Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

Slippery winter conditions on Grand Boulevard were dangerous for all conveyances, even those with four-hoof drive.

The local humane society reported that a team of horses had “skated practically the entire length” of the steepest grade on Grand Boulevard.

It was virtually impossible for horses to get up and down Grand, even when the horses were well-shod.

Heating-fuel delivery was the biggest problem, since those loads were so heavy. The humane society and the teamsters who hauled fuel oil were trying to find a solution to this problem.

From the white Christmas beat: It was already a big snow year in the Coeur d’Alene district. A deputy sheriff had just returned from a 25-mile trip up the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River, and he found “snow on the trails in many places up to the bridle rein.”

Others reported snow depths ranging from 4 feet to 6 feet in many of the backcountry mining districts.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1955: The Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., fielded phone calls from children wanting to know the whereabouts of Santa Claus after an ad in a local newspaper mistakenly gave the center’s number; thus began a tradition continued by NORAD of tracking Santa’s location the night before Christmas.