Celebration Time

While the blog has been inactive for quite some time, volunteers at the Depot have not! The big news is that last week, the HPG received TWO grants: $5000 from Idaho Heritage Trust and $24,900 from the Inland Northwest Community Foundation. Yes, you are reading correctly that we now have over $30,000 to work with in getting the upstairs ready for tenants. I say over $30,000 because at the well-attended Beargrass concert last night, even more donations from generous attendees poured in! As Jim West has said enthusiastically, that means we can hire contractors to finish the upstairs work. No doubt Becca West likes the idea that Jim will not be wearing out his tired knees any further working on the various jobs upstairs.

The upstairs now seems close to being very classy office space. Walls are textured and painted in the hallway and many of the rooms, and some of the beautiful doors Jim found in Portland have been installed. Jesse Glassman is beginning work on the floors and a decision has been made to lay carpet in the hallway to cut costs. The carpet might also cut hallway noise, so it's a good choice. Jesse did the downstairs floors, so we have confidence the upstairs ones will be equally beautiful. And the light fixtures awaiting installation will cap off the upscale feel of the hallway and offices spaces.

Speaking of office spaces, one tenant is chomping at the bit to move in by year's end, although we aren't quite ready. He wants two spaces and another person has asked for space in the spring. The reality is that the dream of the Depot being an economic development incentive is now coming true! Just across the tracks, the new pellet mill is taking shape, meaning the old mill site is coming into its own. Having Karen Rohn and Blackbird back in the downstairs adds to the feeling that this part of downtown is coming together. The Company Store, currently located in the ticket office, has a few new items, by the way, including beautiful custom coffee mugs by Andy Sewell. How about some beer mugs next, featuring our great logo?

The Depot is enjoying more community support than ever before, and last night's Beargrass concert drew a packed house and plenty of good dancing in the freight room. As Shane and Alane Watkins and the band belted out a number of great songs - even some train songs- many people also asked to tour the upstairs to see what's happening. Now people are beginning to see what the HPG members have envisioned all along- a beautifully restored community hub, just like the old days! It's interesting that what was once planned as an elevated office in the freight room is now a great little stage for musical and theater venues!

This post would not be complete without some good words for the steady volunteers who have quietly done so many construction tasks to get us this far: Jim West, Bob Behal and Barb West have been mainstays, often assisted by Kenny and Dave Cada, Tim Moore and Bill Warner. There might be others who work quietly on days I have not visited, so my apologies if I have left anyone out. Elaine Johnson frequently shows up to help at events, and Hal Van De Vord helps Karen Rohn with Company Store duties. During the Company Town Christmas yesterday, Jim West also recruited Hal and Roger Ferrell to help with Jim's novel Junior Engineer School, which graduated a number of community kids who now know much more about trains the operation of model trains!

December 12th was quite a day in the HPG's history. Thank you to one and all who capped off a great week!

Speeders Were Back in Town

Perfect weather helped make Speeder Day on July 11 another winner! Those little cars never cease to bring smiles and the rides to either Princeton or Wellesley were very much enjoyed!

Isn't it fun to see Roger Farrell piloting his very own speeder after all those years of working on the loading platform during speeder days?

And the model trains from Lewiston's club were a natural addition.

Dramatic Photo by Area Photographer Bob Marr

Local photographer Bob Marr captured an amazing photo of the moon rising over Potlatch last night and look what's in the foreground. Our depot just makes the photo even that much better. Beautiful shot--enjoy!

Trains Running Again!

Almost the end of February and good news, just in from Kenny Cada:

Exciting News!  After being closed for the past 6 months, the railway is open again!  A train went past the depot 30 minutes ago on its way to Bennett Lumber.  I heard it from my back yard and jumped in the car to be a train chaser.  I talked to Robin in her shop and she witnessed it go by.  I couldn't wait to tell all of you.

Today at the depot joining Bob were 4 additional people - Tim & Mary Moore, Barb West and myself.  We hope to see more of you there tomorrow!

Great to hear the trains are running again! Also, welcome to Tim and Mary Moore who have been coming down to the depot to work. More pictures coming soon. The progress at the depot is amazing!!!!

