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60 Minutes icon tells Dr. Bird's story today

Posted: Sunday, Oct 07, 2007 - 01:39:46 pm PDT
By DAVID KEYES
Bonner County Daily Bee publisher

When the familiar 60 Minutes stopwatch fills the TV screens in millions of homes tonight it will just be another day at the office for correspondent Morley Safer.

Safer, 76, has been cranking out stories for this venerable TV show for more than 37 years. He has more Emmys (12) than most people have had cars.

He and a small platoon of photographers, sound engineers, directors and producers visited Dr. Forrest Bird's home in May to produce a story relaying Bird's tremendous contributions to medicine and aviation.

"This was an easy story for us to choose," Safer said in an interview in May following a day of interviews with Dr. Bird and his wife, Pam.

 A viewer gave Safer the tip. "I received a letter from a viewer, saying in just a few lines that this man might be worth considering. I passed it along to (producer) David Browning in California, he jumped on a plane to Spokane, drove to Sandpoint, met Dr. Bird, was hooked and proceeded to hook the rest of us."

Safer was immediately taken with Dr. Bird. They both share a great love for aviation.

"Without his inventions, we have no story, so the report we made (for Sunday), while not a scientific treatise, goes into some detail on the importance of Forrest Bird as a scientist. At the same time, the story reveals, I think, that remarkable quality that all great scientists-inventors-tinkerers have. They don't see problems. They see solutions."

Bird is known for perfecting a reliable respirator as well as inventing the "Baby Bird" respirator for children.

He is a member of the Inventors Hall of Fame and has received numerous accolades in aviation and medicine.

His company, Percussionaire, has been located at Glengary Bay since the 1960s.

While Safer loved "the wilderness" in and around Sandpoint, he has no intention of moving here.

"Sandpoint ranks high on my list of magical places in the natural world," he said. "But at this point in my life the child conquers the man and I am a child of the big city with all of its noisy, polluted magnificence. But a month or so in the wilderness is not without question."

Safer, who stayed with the Birds during the two days of shooting, was impressed with the couples' hospitality and Forrest Birds' energy.

"He is simply amazing on so many levels," Safer said.

For a correspondent who cast the first bleak report on the Vietnam War in 1965, he just shakes his head a the Iraq War and this country's involvement in Iraq.

"This president will be in the scrap-heap of history for his lack of respect and insulting the intelligence of US citizens," he said.

He also predicted that then Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would be ushered out of office. That happened a few months after Safer's prediction.

Safer also said he is embarrassed by what is on television. As he had his hand on a remote-control device at Bird's house and was flipping through channels, he just shook his head at what was on FOX, MSNBC and finally settled down to watch CNN.

The clock is still ticking on Safer's career and he has no plans to slow down or to retire.

"There are a lot of stories still to tell," he said.

So, now that Sandpoint, North Idaho, Schweitzer Ski Resort, and Lake Pend Oreille have got your attention, you want to know the inside story. In the last few years we have had literally dozens of articles, television shows, news reports, etc., that have touted our area as the paradise of the West. Sure, we have some of the same issues that most communities our size have to tackle, but the good far outpaces the bad. Tourism and traffic has grown, but that has grown our business base, and it still only takes minutes to get anywhere. Crime is so low that many never lock their doors. Charity and neighborly help abound more here than most of the rest of the country, businesses keep moving here, and in spite of small town politics and the occasional Peyton Place episode, good karma tends to ameliorate the bad and make us remember just how lucky we are here in North Idaho. Besides, it's amazing how attitudes can change while driving across the Long Bridge.

Every place has at least these problems or very similar ones. Most places have so much more that detract from their ambiance. This is North Idaho. The place and the people are unique. Friendly to a fault. Great neighbors. Most people not from here have never had as many friends in their circles as they find here. Low, low crime. Quality of life. Spectacular and beautiful surroundings. More fun than should be allowed by law. Forget the petty politics. Forget the 'so-called' rising housing prices.

