Looking back: Sunday motion pictures debate in Rexburg, accidental shooting, broken leg and 4th of July tug-of-war

IDAHO FALLS — EastIdahoNews.com is looking back at what life was like during the week of June 26 to July 2 in east Idaho history.

1900-1925

BLACKFOOT — A woman accidentally shot herself while cleaning out an old trunk, the Blackfoot Idaho Republican reported on June 26, 1908.

Mrs. Bertha Nelson, housekeeper at Thornton and Green’s ranch, was the woman involved in the incident.

“(There was a) .38-caliber Colt revolver that had been in the trunk a long time and was not supposed to be loaded,” the paper explained. “She dropped the revolver on the floor, when it discharged, the ball entering the calf of the leg and lodging in the knee.”

A doctor was “immediately summoned” and “found the wound to be of a serious nature.” The woman broke her kneecap and was taken to the “doctor’s sanitarium” where she underwent surgery.

1926-1950

REXBURG — Citizens of Rexburg were “interestingly awaiting” the result of counter petitions for and against the “maintaining of motion picture shows on Sunday in Rexburg.”

The Rexburg Standard reported on June 28, 1928, that petitions “circulated the past two weeks.”

“A great deal of discussion has been going on and it was fully expected that both documents would be presented before the city council when they convened last Wednesday,” The Rexburg Standard said. “However, neither petition was filed.”

1951-1975

LEWISVILLE — A Lewisville boy was “met with a most unfortunate accident” when he broke his leg for the second time within a year, The Rigby Star reported on July 2, 1959.

Boyd Rounds was playing football with a group of boys when he broke his leg the week before the article was published.

“Boyd, who suffered serious injuries last fall while walking along the highway, suffered a broken leg, the same leg which was so badly injured in the previous accident,” The Rigby Star wrote.

His leg was in a cast and he was at home recovering, according to the paper.

1976-2000

SODA SPRINGS — The first ever “July 4th Industrial Tug-of-War Competition” in Soda Springs was set to take place in 1977, The Caribou County Sun reported.

The Soda Springs Chamber of Commerce announced the competition in the local paper on June 30, 1977. The event was going to take place in the city park after the Fourth of July parade.

“There are four teams competing to determine who will be the 1977 champions,” the paper mentioned. “There will be a traveling trophy awarded to the first place team and the winners will have an opportunity to defend their title and trophy during next year’s tug-of-war competition.”

The 1977 participants were Beker Industries, Washington Construction, Monsanto Company and J.R. Simplot Co. Each team was made up of 10 men.

“To make the match interesting, it was decided against any weight limitation,” the article reads. “With the above set of rules, there should be plenty of brawn on each of the teams competing.”

The paper said this event was “bound to place Soda Springs on the map and in the history books.”