New Meadows Depot Coming Along Nicely

Some years back when we were starting the depot project in Potlatch, Jack and I visited with the Adams County Historical Society as members dreamed of restoring the Pacific and Idaho Northern Railway depot at New Meadows. Stopping at the depot on my way home from Boise, I peeked through the window and was amazed at the progress! There's a nicely refurbished downstairs with its ticket window, interpretive exhibits and railroad era furnishings. Out front is a flag pole with a seating area and nice memorial showing donor names on brass plaques. The whole scene exhibits progress and determination, the same kind we see at our own WIM depot. Check out the website at www.historicpindepot.com

Upstairs work really in high gear

It's been quite a while since we have posted some pictures of the upstairs work at the depot, but today we caught Bob Behal, Barb West and student volunteer Jacob Ownbey working away on the staircase and the upstairs. Above, Bob is stabilizing stair tread, shoring up the old staircase that once saw lots of loggers and millworkers tromping up and down those stairs. The staircase will really be beautiful when Bob works his magic on it!

Jacob Ownbey, pictured above, is volunteering his time as part of a school project. We are so happy to have him working with us.

Don't let Barb West's serious face fool you. She still smiles most of the time, despite being slave labor on many weekends!! That's what happens when you are related to Jim West, our fearless leader, who is also usually around on these intense work days. Thank you Jim for continuing to shepherd the crew. We hope your knees are holding out! And by the way, that is Mark Schilling with Barb. He has plenty of building talents, but we still haven't convinced him to come and join us. Maybe we don't pay enough!!!

Here's a look at one end of the hallway, with much of the sheetrock in place. Yes, there is lots to do yet, but this is significant progress. YES!!!

Another glimpse of the upstairs with new sheetrock in place.  Interestingly enough, the state planners for the Idaho Heritage Conference have chosen to tour Potlatch precisely because of the ongoing work on the old depot. Officials at Idaho Heritage Trust and the State Historic Preservation Office know about the loyal and determined volunteers at Potlatch and have once again asked that the depot story be told at the conference. The previous conference, two years ago, also hailed the Potlatch depot project. This year's conference is slated for late September and will be based in Moscow.

And one last shot of Bob Behal, volunteer extraordinaire. You gotta love the candid shots. Bob is amazing for not only his dedication, but his building solutions, especially as he tackles that "seasoned" staircase! Thanks Bob. That staircase is going to be a crown jewel of the depot.

Finally rid of the pesky pole...

For some, it's probably a small thing having an unused utility pole still standing when it's no longer necessary. In the case of said pole, it's been blocking progress at the depot because of its location, right in the way of the second story window we hope to use for unloading sheetrock.  Today the pole came down! Thank you, Frontier-hired contractors. Now a boom truck can unload the heavier materials right where they belong and more work can start on the second floor. Not that anyone is over-anxious about working in the 90-degree-plus heat! And speaking of work, here's another look (picture below) at those gorgeous doors Jim West hauled over from Portland last week. Thanks to Bob Behal, Barb West, Mike West, Hal VandeVord and Jim West for doing the job of carting all the materials out of the U-Haul. The bottom picture shows Barb doing some of the heavy lifting, which she often does! And thanks Karen Rohn for snapping the pictures and helping too!

"New" Old Doors Arrive at Depot

It was exciting to be at the depot yesterday to see Jim West coming driving up in a U-Haul after a marathon trip to Portland. Hal Van De Vord, Karen Rohn, and Mike and Barb West assisted Jim in unloading some absolutely beautiful doors, complete with transoms, hardware, mail slots, etc.  These are going to be totally awesome for our upstairs!

Here is Jim's note today on Facebook:

Finding replacement transom doors for the second floor has been #1 on my bucket list since the HPG bought the depot July 2001. One marathon 40-hour trip from Coeur d'Alene to Portland to Potlatch, and home to Cd'A, Amtrak and U-Haul combined to support a very successful safari.  I bagged twenty-five 106-year old doors now safely tucked into the freight room by HPG volunteers on Friday. They also unloaded 100's of feet of matching door trim and baseboard, all from the Railway Exchange (Oregon Pioneer) Building, built in 1909. Our thanks to all of our generous donors who gave to "Idaho Gives", danced to Jon &Rand and Blue Highway, or rode a speeder in 2014. Thanks to you we could afford to buy these doors and trim!  Now, if Frontier will remove their pole on the NW corner, we can start stocking the second floor and get to work on finishing some offices! Can I get a yaaah-hooo?