We have a growing manufacturing base that is typical in Idaho. Sandpoint has the national headquarters for Coldwater Creek, over a billion in sales and 500 new stores within five years (Business Week article on Coldwater), a new aircraft manufacturer - Quest Aircraft Company, an Aircraft Towing manufacturer, Harrison Dock Builders just moved here, Litehouse Salad Dressings, Encoder Products, Diedrich Roasters, a manufacturer of coffee roasting equipment, generators, wood products, etc., etc. Others capturing a national and/or regional audience are Unicep Packaging, Thorne Research, and let's not forget to mention the tremendous expansion of Panhandle State Bank.  In an Article in 2004 in the Bonner Daily Bee BCEDC Executive Director Mark Williams stated, "Over the past three years, manufacturing jobs in our county have increased by 21 percent while Idaho has lost 14 percent and the nation 16 percent," That trend for Idaho overall has now increased like fold. Other national companies are moving to the area also. Last year, Buck Knives moved their national HQ to the Coeur d’Alene area. In Boise, we are creating a new Silicon Valley. Finally, Idaho set a record for exports in 2006.

We have a fantastic tourist industry. Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort wins accolades year after year. In fact, 2007 ski season set a record. For the 2008 season they began plans to put another $10,000,000 into their infrastructure. According to weather reports, we were one of the few places that even had a ski season in 2006-2007. And we didn’t even have that harsh a winter. Except for 1996, we have had wonderfully snowy, yet mild winters. People who come here from places like Minnesota and Colorado find our winters so pleasant they never want to leave. Roads are passable, and life is good. 2008 saw record snowfall, and though Schweitzer Ski Resort had already been named to Sunset Magazine's Top 10 Resorts, for the 2007-08 season, Schweitzer was named to Skiing Magazine's Top 25, a milestone. Even better, Schweitzer was named #3 for Tree Skiing.

Summers are even better. With the second largest fresh water lake in the West, Lake Pend Oreille affords some of the best water skiing, boating, and fishing in the world. We have numerous marinas, boat docks, and boat launches. And that is only one of many, many spectacular lakes. Hayden Lake, Lake Coeur d’Alene, Lake Cocolalla, and Priest Lake are surrounded by mountains and primeval forests, and are at once serene and exciting.

We have hosted the NORBA bike championships, and ironman events, and have so many celebrations it is hard to keep up. (See Calendar of Events) Madcap Mardi Gras is a week-long end of winter fest. We have three (or is it four) Oktoberfests. Last year we had our first international film festival (IPIFF now called Lakedance). Many people call our area a banana belt, with the lake influencing our climate for the good.

Art communities are everywhere, and with over 400 local artists, it is no small surprise we have two Artwalks, a Plein Aire Art fest, an Arts and Crafts fest, and many galleries and studios. In fact, this year our group sponsored a new five day art event in support of the Lakedance Film Festival called the Sandpoint Art Break at the Cedar Street Bridge Mall. On the Hope Peninsula the world-famous artists Edward Kienholz and Nancy Redin-Kienholz settled over a quarter century ago, and so many have followed that if you  live here and don’t have at least a handful of artist friends, you probably are a hermit.

The music scene is constant. We have many venues, many bands and artists, and lots of styles. One of our most popular places is the Panida Theatre. Every kind of play, comedy, and music reverberates within those walls. Writers also make our area home. Ben Stein and Mark Furmann live here. So does Viggo Mortensen. Lots of others, but we don’t like to mention too many of them. They like their privacy, and we like them, so we respect their lives. Most important of all our musical activities is the world-renown Festival at Sandpoint. This is our 25th year celebration, and the lineup in the past have included names like Lou Rawls, Jim Messina, Wynton Marsalis, Tony Bennet, The Beach Boys, The Bellamy Brothers, Natalie Cole, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Neil Sedaka, George Benson, The Doobie Brothers, Al Jarreau, The Pretenders, The Robert Cray Band, Peter Frampton, Little Feat, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Los Lobos, Tanya Tucker and many more. The range is from Jazz to Country, Symphonies to Blue Grass. And it is always, very, very cool.

So it is no wonder that jobs are plentiful. Entrepreneurs are creating wealth for themselves and the community. We have consistently had lower unemployment than the rest of the nation at 3.6%, and the state of Idaho at 3.3% is even lower than the rest of the nation, which is hovering around 4.5%. Add to that Idaho's wages are on the rise. Construction may be driving the boom, but retail, manufacturing, engineering, internet and virtual companies, and intellectual endeavors are creating a place that many envy, and few can copy.

