Sam was born ninth out of 11 children to Lane Riggs and Annie (Richey) Riggs in White Bird. The family moved to Council, Idaho, when he was 2. There he attended school from 1917-1925, when he graduated with his eighth-grade diploma.
His son Dick, his grandchildren and older great-grandchildren were all college graduates, but it was agreed that none of them were any sharper or smarter than granddad Sam with his eighth-grade education. In 1926 he moved to Lewiston and he has lived there since.
At the age of 16 he went to work helping to build the big, new mill in 1927 in East Lewiston. He also helped build the dam across the Clearwater River, which supplied electricity for the mill. When the mill opened in 1927, he went to work there in the dry kilns where lumber was dried.
Sam married the love of his life, Laura Dankenbring, on March 21, 1932, in Clarkston. They were married for 77 years until she died Dec. 17, 2009, at Royal Plaza in Lewiston.
Except for the years 1945 to 1948 when he operated three businesses, he worked in the dry kilns until he retired in 1973. The three business he and Laura owned were the Brice Brothers service station/tavern in East Lewiston, then the Arbor Lounge in North Lewiston, and finally in 1947 they leased and ran Chapman's Grocery Store at 307 Eighth Ave., on Normal Hill.
After working the store six days a week and cleaning it up on Sunday while just making a living, he and Laura decided to go back to work for wages. He went back to the mill and Laura went back to work for the next 20 years at the 1616 Inn restaurant on Main Street.
Sam's dad, Lane, helped build the mill, his son worked there in the 1950s and grandson Doug works there now, making four generations at the Potlatch Forests Mill, now Clearwater Paper in Lewiston. No matter where they worked, he and Laura worked hard, felt satisfaction in a job well done, and enjoyed the company of their fellow workers.
Since 1995, Sam has been a member of the Nez Perce County Historical Society. He was very interested in local and Idaho history and politics. He always voted and in November of 2012, he voted and was featured in the Lewiston Tribune's Golden Times magazine supplement as the oldest voter in the county. He first voted in Lewiston for President Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 and although he had great friends who probably voted Republican, he was a lifetime Democrat.
Sam was a baseball fan from the time he was a bat boy for the Council team to now, when he faithfully watched the Mariners on television. He watched his son Dick's Lewiston High School Bengal and Legion teams and was friends with players like Bud, Digger, Bill and Mel. He and his wife, Laura, sat between third and home at Bengal Field and when the professional Lewiston Broncs came to town in 1952, they attended all of their games.
Sam was a good handyman who could build and fix things at home whether it involved carpentry, plumbing or electrical work.
In 1937, after living in apartments for five years they bought a little, white, one-bedroom house on 22nd Street in East Lewiston for $1,000 with $15 a month payments. They moved in with 4-year-old Dick and by the time they moved 35 years later, dad had added a bedroom, dinette, a full-size basement, a garage, a carport and a patio. In those days, people dried their clothes outside on a clothesline and one of dad's little inventions was a circular clothesline built over the ditch in their backyard.
During their working years, they spent their two- to three-week summer vacations camping and fishing on the North Fork of the Clearwater. They camped at Kelly Creek in the 1930s and moved down to Noe Creek. Sam was a very good, patient fisherman and would always catch his daily limit of trout. He and Laura spent the fall weekends steelhead fishing and they would catch their yearly limit. His first couple of boats he built himself. Later he bought bigger boats and went up the Snake River to the dam. He even enjoyed water skiing. After he retired in 1973, they bought camper trailers and spent summers at Dworshak and Priest Lake and winters in their trailer in Apache Junction, Ariz.
His beloved wife of 77 years, Laura Riggs, preceded him in 2009; Jolyn Riggs Dahmen, beloved granddaughter, died in 2005 at the age of 46; his parents and his 10 brothers and sisters also preceded him.
