5 YEARS AGO (2020)

Malad Dragons, a 14 and under softball team, finished in second place in the Silver Bracket for the Cache Tournament, held last weekend July 30 - August 1, in Logan. This team includes Kaitlynn Pickett, Alivia Briel, Teagan Daniels, Brylee Oglesbee, Tylee Venable, Anistyn Tovey, Hadlee Summers, Bostyn Combs, Hallie Horsley, Adley Kimberling, Brookelyn Daniels, Marinn Brown, Riglee Peterson, Bailee Owens, and Coaches Brad Horsley and Shandlee O’Neal.

The Malad High School softball team held their annual Summer Softball Olympics last week to celebrate the conclusion of summer practices. There were four regular practices held during the summer break. The Olympics were held on the field behind Malad Elementary on Wednesday, July 29. Sixteen girls competed in this year’s event.

The girls competed in several different softball related events. The events included a water balloon toss, a water sponge catapult, which launched a water-soaked sponge in the air for teammates to catch and empty into a bucket, and a timed obstacle course in which the girls had to jump over and crawl through obstacles as well as throw a softball through a target.

Riley Doruis took top honors in the overall competition, earning first place. Adley Kimberling and Peyton Sweat tied for second place. Maggie Willie earned the third-place medal with Beth McClain and Kaitlyn Pickett tying for fourth.

The competition was also based on a team score. The first-place team for the day was CIL (Can’t Imagine Losing). This team included Maggie Willie, Chloe Udy, Beth McClain, Peyton Sweat and Shaelie Ketchall.

10 YEARS AGO (2015)

Matte Foster is the Cowboy Classic Rodeo Queen for 2015, named July 28 at the Oneida Fairgrounds. First attendant is Allie Ward and Taylor Preece is second attendant.

Making up the Junior Cowboy Classic Rodeo Royalty for 2015 are Jr. Queen Tearsy Freeman, Brooklyn Bates as second attendant and Cambri Christophersen as first attendant.

Princess Royalty for the rodeo is Princess Oaklie Hebdon, first attendant Bella Douglas, and as second attendant Mikell Keetch

Recently at the Professional/Technical conference held in Boise, Shantel Tavoian was presented with the New Career and Technical Education Teacher of the Year in Family and Consumer Sciences.

Adult living students earned the first place award in a recent competition on gender equality. The team members are Cheyenne Mattox, Bailee Barber, Mackenzie Walton, Zander Christianson and Fernando Ortega.

The Malad Dragon traveling baseball team played a lot of baseball together this summer. Pictured in The Idaho Enterprise, the team included Coach Brad Horsley, Batboy Ethan Horsley, Kyler Horsley, Jace Williams, Tayson Davis, Cody Wilkins, Dylan Driessen, Justin Wittman, Ashton Parker, Colton Ihler, Dillon Evans, Daxton Woodmancy and Coach Casey Woodmancy.

15 YEARS AGO (2010)

Malad LDS Stake members who attended the groundbreaking service for the new Brigham City, Utah Temple in Brigham City came away edified and humbled. Those who went to the Malad Stake Center to watch the event via satellite ended up being disappointed, however, as technical difficulties interfered with the reception and they saw only portions of the program.

A charity concert at the Malad City Park amphitheater generated $450.00 in donations to the Guatemala 911 project on Wednesday, July 28.

The Steven Halliday Band and Rough Stock performed at the event and, despite inclement weather, attracted about 70 people. The bands donated their time, equipment and talents for the fundraiser.

Blake Thomas, son of Brenda and Dennis Thomas of Malad, has received his Professional Engineering License.

The John V. Evans monument that honors the former Governor of Idaho, who hails from Malad, is back in its spot on the corner of North Main and Bannock after being broken for a year. The original was broken in off last summer when a motorist lost control of his vehicle and stuck the monument.

Players winning first in their age division in the Punt, Pass, and Kick League at the MHS Football Camp were Calvin Willie, Justin Hubbard, Bracken Degn and Braxton Clark. 

20 YEARS AGO (2005)

Thomas Market makes the front-page news twice.  

A $100 reward has been offered for information leading to the identification of the person or persons who vandalized the bear carving at Thomas Market.

Someone smeared a “very sticky” bluish/green material on the eyes and nose of the carving. The same material was then used to write obscenities on the bear.

A strong thunderstorm that went through the Malad Valley Saturday afternoon took an electric transformer out at Thomas Market. The lightning struck a power pole in front of the store. The strike sent a power surge through the underground wiring to the rear of the building where it blew out the transformer.

