Rick Just's Blog, page 191
July 29, 2019
A Week at Harriman
I’m spending the week in Harriman State Park as director of the high school writing camp Writers at Harriman. So, I’ll also be spending the week telling some stories about Harriman.
Idaho’s first state park, Heyburn, came into being in 1908. But something else happened that same year that would be even more important in creating a state park system in Idaho. E. H. Harriman, the man in the middle of this photo, bought into a ranch in eastern Idaho.
Harriman was a railroad baron who ran Union Pacific Railroad. E.H. would never see the Railroad Ranch. He died in 1909. His sons, Averell on the left, and Roland, on the right, would be the Harrimans who most enjoyed the ranch. They made many trips there with their mother as boys and young men.
Although it was officially the Island Park Land and Cattle Company, locals called the operation the Railroad Ranch because some other railroad men associated with the Oregon Shortline owned shares in it. The Oregon Shortline, so named because it was the shortest way to get freight from Wyoming to Oregon, was a subsidiary of Union Pacific.
One thing you need to understand about the Railroad Ranch is that there was never a railroad there. More about that tomorrow.
That's E.H. Harriman in the center, with his sone Averell on the left and his other son E. Roland on the right.
Idaho’s first state park, Heyburn, came into being in 1908. But something else happened that same year that would be even more important in creating a state park system in Idaho. E. H. Harriman, the man in the middle of this photo, bought into a ranch in eastern Idaho.
Harriman was a railroad baron who ran Union Pacific Railroad. E.H. would never see the Railroad Ranch. He died in 1909. His sons, Averell on the left, and Roland, on the right, would be the Harrimans who most enjoyed the ranch. They made many trips there with their mother as boys and young men.
Although it was officially the Island Park Land and Cattle Company, locals called the operation the Railroad Ranch because some other railroad men associated with the Oregon Shortline owned shares in it. The Oregon Shortline, so named because it was the shortest way to get freight from Wyoming to Oregon, was a subsidiary of Union Pacific.
One thing you need to understand about the Railroad Ranch is that there was never a railroad there. More about that tomorrow.
That's E.H. Harriman in the center, with his sone Averell on the left and his other son E. Roland on the right.
July 28, 2019
Pop Quiz
Below is a little Idaho trivia quiz. If you’ve been following Speaking of Idaho, you might do very well. Caution, it is my job to throw you off the scent. Answers below the picture.
1). What was Elvina Moulton’s claim to fame?
A. She was the first black woman to live in Boise.
B. She was a boarding house operator in Idaho City.
C. She lived most of her life dressed in men’s clothing and working as a cowboy.
D. She was an early rodeo star.
E. She was the first woman from Idaho to serve in the FBI.
2). What is Thomas Neibaur know for?
A. He was the first member of the Church of Latter-Day Saints to receive a Medal of Honor.
B. He was the first private to receive the Medal of Honor in WWI.
C. He was the first Idahoan to receive a Medal of Honor.
D. He was the first Medal of Honor recipient to return the medal.
E. All of the above
3). Why did Fearless Farris Lind quit crop dusting?
A. The government banned the chemicals his company had been spraying.
B. Finding pilots to fly the WWII surplus planes became impossible.
C. Legal expenses were mounting up and competition was increasing.
D. He could no longer get parts for the old biplanes.
E. He wanted to devote his attention to his gasoline stations.
4). What was Richard Nixon’s 1960 trip to Boise noted for?
A. No one came out to see him when he landed at the airport.
B. More than 100,000 people lined his motorcade route in Boise.
C. He stumbled getting off of the plane and nearly landed on his nose.
D. His airplane had only three engines working when he landed.
E. The electricity went out just as he started his speech.
5) What was the USS Boise famous for during WWII?
A. It was the first atomic submarine.
B. It sank when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor
C. It was sunk by a German U Boat.
D. It was the flagship for General Douglas MacArthur when he returned to the Philippines.
E. It was torpedoed three times but never sank.
Answers
1, A
2, E
3, C
4, D
5, D
How did you do?
5 right—Why aren’t you writing this blog?
4 right—A true Idaho native, no matter where you’re from.
3 right—Good! Treat yourself to some French fries.
2 right—Okay! Eat more potatoes!
1 right—Meh. You need to read more blog posts.
0 right—Really, you should reconsider your recent relocation.
1). What was Elvina Moulton’s claim to fame?
