. Towle.
About the same time (1890), William A. White
homesteaded 160 acres in Section 18, Township 54, Range 5,
Bonner County (Kootenai at the time). The surrounding area (now
Blanchard) was named White, Idaho after this early settler. Nate
Presnell, (brother of J.H. Presnell) also homesteaded in White
(property later owned by John Watson Sr.) and he carried the
mail from Rathdrum, through the Spirit Valley (Blanchard/White)
and back from Newport. From 1892-1893 Joe Poirier who owned and
operated a blacksmith shop in Rathdrum carried the mail and
light freight to White, Idaho where his brother Louis (Sonny
Poirier’s grandfather) lived. He further transported mail to
Newport and to Albeni Falls on the Pend Oreille River where his
other brother (Albeni) lived. The first wagon trail was built by
the Poirier brothers and other pioneers who widened an old
Indian and trappers trail which was already in existence. This
was a 32-mile trek used by the Kalispell and Coeur d'Alene
Indians for many years before the white man came west. White,
Idaho’s first post office was officially commissioned in 1903
with William White as the first Postmaster. Mail service was
operated out of Mr. White’s home and was delivered to his farm
by pony express.
When Mr. White sold his homestead and left the
valley, Earl Rusho married Susie Jackson and settled on the
Sammon’s homestead (Section 20, Township 54, Range 5, now owned
by Doug Yergens and June Rusho Yergens). Earl took over as
postmaster starting in 1904. In 1907, J.H. Presnell, who lived
south of the Rusho farm, succeeded him. In 1908 a mail station
was established on the Frank Rusho farm and the station and town
were re-named Blanchard after another early settler, Joe
Blanchard. Railway service came through here that same year.
RR Friend built a store just north of the station and the
location of the post office was moved into the 30x60 RR Friend
store building. On January 1, 1912 this store was expanded and
combined with two other neighboring stores (Coleman and Hubbard
Stores) and it became the Blanchard Trading Company, LTD. The
Blanchard post office remained in the Blanchard Trading Company
for many years and several postmasters (listed in this
newsletter) provided service. Several of the postmasters
were also the proprietors of the store including Claude
Blanchard, grandson of the pioneer for whom Blanchard was named.
The post office remained at the Blanchard Trading Company store
location until 1986. The current location is in a separate
building in downtown Blanchard, just to the east of the old
Blanchard Trading Company store. The post office is now owned
and operated by the US Postal Service and Mariette Deems is the
postmaster.
Note of interest: In 1937 the original mailboxes
were replaced with new ones and the old boxes were stored at the
Poirier museum in Blanchard. Today, these mailboxes are on
display in the nostalgic area of the Old Town Hardware store on
Hwy 2 in Old Town, Idaho. The names are still legible on the
back of each box. You are welcome to go and see a part of
Blanchard’s postal history by visiting the display at Old Town
Hardware store.