This month’s winner of Northern Title Company’s “Good Deeds Done Daily” award is a very special person in the community who was initially nominated and brought to the attention of Northern Title by U. S. Bank. The more people we contacted to get information about Wally Facer, however, the longer the list of individuals wishing to nominate him grew. There are probably many more out there, who have been helped in one way or another by this kind and giving man, than we even know about.

25 YEARS AGO (2000)

Talk of a new Malad LDS Stake Center, circulating for months, is true. Ground-breaking for the new Stake Center took place July 25 on a plot of ground north of the Field of Dreams Subdivision, located on 1100 West between 1000 and 1500 North. The 24,460 square foot Legacy model - the biggest single-chapel stake center that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints builds – is expected to be completed by June of 2001.

Aaron Griffiths and Cynthia Moss, of Malad, have been selected to participate in the Governor’s Arts Workshop as part of the Governor’s Millennium Awards in the Arts celebration.

Among the recent scholarship recipients from Southeast Idaho is Jaimi D. Stokes, who was awarded an Access Grant in the amount of $500 per semester. Jaimi is the daughter of Boyd and Maureen Stokes.

Lana Tripp has been named the Malad Women’s Bowling Association’s Bowler of the Year for 1999-2000, determined in a roll-off on April 19.

30 YEARS AGO (1995)

Properties in the far western end of Oneida County are no longer in the Fire District after county commissioners voted for de-annexation in a public hearing. De-annexed land takes in South Bull Canyon on the north and includes land west of Meadow Brook Road and the Curlew National Grasslands all the way to the Utah/Idaho border. It includes the Sublett mountain range.

The Malad Valley EMT unit will be moving its headquarters to the basement of the hospital, where space has been made available for its computer. The office space it has been utilizing, in the old FmHA office, will be rented to the school district for a superintendent’s office.

With no Mormon cricket problems to speak of, most of the 80,000 pounds of bait the county has had stored will be sent back, Rauhn Panting said.

Sheriff Bill Neal and his wife, Marie, returned from Atlanta, Georgia, after attending the National Association of Counties Convention. While there, they spent a day with Dr. Gerald and Julie Goodenough and Juanita Hole.

Derek Ipsen, son of Foster and Kathy Ipsen, will begin Medical School on August 14, in Kansas City, Missouri.

40 YEARS AGO (1985)

Coaches Roselyn Brimhall and Terry Jones received special recognition Tuesday, July 30, as the Idaho coaches Association awarded them “Coach of The Year” honors. The awards were presented at the 38th annual Coaches Clinic held at Elkhorn in Sun Valley from July 29 – 31.

Yard of The Month honors for August go to Vi and Ted Bowen at 620 N. 600 W. Their well-kept yard is picture perfect sitting upon the hill surrounding their lovely home. Mrs. Bowen admits many hours of hard work keeping it that way.

Jeff Richins, a Malad resident, was recently made a supervisor over Swivel Rockers in the upholstery line at the La-Z-Boy Chair Company in Tremonton, Utah. His new position will give him responsibility over a crew of eight. Other La-Z-Boy supervisors from Malad include Max Neal, who is over the finish room, and Connie Lewis, who is supervisor in final assembly.

50 YEARS AGO (1975)

Three candidates have announced intentions to seek city offices in the upcoming fall elections, one for mayor and two for city council. M.R. (Swede) Hanson is, at the time, the only candidate for mayor.

Announced candidates for city council are Marvin Hess, co-owner of Hess Pumice Products, and Craig Jones, manager of the Corner Bar.

Glen B. Williams, mayor of Malad for the past 11 years, will not be running again.

Malad has been awarded two substantial Federal grants for community development, Mayor Glen B. Williams says.

The Farm Home Administration has pledged $80,000 for the initial construction phase of an Industrial Park. In addition, the Department of Housing and Urban Development has put up $50,249 for a water resource.

Kevin Blaisdell, son of Mr. and Mrs. Waldo J. Blaisdell, has received a trophy for high-point man on the College of Southern Idaho’s track team.

60 YEARS AGO (1965)

San Antonio, Texas – Airman Third Class Ernest G. Schwartz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Rex B. Schwartz, Malad, has been selected for technical training at Sheppard AFB, Texas, as a U. S. Air Force statistical data specialist.

Pictured in The Idaho Enterprise is Mayor John V. Evans as he turns the first shovel of dirt in groundbreaking ceremonies, which marked the start of construction on Mtn. States Tel. & Tel.’s. new dial system building on Malad’s Main Street. Also pictured are Melvin Hess, building contractor; Stephen L. Smith, president of the Malad Stake of the LDS Church; C. Ed. Robinson, Malad, Manager for Mtn. States T. & T.; Mayor Evans, Fritz Hummel, architect of Hummel, Hummel and Jones; Ren Thomson, Malad Chamber of Commerce president; Clair Davis, Malad Lions Club president; Bernard Nielsen, Mtn. States T. & T. engineer.