A. She was the first black woman to live in Boise.
B. She was a boarding house operator in Idaho City.
C. She lived most of her life dressed in men’s clothing and working as a cowboy.
D. She was an early rodeo star.
E. She was the first woman from Idaho to serve in the FBI.
2). What is Thomas Neibaur know for?
A. He was the first member of the Church of Latter-Day Saints to receive a Medal of Honor.
B. He was the first private to receive the Medal of Honor in WWI.
C. He was the first Idahoan to receive a Medal of Honor.
D. He was the first Medal of Honor recipient to return the medal.
E. All of the above
3). Why did Fearless Farris Lind quit crop dusting?
A. The government banned the chemicals his company had been spraying.
B. Finding pilots to fly the WWII surplus planes became impossible.
C. Legal expenses were mounting up and competition was increasing.
D. He could no longer get parts for the old biplanes.
E. He wanted to devote his attention to his gasoline stations.
4). What was Richard Nixon’s 1960 trip to Boise noted for?
A. No one came out to see him when he landed at the airport.
B. More than 100,000 people lined his motorcade route in Boise.
C. He stumbled getting off of the plane and nearly landed on his nose.
D. His airplane had only three engines working when he landed.
E. The electricity went out just as he started his speech.
5) What was the USS Boise famous for during WWII?
A. It was the first atomic submarine.
B. It sank when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor
C. It was sunk by a German U Boat.
D. It was the flagship for General Douglas MacArthur when he returned to the Philippines.
E. It was torpedoed three times but never sank.
Answers
1, A
2, E
3, C
4, D
5, D
How did you do?
5 right—Why aren’t you writing this blog?
4 right—A true Idaho native, no matter where you’re from.
3 right—Good! Treat yourself to some French fries.
2 right—Okay! Eat more potatoes!
1 right—Meh. You need to read more blog posts.
0 right—Really, you should reconsider your recent relocation.
July 27, 2019
Blackfoot's Post Office Murals
When you walk inside the Blackfoot post office it’s like walking into a painting. Five large murals cover much of the lobby walls. The pictures themselves tell stories, and there is a story about how the paintings came to be.
The mural, which is entitled “The Arrival Celebration,” was commissioned by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939. The program, which started in 1935, was called the Federal Arts Project. It provided work during the Great Depression for about 5,000 artists nationwide and produced more than 225,000 works of art.
The post office artwork in Blackfoot depicts Native Americans gathering together, participating in a horse race, cooking from a chuckwagon, and branding cattle. There are teepees in the mural, but the scenes depict most of the men engaging in activities much more associated with European settlers in the area. Most of the horses are saddled or hitched in a team to a wagon. There are only a couple of women in the photos I have. A couple of dogs are loafing around.
Most of the men wear long sleeve shirts and denim jeans. With their identical flat-brimmed, round-crown hats, they almost look like they’re in uniform. They all sport twin braided pigtails.
The background of the murals looks like a scene from the 19th Century in the Blackfoot area, a buff-colored desert with sagebrush and rabbit brush scattered about.
The artist was Andrew Standing Soldier, a young Sioux Indian from Pine Ridge, South Dakota. He studied under Olaf Nordmark, who was an artist-in-residence at Pine Ridge under the aforementioned federal program. Standing Soldier won a major prize for his art at the 1939 World’s Fair in San Francisco. He was the illustrator of several primers developed for Native American children by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Several collectors sought his art, including the owners of Wall Drug at Wall, South Dakota. His paintings come up on auction sites from time to time, selling from $350 to $900.
Standing Soldier lived at the Crazy Horse Memorial site in South Dakota for the first couple of years that work was done on that massive sculpture. The museum there features a collection of his work.
If you’re curious, type Andrew Standing Soldier into your browser to see much more of his work.
Andrew Standing Soldier working on mural in 1940, though probably not the one in Blackfoot. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
One section of the five-part mural at the Blackfoot Post Office. 
One of the Bureau of Indian Affairs publications for children illustrated by Andrew Standing Soldier.
The mural, which is entitled “The Arrival Celebration,” was commissioned by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939. The program, which started in 1935, was called the Federal Arts Project. It provided work during the Great Depression for about 5,000 artists nationwide and produced more than 225,000 works of art.
The post office artwork in Blackfoot depicts Native Americans gathering together, participating in a horse race, cooking from a chuckwagon, and branding cattle. There are teepees in the mural, but the scenes depict most of the men engaging in activities much more associated with European settlers in the area. Most of the horses are saddled or hitched in a team to a wagon. There are only a couple of women in the photos I have. A couple of dogs are loafing around.