==
His son Dick, his grandchildren and older great-grandchildren were all college graduates, but it was agreed that none of them were any sharper or smarter than granddad Sam with his eighth-grade education. In 1926 he moved to Lewiston and he has lived there since.
At the age of 16 he went to work helping to build the big, new mill in 1927 in East Lewiston. He also helped build the dam across the Clearwater River, which supplied electricity for the mill. When the mill opened in 1927, he went to work there in the dry kilns where lumber was dried.
Sam married the love of his life, Laura Dankenbring, on March 21, 1932, in Clarkston. They were married for 77 years until she died Dec. 17, 2009, at Royal Plaza in Lewiston.
Except for the years 1945 to 1948 when he operated three businesses, he worked in the dry kilns until he retired in 1973. The three business he and Laura owned were the Brice Brothers service station/tavern in East Lewiston, then the Arbor Lounge in North Lewiston, and finally in 1947 they leased and ran Chapman's Grocery Store at 307 Eighth Ave., on Normal Hill.
After working the store six days a week and cleaning it up on Sunday while just making a living, he and Laura decided to go back to work for wages. He went back to the mill and Laura went back to work for the next 20 years at the 1616 Inn restaurant on Main Street.
Sam's dad, Lane, helped build the mill, his son worked there in the 1950s and grandson Doug works there now, making four generations at the Potlatch Forests Mill, now Clearwater Paper in Lewiston. No matter where they worked, he and Laura worked hard, felt satisfaction in a job well done, and enjoyed the company of their fellow workers.
Since 1995, Sam has been a member of the Nez Perce County Historical Society. He was very interested in local and Idaho history and politics. He always voted and in November of 2012, he voted and was featured in the Lewiston Tribune's Golden Times magazine supplement as the oldest voter in the county. He first voted in Lewiston for President Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 and although he had great friends who probably voted Republican, he was a lifetime Democrat.
Sam was a baseball fan from the time he was a bat boy for the Council team to now, when he faithfully watched the Mariners on television. He watched his son Dick's Lewiston High School Bengal and Legion teams and was friends with players like Bud, Digger, Bill and Mel. He and his wife, Laura, sat between third and home at Bengal Field and when the professional Lewiston Broncs came to town in 1952, they attended all of their games.
Sam was a good handyman who could build and fix things at home whether it involved carpentry, plumbing or electrical work.
In 1937, after living in apartments for five years they bought a little, white, one-bedroom house on 22nd Street in East Lewiston for $1,000 with $15 a month payments. They moved in with 4-year-old Dick and by the time they moved 35 years later, dad had added a bedroom, dinette, a full-size basement, a garage, a carport and a patio. In those days, people dried their clothes outside on a clothesline and one of dad's little inventions was a circular clothesline built over the ditch in their backyard.
During their working years, they spent their two- to three-week summer vacations camping and fishing on the North Fork of the Clearwater. They camped at Kelly Creek in the 1930s and moved down to Noe Creek. Sam was a very good, patient fisherman and would always catch his daily limit of trout. He and Laura spent the fall weekends steelhead fishing and they would catch their yearly limit. His first couple of boats he built himself. Later he bought bigger boats and went up the Snake River to the dam. He even enjoyed water skiing. After he retired in 1973, they bought camper trailers and spent summers at Dworshak and Priest Lake and winters in their trailer in Apache Junction, Ariz.
His beloved wife of 77 years, Laura Riggs, preceded him in 2009; Jolyn Riggs Dahmen, beloved granddaughter, died in 2005 at the age of 46; his parents and his 10 brothers and sisters also preceded him.
==
Sam was born ninth out of 11 children to Lane Riggs and Annie (Richey) Riggs in White Bird. The family moved to Council, Idaho, when he was 2. There he attended school from 1917-1925, when he graduated with his eighth-grade diploma.
His son Dick, his grandchildren and older great-grandchildren were all college graduates, but it was agreed that none of them were any sharper or smarter than granddad Sam with his eighth-grade education. In 1926 he moved to Lewiston and he has lived there since.