There are so many events and festivals that it is hard to keep up (see Calendar of Events). Besides Lakedance, The Festival at Sandpoint, and the ArtWalks complete with live music, there is Lost in the 50s, with its vintage car parade, the Wooden Boat Festival, the Arts and Crafts Fair, The County Fair, Winter Carnival, Mardi Gras, boat races, bike races (the NORBA Nationals were held here), The Long Bridge Swim, live music everywhere every week, five (or is it six?) wine bars, five (or is it six?) new top restaurants, chili cook offs, the Holly Eve Gala, events and concerts at the Panida, as well as free music and concerts everywhere for every event, gun shows, horse shows, the Taste of Sandpoint,  Schweitzer Summer Celebration and concerts, Oktoberfests, and much, much more. In fact, this has been our busiest event year ever. Schweitzer had a record season, and so did Sandpoint. The message is clear. On my North Idaho Business  radio show, we featured Mayor Ray Miller, the editor of the Bonner Daily Bee, David Keyes, and the head of the Chamber of Commerce, Amy Little, on a show we called our State of the Village. With record numbers of people visiting and enjoying our community, as well as record numbers of things to do, our future looks bright indeed.

So, as you read in the first part of this web page, we have gotten quite a lot of press, due to everything we have going for us. The Herbert family was featured on Extreme Home Makeover, and recently, our amazing Dr. Bird was featured on 60 Minutes. We are continually getting very positive press, and while we have had good growth, our community is far from the fastest growing in Idaho. We are growing at an even pace, and we are maintaining our wonderful, small town atmosphere. 

Even with that growth, houses really are reasonable, no matter what they are saying down at the coffee shop. While many lament the rising cost of housing, both nationally and locally, it is important to keep in perspective the reality of housing costs here. We were featured once again in the New York Times in the summer of 2006 for having a great place to live coupled with quality of life and low home prices. Sure, with a median price of $230,000, it is no longer the incredible bargain of $70,000 to $100,000 of just a few short years ago. But it is still cheaper to buy a home here than much of the United States. You can still buy ten acres overlooking the water, mountains, or valley, or all three for less than $10,000 an acre if you look diligently. Houses are appreciating faster here than any other part of the country. We were first out of all 50 states in appreciating values at 17.5% for 2006. Utah was second at 17.4%. So buying a house in North Idaho is still a very good investment. Yet there are still bargains out there. Guess that’s why USA Today, Money Magazine, and other national rags think we are so smart. (See graphs on region)

Shopping isn’t bad either. So, we don’t have the mega malls, and some of our stores and shops cater to tourists. But we have unique offerings, eclectic little places where you can find unique North Idaho styled wares and furnishings. We have great ski and winter wares. We have fantastic sporting goods. Some of the auto dealers not far away are rated #1 in the nation for price and service. And we have good big box stores like a Super Wal-mart, Home Depot, and Safeway. Yokes is a great regional supermarket, and smaller places like Merwyn’s Hardware have a surprisingly varied selection of merchandise. A short drive away is Coeur d’Alene (We call it CdA) and Spokane, which have every conceivable kind of offering, from antiques to Target. Nope, shopping ain’t bad.

Health is another of our wonderful assets. While quality of life is an oft-mentioned term nowadays, we have it here. We live it. Fresh air, some of the tastiest water in the world, and good health facilities. We have a decent local hospital for our size. Bonner General does most of what a population needs. However, a very close drive away is Kootenai Medical Center, world-class in many areas of health care. And Spokane is known throughout the Inland Northwest for some of the finest medical facilities anywhere.

Traffic is generously bearable. Traffic jams are things of the past. We have good roads, a local airport, and Spokane’s Airport is better than airports servicing cities two or three times larger. It takes about an hour and a half to drive from downtown Sandpoint to the Spokane Airport. How long does it take to get to LaGuardia or San Francisco airports during traffic. We are in the process of getting Highway 95 widened all the way to Canada, and sooner or later we will have a byway going around (or under) Sandpoint. Even in the much larger cities of CdA and Spokane, the roads have already been improved for future growth, and traffic jams are bearable and infrequent.

Hunting is a dream for the sportsman here. We have wildlife that has disappeared in other parts of the country. Fishing is also great. Our lakes have more and bigger fish. You can hike for hours without seeing another human being. We are surrounded by National and State Forest lands. Estimates are that these two entities hold 75% of the land. That insures we will have limited growth in the future, and make hunting something that will be a sport for much of the population as long as it is legal. 

