Slight Detour: Sunday Morning Stuff

We enjoyed a full dose of basketball yesterday, including the Duke defeat and the storming of the court after Wake Forest.

It was pretty obvious from the get-go that the Wake Forest security plan was just a bit faulty.

Players and staff from visiting teams should be protected at all costs. After all, they are guests. Too bad the Duke player had to get injured in the euphorious melee.

Of course, we watched the ZAGS, and, like so many other fans, we felt a bit sad about last night being Anton Watson's last college game in the Kennel.

He has truly endeared himself over the years to so many by his quiet nature, big smile and willingness to give the ultimate effort in virtually everything he does on the court.

Plus, it's been nice that he's the hometown boy who chose to stay in his hometown throughout his college and basketball career.

That, in itself, made last night's game special.

Plus, it was an excellent game with both teams playing high-level, competitive basketball.

So glad, Gonzaga pulled off another big win. They are playing some amazing basketball.

I took some time off from the basketball marathon to do some errands and spend a few minutes at the jetty near the Edgewater.

It's always a nice place to go for admiring the area where we live.

I'm loving the historical colorful artwork that we're seeing around town too.

Yesterday was a fun and comfortable day for spending time outside. Plus, it was wise to do since it sounds like we're in for another blast of winter, starting today, with possibility of some snow and big possibility of some high winds.

I just hope the wind does not mess up the fruits of my early spring yard work too much.

Once again, I've enjoyed reading some area history snippets compiled by my former student and avid historian, Mary Garrison.

So, I hope you do too.

My Lake Pend Oreille Journey continues.

by Mary Garrison

Buttonhook Bay is at the very southern tip of Lake Pend Oreille. The whole area was land frequented and settled by the Kalispel Indians and the Coeur d’Alene Indians for thousands of years. Fur traders and Jesuit missionaries were in the area during the early and middle 1800’s.

The 2nd known white settlement in the area was Pen d’Oreille City which was located in Buttonhook Bay. The first cabin was actually built on the west side of the bay prior to 1866 in the area called Forest City. A city of one cabin.

Later the “city” was moved to the other side of the bay and was eventually called Pen d’Oreille City.

Reading through the book, Trail to Gold The Pend Oreille Route, and a Master’s Thesis written in August 2018 by Idah Whisenant for the University of Idaho entitled, "Phse II Archaeological Survey and Test Excavation, Historic Pen d’Oreille City" (I found it on line – Google Scholar search), I am thinking the city was located in the area by Round Hill where there are still docks being used.

The city was pretty much started by employees of the Oregon and Montana Transportation Company with some of the main players being:

1) Seth Leun Pope – Did a survey of the area and drew the first known map of the city. He kept a lot of journals, some of which are maintained at the Oregon Historical Society.

2) Zenas Ferry Moody – Another employee of the OR & MT Transportation Co, who became the Governor of Oregon in 1882 was involved in the building of the first steamboat to ply the waters of Lake Pend Oreille. The Mary Moody was named in honor of his wife, Mary Stephenson Moody. Moody was sent by the company to oversee the construction of the steamboat at Seneacquoteen (the 1st white settlement in the area).

3) Sol Bazzard – a boat builder from the Dalles commissioned to build the boat.

4) Alphonso Boone – Also from The Dalles. Later he purchased the Lake House which was the hotel at the new city.

5) William Twitchell – Who was also from The Dalles and a partner of Moody’s. He eventually had a store at Pen d’Oreille City.

6) H. W. Davidson – A partner of Moody’s venture. Before Leiberg Point was called that, it was known as Davidson’s Point after H. W. Davidson.

For some reason Boone and Moody found themselves “deposited” on Moody’s Island (the group of three islands off shore from Hope.

They called the islands Davidson (Warren), Grave (Cottage) and Moody (Pearl). Like many places these land features changed names several times throughout history.

They were instructed to move the Mary Moody to a new home port location at the very south end of the lake and oh by the way. . .you have to build that city and port.

Thus began the building of Pen d’Oreille City.

Unfortunately, it had a short life span for a city being roughly 40 or so years. It is now part of Farragut State Park and a ranger told me a couple of years ago the only thing left was a couple of foundations.