At the age of 16 he went to work helping to build the big, new mill in 1927 in East Lewiston. He also helped build the dam across the Clearwater River, which supplied electricity for the mill. When the mill opened in 1927, he went to work there in the dry kilns where lumber was dried.
Sam married the love of his life, Laura Dankenbring, on March 21, 1932, in Clarkston. They were married for 77 years until she died Dec. 17, 2009, at Royal Plaza in Lewiston.
Except for the years 1945 to 1948 when he operated three businesses, he worked in the dry kilns until he retired in 1973. The three business he and Laura owned were the Brice Brothers service station/tavern in East Lewiston, then the Arbor Lounge in North Lewiston, and finally in 1947 they leased and ran Chapman's Grocery Store at 307 Eighth Ave., on Normal Hill.
After working the store six days a week and cleaning it up on Sunday while just making a living, he and Laura decided to go back to work for wages. He went back to the mill and Laura went back to work for the next 20 years at the 1616 Inn restaurant on Main Street.
Sam's dad, Lane, helped build the mill, his son worked there in the 1950s and grandson Doug works there now, making four generations at the Potlatch Forests Mill, now Clearwater Paper in Lewiston. No matter where they worked, he and Laura worked hard, felt satisfaction in a job well done, and enjoyed the company of their fellow workers.
Since 1995, Sam has been a member of the Nez Perce County Historical Society. He was very interested in local and Idaho history and politics. He always voted and in November of 2012, he voted and was featured in the Lewiston Tribune's Golden Times magazine supplement as the oldest voter in the county. He first voted in Lewiston for President Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 and although he had great friends who probably voted Republican, he was a lifetime Democrat.
Sam was a baseball fan from the time he was a bat boy for the Council team to now, when he faithfully watched the Mariners on television. He watched his son Dick's Lewiston High School Bengal and Legion teams and was friends with players like Bud, Digger, Bill and Mel. He and his wife, Laura, sat between third and home at Bengal Field and when the professional Lewiston Broncs came to town in 1952, they attended all of their games.
Sam was a good handyman who could build and fix things at home whether it involved carpentry, plumbing or electrical work.
In 1937, after living in apartments for five years they bought a little, white, one-bedroom house on 22nd Street in East Lewiston for $1,000 with $15 a month payments. They moved in with 4-year-old Dick and by the time they moved 35 years later, dad had added a bedroom, dinette, a full-size basement, a garage, a carport and a patio. In those days, people dried their clothes outside on a clothesline and one of dad's little inventions was a circular clothesline built over the ditch in their backyard.
During their working years, they spent their two- to three-week summer vacations camping and fishing on the North Fork of the Clearwater. They camped at Kelly Creek in the 1930s and moved down to Noe Creek. Sam was a very good, patient fisherman and would always catch his daily limit of trout. He and Laura spent the fall weekends steelhead fishing and they would catch their yearly limit. His first couple of boats he built himself. Later he bought bigger boats and went up the Snake River to the dam. He even enjoyed water skiing. After he retired in 1973, they bought camper trailers and spent summers at Dworshak and Priest Lake and winters in their trailer in Apache Junction, Ariz.
His beloved wife of 77 years, Laura Riggs, preceded him in 2009; Jolyn Riggs Dahmen, beloved granddaughter, died in 2005 at the age of 46; his parents and his 10 brothers and sisters also preceded him.
==
His son Dick, his grandchildren and older great-grandchildren were all college graduates, but it was agreed that none of them were any sharper or smarter than granddad Sam with his eighth-grade education. In 1926 he moved to Lewiston and he has lived there since.
At the age of 16 he went to work helping to build the big, new mill in 1927 in East Lewiston. He also helped build the dam across the Clearwater River, which supplied electricity for the mill. When the mill opened in 1927, he went to work there in the dry kilns where lumber was dried.