While we don’t have that much in the form of college or university education, CdA and Spokane have some fine universities. We will have our own university soon. One of the founders of Coldwater Creek, David Pence, has donated $20 million for the establishment of an extension of the University of Idaho to be built here within the next three years. The state has put up matching funds, so our own college will be here soon. We also have a very good K-12 school system, and very well behaved students. We win accolades in many areas. Arts thrive in our schools, and we have programs that other schools have abandoned because of budget cuts. When is the last time you heard of a high school that had a Men’s Glee Club. Ours has one. And we have so many state championships in virtually every sport, that if you aren’t a supporter, you probably don’t live here. We have programs for teaching high school kids to pilot airplanes, a non-profit dedicated to instructing young film students, a culinary program, and much more dedicated to the education of our youth and adults.

Sports and outdoor recreation are big here. We take our bike riding seriously with hundreds of miles of off road trails, and one of the most extensive paved bike trail systems in the region. We hike, parasail, bowl, run, and sail. You name it, we do it. Try cross-country skiing, horse riding of all kinds, kayaking, Mogul skiing, water skiing, biking, sky diving, scuba diving, jet skiing, boating, volleyball, archery, spelunking, snowmobiling, basketball, softball, Frisbee golf, regular golf...wait...let me catch my breath. Jack Nicklaus just bought Hidden Lakes Golf Course and community and renamed it Idaho Club. It was already an award-winning course, but now with Jack at the helm... And rumors are that Arnold Palmer will soon be gracing our rolling hills. And all with a population that would make Mayberry proud. There are approximately 8,000 people in Sandpoint, and under 50,000 in the county. We may have a larger population up on Schweitzer in the winter, and in the other parts of the county during the rest of the tourist seasons, but still, only a few of us. Another gratifying aspect of our community is that we have literally dozens of State Championship trophies in virtually every sport, from wrestling to softball, football to volleyball. And high school isn't the only winning we do here. Though the Boise State/Oklahoma game has been called the most exciting win in collegiate history, Boise State has been in the top twenty for the better part of the last decade, not just their fifth place finish in 2007. Not bad. Not bad.

Let's not forget the parks. We have miles of trails, sure, but we also have City Beach, numerous city parks, and the Bonner Healing Garden. Just make sure you bring a doggy bag, and not for the take-home.

And let’s not forget that we have great communities all around us: Historic Hope, Coeur d’Alene, Spokane and Seattle, Washington, Creston, BC, Bonners Ferry, Montana, Boise, Hells Canyon and the Snake River. We have wine growing regions, mountains, and so much more. Not only do we have two Starbucks, and two wine bars, we even have our own award-winning winery: Pend Oreille Winery.

But we have one thing that makes us truly special. We have our neighbors. The best in the world, in the world’s best place.

Some Information About the Best Areas for Real Estate in Sandpoint and North Idaho

Here is a little info on the best areas. Most of the people moving here are looking to be close in to Sandpoint because that is the center of most activity in the county. I have included a map so that you can get the best perspective. The best areas of appreciation and with some of the nicest houses and views are directly north and west of Sandpoint in the foothills beneath Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort. Those include Baldy Mountain Road and a few others. South Sandpoint is in town and is considered a tony area. Many of the homes along the lake in Sandpoint are fantastic, but the prices are among the highest in the county. Many parts of Sagle are desirable because of the easy access to town and Coeur d’Alene (We call it CdA). Also, in Sagle there are several areas of that large peninsula that are nice, but harder access such as Garfield Bay. Across the Long Bridge from Sandpoint are two areas that are great: Lakeshore Drive and Bottle Bay. As you drive down Highway 2 west toward Washington are a couple of areas that have better values and still afford mountain, valley, and river views: Laclede and Priest River. There are two other peninsulas that are considered to be the best in the area: Hope Peninsula and Sunnyside Peninsula. There are advantages to each area. As you probably know, Hope is a wildlife sanctuary with Sam Owen Park. There are hundreds of tame deer and  turkey, some bear, etc. It is also where the Kienholz family, Max Factor family, and the Groenke's live. The Gronke Estate is where the Berlin Wall is, with millions of dollars of sculptures and art. The first white trading post in Idaho is the Kullyspell House, built in 1811. Sunnyside is slightly crowded and more urban, but it is close to town. Between these two areas is Oden Bay, one of our most exclusive communities. Other areas are south on the Lake in Bayview, but with the higher Kootenai County taxes. There are numerous other lakes, and I have some literature for you when you visit to check those out.

