About Ignatz Weil
 |
Weil House, Sandpoint, Idaho
Author's photograph, 2023 |
“Ignatz Weil’s New Residence”
In 1909, Weil began a prolonged break from politics. During
the summer, he replaced his and Irene’s home on the southeastern corner of
First Avenue and Superior Street with a new one. The Pend Oreille Review,
in its November 19 edition, dubbed the new residence the “finest” in town. The
home still stands and is probably the most beloved built landmark in Sandpoint.
Unfortunately, little is known the construction of the three-story house. An
article in the June 21, 1910, edition of the Northern Idaho News,
however, documents the installation of the “iron fence posts” in front of the
structure. According to the article, the posts were set in concrete and gave
“the place a neat and attractive appearance.” (Pend Oreille Review,
November 19, 1909, p. 17; Northern Idaho News, June 21, 1910, p. 5)
 |
Iron fence, Weil House
Author's photograph, 2023
|
In early May, just weeks before the iron fence was put in
place, Irene entertained “her friends” at her “beautiful home.” According to an
article in the May 13 edition of the Pend Oreille Review, “Master Ardan [Arden]
Reynaud” had decorated the “spacious living room” with apple blossoms, following
a color scheme of pink and white. “Mrs. Nellie Phinney presided at the punch
table and from there the guests went to the dining room where ice cream cake
and mints were served by Mesdames Brower and Yoder…After the refreshments the
guests were entertained by piano selections rendered by Mr. Hunter.” Sadly, the
Weils lost their home after suffering financial losses in the mid-1920s. (Pend
Oreille Review, May 13, 1910, p. 1)
“NEW OFFICERS GO IN”
In January 1911, after Robert S. McCrea was sworn in as
Bonner County clerk and auditor, Ignatz pursued new opportunities in commerce,
politics, and public service. In the spring, for example, he helped organize a
bank for the town of Clark Fork in the far northwestern part of the county where,
by the way, Victor Roth lived. In the fall, when 26 parcels of state land in
Bonner County was put up for sale, Weil “was the largest purchaser,” purchasing
over 300 acres. According to an article in the October 31 edition of the Northern
Idaho News, “the land purchased by Mr. Weil is located on the shores of
Priest lake and also embraces part of an island in all. Mr. Weil will have
approximately seven miles of lake front.” (Northern Idaho News, October
31, 1911, p. 3)
 |
Ignatz and Irene's big yellow cat
Heidi Hamilton, Bonner County, Idaho, 2023 |
Ignatz was an ambitious and astute man, but an
advertisement in the October 27, 1911, edition of the Pend Oreille Review,
reveals his softer side. “Lost—A big yellow cat with white face. Finder will be
liberally rewarded by Ignatz Weil,” reads the ad. The cat might have
been Irene’s darling, but it seems likely that “big yellow cat” held a special
place in the hearts of both Mr. Weil and Mrs. Weil. (Pend Oreille Review,
October 27, 1911, p. 5)
“DELEGATES NAMED TO CONSERVATION CONGRESS”
In September 1912, Governor James Hawley appointed Ignatz
as one of Idaho’s representatives to the National Conservation Congress to be
held that year in Indianapolis. President Theodore Roosevelt first instituted the
National Conservation Congress in 1908 to provide a public forum for the
discussion of the challenges that faced the nation at that time; it is an
excellent example of a Progressive Era undertaking. Although the author was
unable to confirm that Ignatz attended the meeting, she suspects he did, if
only out of respect for the honor of having been appointed by the governor.
The author also suspects that Ignatz, an experienced
accountant and public servant, would have appreciated the goals of the fourth
annual Congress. According to its proceedings, the “object of
the National Conservation Congress shall be: (1) to provide a forum for
discussion of the resources of the United States as the foundation for the prosperity
of the people, (2) to furnish definite information concerning the resources and
their utilization, and (3) to afford an agency through which the people of the
country may frame policies and principles affecting the wise and practical
development, conservation and utilization of the resources to be put into
effect by their representatives in State and Federal Governments.”
“ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION”
During 1913, Weil undertook several new business
ventures. In July, he and his associates formed the “Realty Abstract &
Title company of Sandpoint, Idaho, with a capital of $10,000, in $10 shares, to
conduct a general abstract business,” according to a notice in the July 4
edition of Boise’s Idaho Statesman. In November, again according to the Statesman,
Weil and another group of associates filed papers to incorporate as the Royal
Mining & Milling Company, “to do a general mining and ore milling business,
with Sandpoint as headquarters.” (Idaho Statesman, July 4, 1913, p. 8; Idaho
Statesman, November 25, 1913, p. 8)
“Weil Appointed Accountant”
In May 1915, Bonner County’s commissioners appointed
Ignatz “to represent Bonner county as accountant in the division of Bonner
county assets preparatory to the cutting off of the new county of Boundary,” according
to an article in the May 28 edition of the Bonners Ferry Herald. “It is
generally conceded,” the article adds, “that the county commissioners made an
excellent choice in Mr. Weil, who was the first auditor of Bonner county. He is
recognized as one of the leading business men of the county and is thoroughly
familiar with the business and value of county property.” Perhaps Ignatz was
too familiar with the value of Bonner County’s real estate assets because he
and H.W. Peckenpaugh, whom Governor Moses Alexander had appointed to represent
the interests of Boundary County, were unable to come to terms on “the division
of property.” Governor Alexander then appointed W.R. Wyatt of Lewiston to
settle the dispute. (Bonners Ferry Herald, May 28, 1915, p. 1; Record,
St. Maries, Idaho, July 27, 1915, p. 2)
“Pleasant Sandpoint Party.”