YAAAH HOOOO.....OUR THANKS TO YOU JIM!!!!!! 

 The doors are pictured above as they once looked at the Railway Exchange in Portland.

Blue Highway Scores Again!

Leave it to seasoned dancers Leonard and Marlene Zahnow to kick off the dancing to Blue Highway on Potlatch Days. Zahnows owned the famous Riverside dance hall and park from 1957 to 1962, booking such greats as Johnny Cash, Little Jimmy Dickens and Tex Ritter.  The couple bought Riverside because they liked to dance, and now in their 80's, they proved they still do! Zahnows traveled from Bellingham to link up with old friends during community day celebrations.

As the evening temperatures stayed perfect and people enjoyed a beverage or two, the dance floor grew more crowded with guests loving Blue Highway's great tunes.

Sunset at the Depot was spectacular as the evening brought out lots of dancers and Blue Highway fans!

Railroad Station Historical Society Visits Today

With no warning, swarms of people with cameras filled the depot this morning.  Who knew the Railroad Station Historical Society was out to pay us a visit--unannounced?  They were a great group and I was happy to show them around, telling our story of restoration efforts.  Among the visitors was Fred High, from Covington, Washington.  Fred is friends with Ken and Sally Vogel, and some years back actually came over to help with the speeder event.  It was fun to catch up with him.  Also visiting was Russ Holter, from the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation at Olympia.  He was a wealth of information on tax credits, so I hope we can chat further about some of that.  After the impromptu tour, Robin McKinney stepped in to ring up several purchases from the group, giving the HPG over $300 in book sales.

I am hoping we can get some photos from the group later so they can be posted.  And I hope they will be back again one day soon!

Speeders Still Draw a Crowd!

There was a different feel to the annual speeder event today, a much less hectic pace.  With less speeders coming to share rides, however, don't think there was less enthusiasm!  People seemed to enjoy sitting on the dock, visiting while waiting for their turn.  And they definitely liked the longer rides.

Irv and Janice Johnson (above) eagerly bought tickets when they first went  on sale, knowing this would be their chance to take grandson James on the ride to Princeton. Janice (Vowels) grew up in Princeton, and saw the trains run right past her house each day.  James and his parents were visiting from Sacramento and the whole gang rode the rails.

Fearless leader Jim West was on the move all day, starting probably at 4 am when he opened all the windows in the depot to cool things off. He had his comfy motorhome parked near the caboose, but never accuse this guy of slacking or sneaking off for a nap. He worked non-stop all day!

David Zuhn is another trooper, serving on the HPG board and coming all the way from St. Paul, Minnesota to help with speeders.  Thanks Dave, we love seeing you out this way!

And let's give a lot of applause to the model railroaders who delighted everyone with their layouts. The N gauge set-up came from Lewiston and the HO layout traveled from Spokane.  There were some tense moments when the guys from Spokane saw the freight scale standing right smack in the middle of things, but amazingly enough the layout wrapped perfectly around the scale.  Whew!

Kenney and Jenny Gonzales came out to grab a speeder ride after seeing the announcement on Facebook.  Kenney grew up in Princeton and saw the trains come through, but he and Jenny chose the Kennedy Ford route to see some new country.  Jenny's grandpa, Bill Biggam, had been an active member of the Latah Railway model railroaders at the Latah County fairgrounds in Moscow before his death.

Music again fills the Depot!

Thank you Gary Eller for strumming and singing at the Depot yesterday.  Karen Rohn, the WIMHPG VP, has carried Gary's book in her store, and said yes to him stopping by to play a  few tunes. It was a sweet little event, one everyone enjoyed. Thanks Ryon Ownbey for capturing this nice photo.  And look for Gary to return in the future to do a full-fledged concert!

Meanwhile, speeders are coming SOON with extended rides this year.  July 12 is the date!  Call the Depot at 208-875-1357 for further details on pre-sale tickets, new routes and other events happening that day.

US Bank partners with Depot again!