Three Malad students attending Utah State University at Logan have been named to the scholastic honor roll for spring quarter. The three students names are James Spencer Ward, College of Business and Social Sciences, Thomas Peter Thomas, College of Engineering, and Douglas J. Castleton, College of Humanities and Arts.

70 YEARS AGO (1955)

Melvin L. Peterson, Chief Machinist’s Mate, USN, of Malad, Idaho, retired from the Navy, as of July 1, 1955, and has been transferred to the Fleet Reserve after completing 20 years of active duty. He enlisted in November 1935, at the age of 19.

Mrs. Laura Jones, Malad, was elected president of Idaho War Mothers at concluding convention sessions Wednesday in Idaho Falls. Mrs. Laura Bowen, Malad, was elected corresponding secretary.

War Mothers from Malad attending the convention were Mrs. Laura Jones, Mrs. Cassie Morgan, Mrs. Laura Bowen, Mrs. Kate Stayner, Mrs. LaDean Baker, Mrs. Oliver Salvesen, Mrs. Hazel Jones, Mrs. Nell Ward, Mrs. Oneita Thomas.

Mrs. Mona Davis, recent speaker at the Malad Presbyterian Church, is author of the book, “Seek First the Kingdom”, an essay on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Her husband, Ralph W. Davis, an employee of the C.A.A., is working temporarily at the Malad Airfield C.A.A. station.

Opening of a new curb service refreshment stand is to be held within the next two weeks. Mr. and Mrs. Lew Capener, of Gooding, Idaho, will manage the new stand, which is located on First North Street just off Main Street. All kinds of refreshments, including hamburgers, ice cream, frosties and soft drinks, will be sold. 

80 YEARS AGO (1945)

By Miss H. E. Morgan - Malad has a bell – one of the oldest, if not the oldest in Idaho –, which for more than a half-century has voiced the community’s joys, alarms, tragedies and jubilations. It is large, measuring 102 inches in circumference and was made in Troy, New York, in 1884. A few months later it was shipped west making the long journey directly to Malad, here to remain permanently at the Courthouse Hill on the Presbyterian Mission grounds.

The bell’s first service was performed in calling saint and sinner to church services, and for many years twice daily, in the morning and again at noon, its exigent voice summoned school children to the Mission school. Later, when the city fathers passed a curfew ordinance, it rang the curfew; and too, in the early days it rendered inestimable service to the community in sounding the fire-alarms which called together local fire fighters, - the “bucket brigade.” And of all those fires, the most spectacular, was the one that burned the brick chapel beside which the bell hung.

In those pre-movie days when boys originated most of their fun and excitement, there occurred at night an occasional “false alarm.” On these occasions the bell-ringing was short, and the fire fighters deciding that was only a boyish prank would go back to their beds with mixed feelings of great thankfulness, some anger, and a little unacknowledged regret that after all there was to be no excitement.

In sounding an alarm, the bell proved of service on a day when the Deep Creek Reservoir above Malad washed out, and the mad waters came rushing through the town doing much damage, partly destroying the old bridge below Courthouse Hill and carrying away the railroad bridge.

At one time it tolled for funerals, and its most tragic performance in this respect occurred one January day in the early eighties, when it tolled for the passing soul of Michael Mooney; first white man to be executed under the law in the territory of Idaho. That was a black day in the annals of our town. We resented the execution-taking place in Malad, and we sympathized with Mooney because of his youth, and because his conviction rested principally upon the testimony of his companion, an older man who had turned “states” evidence. And our futile sympathy voice that day by the tolling bell, was some years later fully justified when this man, Barno, shortly before his death confessed that he and not Mooney had fired the fatal shot – but that is another story.

One of the happy occasions on which the bell pealed forth was that of New Year’s nights, when its ringing dominated all other and lesser sounds in its endeavor to “ring out the old, ring in the new.”

The last notable occasion on which the jubilant voice of the bell was heard was October 7 and 8, 1934, when the local Presbyterian church observed the 50th anniversary of its organization, and the Presbytery of Kendall held its regular fall meeting in Malad, and the bell was rung in commemoration of the event.

Almost the sole function of our bell today is that of calling worshippers to church; and as its familiar peal floats over the peaceful valley of Malad, blending with the beneficent serenity of a Sabbath day, the thoughts of many an old timer in reminiscent mood turn with a touch of nostalgia back to the events of more than a half century of past years, marked in memory by the voice of Malad’s historic bell.