Most of the men wear long sleeve shirts and denim jeans. With their identical flat-brimmed, round-crown hats, they almost look like they’re in uniform. They all sport twin braided pigtails.
The background of the murals looks like a scene from the 19th Century in the Blackfoot area, a buff-colored desert with sagebrush and rabbit brush scattered about.
The artist was Andrew Standing Soldier, a young Sioux Indian from Pine Ridge, South Dakota. He studied under Olaf Nordmark, who was an artist-in-residence at Pine Ridge under the aforementioned federal program. Standing Soldier won a major prize for his art at the 1939 World’s Fair in San Francisco. He was the illustrator of several primers developed for Native American children by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Several collectors sought his art, including the owners of Wall Drug at Wall, South Dakota. His paintings come up on auction sites from time to time, selling from $350 to $900.
Standing Soldier lived at the Crazy Horse Memorial site in South Dakota for the first couple of years that work was done on that massive sculpture. The museum there features a collection of his work.
If you’re curious, type Andrew Standing Soldier into your browser to see much more of his work.
Andrew Standing Soldier working on mural in 1940, though probably not the one in Blackfoot. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. One section of the five-part mural at the Blackfoot Post Office. One of the Bureau of Indian Affairs publications for children illustrated by Andrew Standing Soldier.
July 26, 2019
A Monster by any Other Name
No self-respecting lake monster should go without a name. At least, that’s what A. Boon McCallum, editor and publisher of the Payette Lakes Star thought.
Sightings of some sort of creature that seemed out of place in Payette Lake had been going on for years when the newspaper in McCall decided to run a contest, in 1954, to give the poor beast a name. More than 200 people entered the contest. The suggestions ranged from the pseudo-scientific to variations on monster names. They included:
Boon
Fantasy
Nobby Dick
Humpy
Watzit
McFlash
High Ho
Peekaboo
Snorky
Neptune Ned
…and on and on. The winner, as you may know, was Sharlie. Le Isle Hennefer Tury of Springfield, Virginia walked away with the $40 prize for that one. Lest Idahoans grump too much about an out-of-stater winning the contest, it was pointed out that she had at one time lived in Twin Falls.
I confess to having my own “Sharlie” sighting once while standing atop Porcupine Point in Ponderosa State Park. With no boats in site for miles the water below in The Narrows started churning. It continued to churn for about two minutes. There was no creepy music accompanying the phenomenon, so I just chalked it up to space aliens.
Sightings of some sort of creature that seemed out of place in Payette Lake had been going on for years when the newspaper in McCall decided to run a contest, in 1954, to give the poor beast a name. More than 200 people entered the contest. The suggestions ranged from the pseudo-scientific to variations on monster names. They included:
Boon
Fantasy
Nobby Dick
Humpy
Watzit
McFlash
High Ho
Peekaboo
Snorky
Neptune Ned
…and on and on. The winner, as you may know, was Sharlie. Le Isle Hennefer Tury of Springfield, Virginia walked away with the $40 prize for that one. Lest Idahoans grump too much about an out-of-stater winning the contest, it was pointed out that she had at one time lived in Twin Falls.
I confess to having my own “Sharlie” sighting once while standing atop Porcupine Point in Ponderosa State Park. With no boats in site for miles the water below in The Narrows started churning. It continued to churn for about two minutes. There was no creepy music accompanying the phenomenon, so I just chalked it up to space aliens.
July 25, 2019
Flagship Boise
If you’ve paid even passing attention to World War II history, you’re familiar with General Douglas MacArthur’s famous promise after his escape from the Philippines, “I shall return.” What you may have missed is exactly how it was he kept that promise. He went back on his flagship, the U.S.S. Boise.
The Boise, commissioned in 1938, happened to be in the Philippines when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The light cruiser was in the thick of it from the beginning. The ship assisted in the first attack on the island of Japan by sailing around to the south among smaller islands sending out confusing radio transmissions while Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle’s airmen carried out the Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid.
A few months later the Boise participated in the Battle of Guadalcanal, taking a hit from a Japanese heavy cruiser just minutes into the battle. That cost the U.S. 140 men. But the Boise wasn’t down. She limped to the Philadelphia shipyard for repairs.