Last week US Bank proved once again that it endorses what we are doing at the Depot. Michelle French, Potlatch branch manager, and Michelle Hovey, district manager, presented the HPG with a check for $3500. The bank has been generous in the past as we have competed with other groups through US Bank's grant program.  But we never get tired of saying thank you for the encouragement! Fresh from our success with the Idaho Gives competition on May 1 (we tallied nearly $10,000 on that), the HPG is ready to move along with more work upstairs.

Pictured above are (left to right):  Michelle French, Michelle Hovey, HPG President and recent US Bank retiree Kenny Cada, HPG Secretary Robin McKinney, HPG Treasurer Barbara West, and HPG Vice-President Karen Rohn, who also operates a gift and art shop in the Depot.

Governor Butch Otter Pays the Depot a Visit

It is campaign season so Idaho's governor was at Bennett Lumber for some handshaking while traveling through north Idaho. But he didn't need any arm twisting to stop by the Depot to congratulate us on the May 1 "Idaho Gives" top honors for most donors in the small non-profit category. Otter spoke a few minutes before mingling with others who had come to greet him.  He is pictured above with (left to right) Janice McMillan, BJ Swanson, Shirley Green, Dale Good, Bonnie Good, Governor Otter, Kenny Cada (HPG President) and Karen Rohn (HPG VP).

HPG Treasurer Barb West reported that the Depot snagged $8600 from Idaho Gives and another $1200 in checks from those who couldn't participate online.  That is getting close to $10,000!!!!

HPG Secretary and owner of Thread It , Depot tenant Robin McKinney visited with Latah County Commissioner Dave McGraw while the governor addressed community residents and others. Robin's business has steadily increased since she moved in March 1, and she feels right at home sharing business space with Karen Rohn.

"Idaho Gives" challenge nets over $8500 for the Depot!

Restoring a 100-plus-year-old train depot is not a job for sissies, as some of these pictures remind us!  We put on the masks, picked up the shovels and did our part.  Yesterday many fine folks from all over the US supplemented our efforts by giving to the Idaho Gives May 1 fundraiser.  Not only did we pick up over $6000 in very much needed financial help, but we snagged the most donors for our small non-profit category, narrowly defeating the Idaho Falls School District Foundation.  It was a wild ride right up until the last, but we stayed in first.  That meant we earned another $2500 in bonus money.  Oh boy, can we use it! Volunteers have prepped the upstairs as the photos show, but cold hard cash is needed to do what comes next.  Electricity to half of the upstairs has depleted our bank accounts, but we still need walls, floors, a rehabbed staircase, etc.  The new funds will make things happen.  

Already we have two tenants waiting for spaces upstairs.  Robin McKinney's sewing business Thread It is busting at the seams in her small downstairs quarters, and the Latah Eagle weekly newspaper's new owner Barry Johnson also wants office space.  With the City of Potlatch annexing more acreage from the old mill site, a new industry will soon break ground on a 10,000 square foot building, hiring 50 workers.  Phase two will be another building, with an additional 100 jobs.  This will all be happening adjacent to the depot, making our wonderful old building a primo location. With paying tenants in our depot, we can finally take it easy a bit (none of us originals are getting any younger!).

Speaking of taking it easy, one cannot wrap up the Idaho Gives recap without another "atta boy" to Jim West, our slave driver and fearless leader who has wanted to make the most of Idaho Gives long before most of us had heard of it.  I found one rare picture of Jim lining up for a chow, rather than wearing a mask, wielding a hammer or playing music to raise funds.  He has been tireless....although I am sure his body tells him to rest more often than he admits!  And thanks to his wonderful sidekick wife, 'Becca, who puts up with all this nonsense!

Additional pictures show some other stalwarts, all incognito in their masks.  Karen Rohn, Kenny Cada and Barb West do know how to get dirty, and even my dear old hubby Jack has gotten into the act in the past. We are a team and we have pulled hard.  Sadly I cannot picture everyone who has stayed with the project. But thank you, one and all for the great efforts at Idaho Gives.  It was a cliff hanger, but well worth it.  "I think I can, I think I can" is more than mere words with this great bunch from the HPG!