One last note. Like elsewhere, many homes have been on the market for some time, so many sellers are more willing to deal. However, prices seem to have stabilized and are generally much lower, and sales in the county are much better than other areas. It is always good in this market to make lower offers and see what we can get. The only areas that haven't slowed down in popularity and appreciation are lakefront, though some prices there too have come down, and at Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort.

A Bit of Hope History and Info

First and foremost, the attraction Hope creates with both visitors and inhabitants alike is the expansive view afforded by most home of Lake Pend Oreille. The views have drawn many, many notable and famous people for over 100 years. The Hope Peninsula is the home to the Sam Owen State Park, and the natural beauty of the island-like peninsula inspires and awes. There are three resorts there, and the wildlife is abundant and protected. However, while the deer, turkey, and other animals are sheltered, the surrounding area and mountains are rife with game, and hunters find some of the best sport in all of Idaho. Thus, with boating and fishing a favorite pastime, and hunting ample, the allure of Hope is strong. Add to this that the drive out to Hope is along the International Selkirk Loop, considered to be one of the ten most beautiful drives in the world.

Hope began to grow in 1882 when the Northern Pacific came through and in 1900 set its Rock Mountain division point in the hillside village. Incorporated in 1903, the village was named in honor of the veterinarian who tended the construction horses. A wise and kindly man, Dr. Hope was widely respected. Hope was the largest town in the area during the 1880s, achieving prominence as the Rocky Mountain division point on the Northern Pacific line. Engines turned around in the large roundhouse, and the railroad built shops, offices, and a "beanery" there.

The Hotel Jeannot was able to capitalize on this business with its location right above the depot, and with it's tunnels providing easy access for passengers to the hotel. Many say that the tunnels were used to entertain these Chinese “coulees,” who were normally not allowed in the establishments that served the locals and travelers.

When the division point moved to Sandpoint, Hope started to become the draw it is today. The hotel continued to attract people until the 1960's, partly because the picturesque setting of the town beside Lake Pend Oreille attracted many tourists. Some of them prominent, such as; J.P. Morgan, Teddy Roosevelt, Gary Cooper, and Bing Crosby.

The original Hotel Jeannot (now Hotel Hope) was a wooden structure which burned down in about 1886. It was then that Joseph M. Jeannot started on his fireproof commercial building, which he shared with his brother Louis. He constructed one section at a time, and added on over the years, finally completing the three-bay, two story hotel in 1898. J. M. Jeannot's hotel and saloon were not his only business interests. He was also involved in mining and had several claims across Lake Pend Oreille in the area of Green Monarch Mountain. Hope had a large Chinese population which had arrived with the railroad, and Jeannot supposedly took advantage of this source of cheap labor for his mines. According to one of Jeannot's friends, he allowed these men to use the meat cooler under the hotel as a clubhouse. They gained access to this room through the small tunnel which connected it to the railroad depot, thus bypassing the more obvious entrances. This vault in the hotel is one of the few sites left in Hope which may be connected with the large number of Chinese who used to live in the town.

Hope has such a large artist population, it is considered North Idaho’s first Artist Colony. Edward Keinholz was our first World-famous creator. Now the Artist Tour makes so many stops in Hope that it would be next to impossible to visit each studio in the area in just one or two days. Hope enjoys a wonderful summer season, and in addition to the boating are some famous digs such as the Floating Restaurant and Dock of the Bay. Icehouse Pizza regularly has open air concerts, and the Hope Market has some of the best Gourmet faire in North Idaho. There is now a great High-end Gourmet Restaurant in Clark Fork, and the easy access to picturesque Sandpoint makes Hope one of the most desired areas in Bonner County.

The only drawback to Hope is that homes can be out of the range of the normal buyer. Because the land is limited, or hard to build on, and since it has become a tony area, prices are high. It is the opinion of many that to realize a profit on a home bought in Hope, one has to think in terms of years. Still, for some people, there is no better place to live in the world.