In 1943 the U.S.S. Boise found itself in a different theater of war at the Battle of Gela in the invasion of Sicily. She participated in further battles for Sicily and for Italy in August and September of 1943.
As the war ended in Europe the Boise was part of the convoys bringing soldiers back to the United States.
Then, the ship returned to the Philippines in triumph as the flagship for General Douglas MacArthur from June 3-15 during his promised return.
The U.S.S. Boise was decommissioned in 1946 and eventually scrapped.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention that there is another U.S.S. Boise sailing today. The Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine USS Boise (SSN-764) was launched in 1991 and is still in active service.
The Boise, commissioned in 1938, happened to be in the Philippines when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The light cruiser was in the thick of it from the beginning. The ship assisted in the first attack on the island of Japan by sailing around to the south among smaller islands sending out confusing radio transmissions while Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle’s airmen carried out the Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid.
A few months later the Boise participated in the Battle of Guadalcanal, taking a hit from a Japanese heavy cruiser just minutes into the battle. That cost the U.S. 140 men. But the Boise wasn’t down. She limped to the Philadelphia shipyard for repairs.
In 1943 the U.S.S. Boise found itself in a different theater of war at the Battle of Gela in the invasion of Sicily. She participated in further battles for Sicily and for Italy in August and September of 1943.
As the war ended in Europe the Boise was part of the convoys bringing soldiers back to the United States.
Then, the ship returned to the Philippines in triumph as the flagship for General Douglas MacArthur from June 3-15 during his promised return.
The U.S.S. Boise was decommissioned in 1946 and eventually scrapped.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention that there is another U.S.S. Boise sailing today. The Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine USS Boise (SSN-764) was launched in 1991 and is still in active service.
July 24, 2019
Aspirational Architecture
Forgive me, please, as I drift into a mild editorial today about public architecture.
School buildings were once a source of great community pride. This was displayed in their aspirational architecture, such as that of Boise High School (photo). The school people know today was built in phases, beginning in 1908. It was the work of Idaho architects John E. Tourtellotte and Charles F. Hummel, who would also design the Idaho statehouse. Boise High is designed in the neo-classical revival style. One of the details that one might consider aspirational is the representation of Plato in the frieze on the portico roof at the entrance, held aloft by soaring columns.
Compare this to almost any high school built in the past 30 years. You’ll more often find a design that would work as well for a prison, with concrete and cinder block walls and small windows if windows are included at all. There is an industrial feel to these schools.
The aspirations of the community were sometimes reflected in school names. In Boise three early schools were named for poets, Whittier, Lowell, and Longfellow. Today names like that are more often found in the themed streets of subdivisions.
Building a school with memorable architecture would probably be impossible today, given the resistance to the additional cost. I understand why communities, arguably, choose to invest more in education itself, rather than the buildings that house the students. I wonder, though, if we are missing something important in the educational environment, a sense of wonder and of continuity with the past.
Since we are unlikely to build something today with character, I encourage communities that still can to save their iconic old school buildings whenever possible.
School buildings were once a source of great community pride. This was displayed in their aspirational architecture, such as that of Boise High School (photo). The school people know today was built in phases, beginning in 1908. It was the work of Idaho architects John E. Tourtellotte and Charles F. Hummel, who would also design the Idaho statehouse. Boise High is designed in the neo-classical revival style. One of the details that one might consider aspirational is the representation of Plato in the frieze on the portico roof at the entrance, held aloft by soaring columns.
Compare this to almost any high school built in the past 30 years. You’ll more often find a design that would work as well for a prison, with concrete and cinder block walls and small windows if windows are included at all. There is an industrial feel to these schools.
The aspirations of the community were sometimes reflected in school names. In Boise three early schools were named for poets, Whittier, Lowell, and Longfellow. Today names like that are more often found in the themed streets of subdivisions.
Building a school with memorable architecture would probably be impossible today, given the resistance to the additional cost. I understand why communities, arguably, choose to invest more in education itself, rather than the buildings that house the students. I wonder, though, if we are missing something important in the educational environment, a sense of wonder and of continuity with the past.
Since we are unlikely to build something today with character, I encourage communities that still can to save their iconic old school buildings whenever possible.
July 23, 2019
The Columbian Club
Here's a link to my latest Idaho Press column.
July 22, 2019
Family Politics
The Clark family was prominent in Idaho politics for many years, though probably only those with a passion for history remember them much today.