On February 27, 1916, Ignatz turned 63-years-old, and according
to an article in the March 3 edition of the Bonners Ferry Herald, over 60
of his friends honored him with a surprise birthday party. The guests, the
article explains, “assembled at the Weil home while Mr. and Mrs. Weil were
attending a moving picture show. Telltale overshoes on the veranda were noticed
by Mr. Weil when he returned home but did not lessen the surprise of an
enjoyable evening at dancing with his many friends.” “Delicious sherbet,” the
article adds, “was served during the evening and at the midnight hour a dainty
lunch was served cafeteria style. A beautiful birthday cake graced with the
required number of candles, adorned the serving table.” (Bonners Ferry
Herald, March 3, 1916, p. 1)
“Ballet is Beautiful”
At the end of March, Ignatz and Irene traveled to Spokane
to see famed ballerina Anna Pavlova
perform. “Mr. and Mrs. Weil,” according to an item in the April 4, 1916,
edition of the Northern Idaho News, “were among Sandpoint people who saw
Pavlowa [Pavlova] at Spokane Thursday evening.” The Russian-born Pavlova,
recognized as the greatest ballerina of her time, was touring the United States
with the dance company she had formed in 1911. “The grace and skill of the
dancers,” according to a review of the performance in the March 31 edition of
the Spokane Chronicle, “were a revelation and the beauty of the stage
settings and costuming, combined with the choreographic art, formed a wonderful
picture. Pavlowa’s grace is an attainment that suggests wonderful possibilities
in the dance.” (Spokane Chronicle, March 31, 1916, p. 20)
“FOURTH SANDPOINT CHAUTAUQUA”
In July 1916, Ignatz pledged his support of a community
effort to raise funds to bring a touring Chautauqua company back to Sandpoint
later that summer. Just as the National Conservation Congress reflected the
values of the Progressive era, so did chautauquas
reflect the faith of late 19th century and early 20th
century Americans in education and self-betterment. For nearly 50 years, from
the mid-1870s until the mid-1920s, circuit Chautauquas delivered learning, current
events, culture, recreation, and entertainment to Americans where they lived. (Northern
Idaho News, August 1, 1916, p. 1)
In addition to funding a Chautauqua, a community would also
provide a venue; in Sandpoint, for example, the 1916 Chautauqua was held at the
“school grounds,” presumably the site of Farmin School, which was located
downtown on the block between Oak and Church streets. Similar to today’s music
festivals, Chautauquas were week-long events during which a variety of
lectures, concerts, and dramatic performances were available. (Northern
Idaho News, July 11, 1916, p. 1)
The program for Sandpoint’s 1916 Chautauqua, which ran
from Saturday, July 29, through Friday, August 4, included “world traveler” and
“dramatic lecturer” Dr. Robert Parker Miles, the Comus Players who performed
“Scenes from Shakespeare,” a “Humorous Lecture” by Lou Beauchamp, a “Popular
Concert” by the New York City Marine Band, and “Moving Pictures of the Mawson
Antarctic Expedition.” The Kaffir Boy Choir of Africa performed the closing
concert. (Northern Idaho News, July 18, 1916, p. 1)
“Better than ever” is how Don C.D. Moore, editor of the Northern
Idaho News and a longtime Chautauqua booster, described the 1916 program.
He also reported in the August 8 edition of his paper that the “fine program
and good management” of the event had helped secure enough pledges to secure
one for 1917. “The one outstanding fact at the close of Sandpoint’s fourth
chautauqua,” he writes, “is that it has never been so firmly entrenched in the
affections of the people.” (Northern Idaho News, August 1, 1916, p. 1; Northern
Idaho News, August 8, 1916, p. 1)
“WAR! WAR!”
It is not known if Ignatz’s life changed after the U.S.
Congress declared a state of war with Imperial Germany on Saturday, April 6,
1917. It seems certain he regarded himself as an American, having lived in the
United States twice as long as in his native Austria. It also seems unlikely
that he encountered anti-German sentiment, considering his position in the community.