The Depot Has Come a Long Way

Remember when the Historic Potlatch Depot looked like this?  Happily times have changed since this 2006 photo was snapped, but now it is time to again help get the building finished.  Idaho has a special event for non-profits happening right now and it is easy to donate.  Here is the link:

Here is the address for the Razoo "Donate Now" button:

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Second Business Opens at the Depot

March 1 kicked off the start of Robin (Parkhurst) McKinney's dream of having her own shop, as she opened "Thread It" adjacent to Karen Rohn's shop, "Black Bird at the Depot."  Robin is a University of Idaho graduate specializing in fashion design, and she does alterations and mending, as well.  Her favorite assignment is creating formal and bridal wear, but she also sells a line of stylish yoga skirts, custom pillows and aprons.  In time, Robin hopes to be one of the first tenants to get a space upstairs, once the second floor remodeling is done. For now, she already has a healthy backlog of custom sewing jobs for area residents, making her first month in the depot a promising start.  Robin is married to Derek McKinney and is a mom to two kids.  Her creative talents certainly compliment the gift items and art available in Karen Rohn's store. Oh, and did we mention that Robin is the new HPG Secretary, while Karen continues as the group's Vice-President? The two women are doing a lot to promote the depot as a great business location.

As for the depot, it now seems in an even better spot to play a significant role as the City of Potlatch has annexed 14 acres gifted to town by Potlatch Corporation.  The new city acreage extends to Scenic Six Park and runs adjacent to the railroad tracks.  By summer, a new arms and munitions company will be expanding in the area, constructing a 10,000 square foot manufacturing plant and hiring 50 new employees.  The company plans a further expansion soon after that.

Caboose Project Moves Ahead

Your blogger has been AWOL on the caboose project, but here is a photo update to prove that there is still much progress on our little car.  Here Jim West (HPG founder and project manager) and sister-in-law Barb West (HPG Treasurer) put in some serious work on the caboose roof.  Thankfully, the weather has been mild, so Bob Behal, Bill Warner, Drew Black and the West gang have been putting in the hours.  Here is Jim's post on Facebook this morning:

The small but effective carpentry crew of Drew Black, Bob Behal, Bill Warner, Mike and Barb West and myself removed the rotted portion of the old X5 caboose roof and replaced it with new 1 x 4 last weekend. The sun made the work more than a little tiring, but we got it done.

Bob climbed the X5 ladder to sneak a pic of Barb and yours truly screwing off the new wood. (I appear to be only screwing off.) HPG treasurer Barb is our best hand.

Depot Interiors Update

The depot interiors continue to progress, so here is a little update on how things look.  Pictured above is the nice train exhibit set up, compliments of the Latah County Historical Society.  Director Dan Crandall, a staunch supporter of the depot project, has offered us the enlarged photos and memorabilia as a gift.  These would certainly look nice on our walls.  Meanwhile, the walls in the freight room are being prepped for some much-needed insulation.  Barb and Mike West were on hand the other day to do some of the dirty work, along with our Mr. Reliable, Bob Behal.

Karen Rohn, the new HPG Vice-President, stands in front of some of some of the one-of-a-kind gift items specially made for her shop, Blackbird, which is located in the depot.  The shop reflects Karen's talents and tastes, and is worth a visit.  Shop hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 am to 3 pm.  Stop by and say hi to Karen, whose shop makes our depot look very classy!

Bob Behal and Jim West are two of the mainstays in finishing off the depot office, headquarters for the HPG.  The desk belonged to William Deary and came from the Latah County Historical Society as a gift.  This was Deary's Moscow desk, and the one he used in the depot was identical.  It is a handsome piece of furniture, especially in the context of the refinished wood floors, brick walls and the historical safe in the background.

The above photos will be part of a presentation in Boise when Barb showcases the depot project during the Idaho Heritage Conference, slated for September 25-27.  It is a tribute to the project and volunteers that we were asked to be part of this conference.  Idaho Association of Museums, one of the conference sponsors, is facilitating Barb's presentation, with Keith Petersen, Idaho State Historian, and Mary Reed, past director of Latah County Historical Society, being some of our best cheerleaders.

Help Needed on X-5 Caboose

Our loyal and proficient carpenter Bob Behal needs some helpers on Thursday August 1 at 9 am to keep momentum going on rehabbing the caboose.  Fall is not far off, so this project really requires more helpers to get the X-5 ready for winter.  Rumor has it that the caboose might be this year's venue for Santa during the Lighted Christmas Parade in December!