Dog Houses and Ice Fishing

Abundance Below the Ice of Lake Pend Oreille

Brought to you by the Bonner County Historical Society & Museum

Photo Courtesy of the Bonner County Historical Society & Museum, donated by Catherine Littlefield

The 1930s were hard times for America, including Bonner County, due to the economic collapse called the Great Depression. We may think of wintertime as desolate of resources such as food, but the people of Sandpoint had the advantage of living on a big lake.

Men would build what they called “dog houses” consisting of wood scraps, tar, paper, and two small six-inch logs, which would result in a little shelter with a built-in sled for ice fishing. It would take at least five men to push the dog houses down the road and out onto the lake. The whole beach would be full of dog houses, and yet everyone knew which one was theirs.

They would take fish home for dinner or they would take turns selling their fish to people coming through on the railroad. It may have been hard times, but people had their little village of dog houses and ice fishing to enjoy during the freezing season.