Sam married the love of his life, Laura Dankenbring, on March 21, 1932, in Clarkston. They were married for 77 years until she died Dec. 17, 2009, at Royal Plaza in Lewiston.
Except for the years 1945 to 1948 when he operated three businesses, he worked in the dry kilns until he retired in 1973. The three business he and Laura owned were the Brice Brothers service station/tavern in East Lewiston, then the Arbor Lounge in North Lewiston, and finally in 1947 they leased and ran Chapman's Grocery Store at 307 Eighth Ave., on Normal Hill.
After working the store six days a week and cleaning it up on Sunday while just making a living, he and Laura decided to go back to work for wages. He went back to the mill and Laura went back to work for the next 20 years at the 1616 Inn restaurant on Main Street.
Sam's dad, Lane, helped build the mill, his son worked there in the 1950s and grandson Doug works there now, making four generations at the Potlatch Forests Mill, now Clearwater Paper in Lewiston. No matter where they worked, he and Laura worked hard, felt satisfaction in a job well done, and enjoyed the company of their fellow workers.
Since 1995, Sam has been a member of the Nez Perce County Historical Society. He was very interested in local and Idaho history and politics. He always voted and in November of 2012, he voted and was featured in the Lewiston Tribune's Golden Times magazine supplement as the oldest voter in the county. He first voted in Lewiston for President Franklin Roosevelt in 1932 and although he had great friends who probably voted Republican, he was a lifetime Democrat.
Sam was a baseball fan from the time he was a bat boy for the Council team to now, when he faithfully watched the Mariners on television. He watched his son Dick's Lewiston High School Bengal and Legion teams and was friends with players like Bud, Digger, Bill and Mel. He and his wife, Laura, sat between third and home at Bengal Field and when the professional Lewiston Broncs came to town in 1952, they attended all of their games.
Sam was a good handyman who could build and fix things at home whether it involved carpentry, plumbing or electrical work.
In 1937, after living in apartments for five years they bought a little, white, one-bedroom house on 22nd Street in East Lewiston for $1,000 with $15 a month payments. They moved in with 4-year-old Dick and by the time they moved 35 years later, dad had added a bedroom, dinette, a full-size basement, a garage, a carport and a patio. In those days, people dried their clothes outside on a clothesline and one of dad's little inventions was a circular clothesline built over the ditch in their backyard.
During their working years, they spent their two- to three-week summer vacations camping and fishing on the North Fork of the Clearwater. They camped at Kelly Creek in the 1930s and moved down to Noe Creek. Sam was a very good, patient fisherman and would always catch his daily limit of trout. He and Laura spent the fall weekends steelhead fishing and they would catch their yearly limit. His first couple of boats he built himself. Later he bought bigger boats and went up the Snake River to the dam. He even enjoyed water skiing. After he retired in 1973, they bought camper trailers and spent summers at Dworshak and Priest Lake and winters in their trailer in Apache Junction, Ariz.
His beloved wife of 77 years, Laura Riggs, preceded him in 2009; Jolyn Riggs Dahmen, beloved granddaughter, died in 2005 at the age of 46; his parents and his 10 brothers and sisters also preceded him.
==
Inscription
Married Oct. 21, 1932,
Together Now Forever
Gravesite Details
even though he is listed on marker with Laura, he is not listed in the Normal Hill records
Family Members
Siblings
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Rhoda Ann Riggs
1894–1904
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Rocena May Riggs Blackwell
1895–1981
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Lena Belle Riggs Morris
1897–1971
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Ida E. Riggs Whiteley
1898–1996
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James Dayton Riggs
1901–1956
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PVT Pete Osmon Riggs
1903–1980
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Elizabeth Anne Riggs Herchberger
1906–1978
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Nella Marie Riggs Stout
1908–1992
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Leonard Edgar "Ding" Riggs
1916–1986
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