If there were expressions of anti-Germanism, they were probably as subtle as
the antisemitism with which he coped each day of his life, and there appear to
have been no flagrant expressions of anti-German sentiment in Bonner County. The
pastor of the German Lutheran Church, after all, continued to conduct services
“in the German language,” and the school board decided at a meeting in August
1917 “not to discontinue the study of German,” at least for “second year
students were concerned.” (Daily Star-Mirror [Moscow, Idaho], April 6,
1917, p. 1; Northern Idaho News, August 14, 1917, p.1)
“PREDICT MORE THIS YEAR”
As the nation undertook the monumental task of equipping
its military with the materiels of war, Ignatz and his associates in the mining
industry may acted to seize the opportunity before them. During 1917, Ignatz
and the other owners of the Idaho-Continental mine, located on the east side of
Lake Pend Oreille, expected production to exceed last year’s yield of “72
carloads of high-grade silver-lead mineral.” At the end of 1917, as a member of
the board of directors of the Falls Creek Mining Company, Ignatz voted to “to
borrow such a sum as might be necessary to complete the 50-ton concentrating
mill, work on which has already begun at the mine.” The mine is located near
Bayview in the southwestern part of Bonner County. (Spokesman-Review,
January 5, 1917, p. 13; Spokane Chronicle, November 23, 1917, p. 17
“WOMAN ARRESTED ON EVE OF MARRIAGE”
In addition to being a businessman, Ignatz was also an
employee of the federal government, having been appointed U.S. Commissioner in
1900. Charles A. Lindquist in his article, “The Origin and Development of the
United States Commissioner System,” explains that United States Commissioners performed
“judicial functions for the federal government that are somewhat analogous to
those performed by local magistrates or justices of the peace for the states.” They
were not required to be lawyers. The judicial function Ignatz performed most
frequently as U.S. Commissioner was to attest to homesteaders’ intentions to
prove their claims. Much less often, he also arraigned individuals charged with
federal felony offenses. During the first two months of 1917, for example, Ignatz
arraigned May Hustead on charges of mail fraud and William Vane on a “charge of
robbing the United States mail.” (Northern Idaho News, January 9, 1917,
p. 1; Silver Blade [Rathdrum, Idaho] February 2, 1917, p. 1)
“RED CROSS CAMPAIGN OFF WITH A SWING”
In June, the American Red Cross began a nation-wide drive
to collect “a hundred million dollars” to help put the nation on “a war
footing,” to use President Wilson’s term. Ignatz was among the many Bonner
County citizens who were “ready to do their part.” His donation of $500 converts
to a little over $11,500 in today’s dollars. All in all, the citizens of Bonner
County donated “the sum of $12,256.60.” (Northern Idaho News, June 19,
1917, p. 1; Northern Idaho News, August 21, 1917, p. 1)
“BUY A LIBERTY LOAN BOND”
The Red Cross was not the only organization that asked
Americans to open their pocketbooks in the days following the nation’s entry
into the war. In June, the U.S. Treasury began its first Liberty Loan drive,
with a goal of $2,000,000; the second drive, which started six months later, meant
to collect a million dollars more. Ignatz not only chaired Bonner County’s second
liberty loan drive committee but also served on the state’s executive Liberty
Loan committee. (Northern Idaho News, June 12, 1917, p. 1)
Ignatz continued to serve on Idaho’s liberty loan
executive committee when the Treasury began its third drive in early 1918. He
also maintained his financial support of the Red Cross that year. According to
an article in the January 8 edition of the Northern Idaho News, Ignatz
was a member of an elite group of Bonner County citizens who purchased
memberships for boys in the newly-formed Junior Red Cross Society. Others in
the group were mining executive Henry H. Armstead, Humbird Lumber Company manager
T.J. Humbird, and lumberman L.D. McFarland. (Northern Idaho News,
January 8, 1918, p. 1)
“Ignatz Weil Dies Suddenly”
Long a “familiar figure on the streets of Sandpoint,” Ignatz began
sliding into obscurity in the mid-1920s when he “suffered financial reverses in
business and lost a large portion of his money,” according to his obituary on
page 1 of the April 1, 1931, edition of the Pend Oreille Review. The
loss of his and Irene’s stately home on South First Avenue, once described as the
“finest home in town,” must have devastated the couple, and at the time of his
death, Ignatz and Irene were living in a rented cottage in a rural area in the
southwestern part of Bonner County. Ignatz was 78-years-old when he died of an
apparent heart attack, and only Irene survived him, the couple having had no
children.
In Memoriam:
Businessman, public servant, philanthropist, husband, and friend. To
remember Ignatz Weil is to honor his legacy of civicmindedness and celebrate
his life as a local example of the American immigrant experience. From the day
he left his native Austria, to the one on which he died near the shores of Lake
Pend Oreille, Ignatz Weil followed a life path based on the principles of economic
entrepreneurialism, civic participation, public service, and personal loyalty.
Seeking neither glory nor fame, Ignatz Weil deserves to be known and honored.
Comments
Post a Comment