Montpelier Historic Downtown Walking Tour
Schmid Building
Carl (Charles) Schmid, a tailor from Freienstein, Switzerland opened a tailor shop in Montpelier in 1892. He named his business Chas Schmid, The Tailor. He made men's suits and coats and did repairs, alterations and dry cleaning. Charles died in 1909 leaving the business to his wife Eliza. Their young daughter Freda and son Charlie, ages 18 and 16 took over the shop and worked very hard to keep the business going. Later they moved to a small building on the corner of 10th Street and Washington and in the 1940's built the modern white cinder-block building next door. John Schmid joined the business in the 1920's as a partner to Charlie and they renamed the business Schmid Bros. John and Charlie brought in state-of-the-art dry cleaning equipment in 1956. Charlie died in 1966 and John continued running the business. The family business was in operation continuously for 88 years and closed its doors on Oct. 14, 1980, the day John died. The building was sold to John Crockett in the mid 1980's and was used as a NAPA Auto Parts Store for several years. John Crockett then sold the building to M.H. King and the building was torn down at that time preparing for a new King's facility.
Bear Lake Hospital (1937-1949)
The second hospital in Bear Lake was found above "The Fair Store" on Washington Street in downtown Montpelier, Idaho. The "Bear Lake Hospital" was a 12 bed facility that opened in February 1937 under the management of Dr. R.B. Lindsay and Dr Reed J. Rich. It operated concurrently with the first hospital for 8 years and closed December 31, 1949 when the new Bear Lake Memorial Hospital was opened in 1950. The Hospital is seen in the background during a county fair parade in the 1940's.
Pendrey Building
In the early 1900's W.S. Pendrey opened Pendrey Plumbing and Heating and Sheet Metal. The business telephone number was 95 and Pendrey lived in the apartment upstairs. Over the years, the building housed multiple businesses including satellite sales, ceramics and home improvement sales.
Old Ephraim—The Legend of the Grizzley
Back in the early 1900's, one of the last of the great grizzlies was killed after terrorizing local ranchers and shepherds who raised livestock in the Bear Lake and Cache valley forests. He was given the name "Old Ephraim" and he had an awkward gate from a deformed front left paw and leg reportedly from being caught in a trap at an early age. When he was killed by Frank Clark on August 22, 1923, Old Ephraim was called the largest grizzly ever taken in the lower 48 states. He measured 9 feet 11 inches tall and his skull is housed at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. Stare up into the face of this bruin and pretend you are in Frank Clark's shoes facing down the great "Old Ephraim" on your own!
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