Looking back: Five children die in house fire, toddler has spiked weed removed from lung and plane goes missing
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IDAHO FALLS — EastIdahoNews.com is looking back at what life was like during the week of Aug. 26 to Sept. 1 in east Idaho history.
1900-1925
BURLEY — Five children died in a house fire after being left alone by their parents who went to a church party, The Rigby Star reported on Aug. 26, 1915.
The fire destroyed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Tooth, who lived three miles southwest of Churchill in Cassia County. Two eight year olds, a six, four and two year old died in the blaze.
“Mr. and Mrs. Tooth placed their four children … in bed together with the 8-year-old daughter of their neighbor, Julius Harrison, and with Mrs. Harrison, went to a Sunday school party at Churchill,” the paper explained.
It continued, “When about a mile from home, they looked back and saw the fire, but supposed it to be sagebrush burning. Later Mr. Tooth became worried and returned home, only to find the house in flames with all the children inside.”
The children were found “in different parts of the ruins, indicating they had endeavored to get out.”
“One little girl with the baby in her arms was within two feet of the front door and a little boy’s body was found near the rear of the house,” the paper stated.
It wasn’t clear how the fire started, but the paper said there was an oil stove and a range in the kitchen. It was believed the oil stove had no oil in it and the fire was thought to be out in the range, but the speculation was the fire must have started from the stove.
1926-1950
ISLAND PARK — A Pontiac car parked near a cabin in Island Park was stripped of tires while the owner was sleeping, The Rigby Star reported on Aug. 27, 1942.
The tires were removed around 1 a.m., according to the story of a witness who watched the thieves in action. The witness, according to reports, was sitting in a car a short distance away from the scene of the crime.
“She stated she thought it was someone with tire trouble, which was not the case at the time but it certainly provided true for the owner of the car the next morning,” The Rigby Star wrote.
The article said, “People who go out for outings now should take heed and watch their cars closely for many will resort to taking tires from cars so they may continue to travel.”
1951-1975
IDAHO FALLS — A “delicate surgery” was performed on a Rigby child who needed a foxtail weed head removed from his lung, the Idaho Falls Post Register reported on Aug. 30, 1951.
Dan Thorngren, 16-month-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Vernal Thorngren, underwent surgery at the Idaho Falls LDS Hospital.
“The tot apparently swallowed the weed head which is about the size of a shelled peanut last August 18 while at play in his yard,” the Post Register said. “The parents suspected this might have been the case but an x-ray failed to disclose presence of the foreign object.”
It was not until later when he began to develop pneumonia that “the fears were confirmed.”
“The foxtail head which is studded with small quills prevented the tot from coughing up the object,” the article explained.
The boy was reported to be in “fairly good condition” the day after his surgery.
1976-2000
SALMON — An airplane went missing near Salmon, the Idaho Falls Post Register reported on Aug. 27, 1976.
Lewis C. Meeks, of Salmon, was the manager of two ranches in the Idaho Primitive Area. He was reported missing Thursday “on a light plane flight” from Salmon to one of the ranches.
He reportedly took off Wednesday evening in a Cessna 260 on a 70-mile flight to Root Ranch, northwest of Salmon.
Carol J. Jarvis, manager of Salmon Air Taxi and temporary on-scene search coordinator, said Meeks is “definitely down.” He was believed to have been alone in the plane, which was loaded with either oats or rock salt.
“The aircraft probably is lost between a point west of Shoup on the main Salmon River, and the Flying B and Root Ranches,” Jarvis said.
The Salmon Airport was notified Thursday that Meeks did not arrive as scheduled, and Jarvis said 12 planes helped search the remote area Thursday afternoon.
He said between 15 and 20 planes from Boise, Idaho Falls, Challis, Salmon and California were expected to join the search Friday morning.