Few people in town on the prairie had seen an automobile until this summer, so when one of the “red devils” stopped for a few minutes in Elk City, the curious inhabitants gazed at the snorting demon with a mixture of fear and awe, and the owner who had entered the one general store to make a purchase, heard one rustic remark; “I’ll bet it’s a mankiller.” “O’course it is,” assured the other. “Look at that number on the back of the car. That shows how many people its run over. That’s accordin’ to law. Now if that feller was to run over anybody here it would be our duty to telephone that number—1284—to the next town ahead.” “And what would they do?” demanded the interested auditors. “Why the police would stop him and change his number to 1285.”
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For your entertainment, today, a dubious clip from the Elk City News, 1908.
Few people in town on the prairie had seen an automobile until this summer, so when one of the “red devils” stopped for a few minutes in Elk City, the curious inhabitants gazed at the snorting demon with a mixture of fear and awe, and the owner who had entered the one general store to make a purchase, heard one rustic remark; “I’ll bet it’s a mankiller.” “O’course it is,” assured the other. “Look at that number on the back of the car. That shows how many people its run over. That’s accordin’ to law. Now if that feller was to run over anybody here it would be our duty to telephone that number—1284—to the next town ahead.” “And what would they do?” demanded the interested auditors. “Why the police would stop him and change his number to 1285.” Speaking of Idaho history posts are copyright © 2020 by Rick Just. Sharing is encouraged. If you don’t find a button that lets you do that, find the post on Speaking of Idaho. If you’re missing my daily posts, select the RSS button, or select See it First under the Facebook Following tab.
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The first book in the Speaking of Idaho series is out. Ask for it at your local Idaho bookstore, find it on Amazon, or, if you want a signed copy, click the button.
The second book in the Speaking of Idaho series is out. Ask for it at your local Idaho bookstore, find it on Amazon, or, if you want a signed copy, click the button.
Rick's book about Fearless Farris is available on Amazon! Click the picture above to be taken to Amazon. If you'd like an autographed copy, click the button below.
Author, SpeakerRick Just has been writing about Idaho history since 1989 when he wrote and recorded scripts for the Idaho Centennial Commission’s daily radio program, Idaho Snapshots. One of his Idaho books explores the history of Idaho's state parks: Images of America, Idaho State Parks. Rick also writes a regular column for Boise Weekly. Check out Rick's history of Idaho State Parks.
The audio link below is to Rick's Story Story Night set called "Someplace Not Firth"
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