Barzilla Clark was the first of his family in politics. He was an engineer with an interest in making water work. He built the Blackfoot Reservoir, then, after being elected mayor of Idaho Falls, he was influential in building the municipal power plant. He became Idaho’s 16th governor in 1937, serving one two-year term before being defeated in the Democratic primary by C. Ben Ross. Ross lost the election to C.A Bottolfsen.
Chase Clark, Barzilla’s brother, ran against Bottolfsen for governor in 1940 and won. But Bottolfsen wasn’t through. He came back to beat Chase Clark in 1942. Both elections were very close. Clark was nominated to the federal bench by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He served there for many years.
A nephew of Chase and Brazilla Clark’s, David Worth Clark served in the US House of Representatives from 1934-1938. In 1938 he ran for U.S. Senate and won. Then, in 1944 he was defeated in the primary by Glen Taylor.
Chase had a daughter named Bethine. Bethine married Frank Church, who had a legendary career as a Senator from Idaho.
Barzilla Clark was the first of his family in politics. He was an engineer with an interest in making water work. He built the Blackfoot Reservoir, then, after being elected mayor of Idaho Falls, he was influential in building the municipal power plant. He became Idaho’s 16th governor in 1937, serving one two-year term before being defeated in the Democratic primary by C. Ben Ross. Ross lost the election to C.A Bottolfsen.
Chase Clark, Barzilla’s brother, ran against Bottolfsen for governor in 1940 and won. But Bottolfsen wasn’t through. He came back to beat Chase Clark in 1942. Both elections were very close. Clark was nominated to the federal bench by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He served there for many years.
A nephew of Chase and Brazilla Clark’s, David Worth Clark served in the US House of Representatives from 1934-1938. In 1938 he ran for U.S. Senate and won. Then, in 1944 he was defeated in the primary by Glen Taylor.
Chase had a daughter named Bethine. Bethine married Frank Church, who had a legendary career as a Senator from Idaho.
July 21, 2019
Place Names that aren’t What They Seem
It seems so obvious that since Lewiston, Idaho was named after Meriwether Lewis and Clarkston, Washington, just across the Snake River, was named for William Clark, and that Lewis County was named after Meriwether Lewis that Clark County must be named after William Clark. Obvious, but not true. Idaho’s Clark County is named for Sam K. Clark, an early settler who became the first state senator from the county.
It seems obvious, too, that Idaho’s Washington County, Washington Creek, Washington Lake, Washington Basin, and Washington Peak must all be named after the first American president, George Washington. In the case of Washington County, that is a correct assumption.
The rest of those Washingtons are in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) and they are named after another George Washington, George Washington Blackman. He was an African American prospector who came to the area in 1879 and stayed there for the rest of his life, which was reportedly near 100-years-long. (Blackman Peak, also in the SNRA, was also named after George Washington Blackman.) Granted, Blackman was probably named after the Father of Our Country, but those Idaho physical features were not.
There are many other “obvious” names that turn out not to be so obvious. Bliss, though no doubt blissful to some, was named after early settler David B. Bliss. Paris was not named for the home of the Eifel Tower, but for Frederick Perris who platted the townsite. It’s likely the name was changed by postal officials who had a habit of “correcting” applications that came their way.
Just one more for today. Did you think Monida Pass, which is in the aforementioned Clark County, was an Indian name with some colorful meaning? I’d never given it any thought, but it turns out this name probably should be obvious. It is a pass between the states of MONtana and IDAho.
It seems obvious, too, that Idaho’s Washington County, Washington Creek, Washington Lake, Washington Basin, and Washington Peak must all be named after the first American president, George Washington. In the case of Washington County, that is a correct assumption.
The rest of those Washingtons are in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) and they are named after another George Washington, George Washington Blackman. He was an African American prospector who came to the area in 1879 and stayed there for the rest of his life, which was reportedly near 100-years-long. (Blackman Peak, also in the SNRA, was also named after George Washington Blackman.) Granted, Blackman was probably named after the Father of Our Country, but those Idaho physical features were not.
There are many other “obvious” names that turn out not to be so obvious. Bliss, though no doubt blissful to some, was named after early settler David B. Bliss. Paris was not named for the home of the Eifel Tower, but for Frederick Perris who platted the townsite. It’s likely the name was changed by postal officials who had a habit of “correcting” applications that came their way.
Just one more for today. Did you think Monida Pass, which is in the aforementioned Clark County, was an Indian name with some colorful meaning? I’d never given it any thought, but it turns out this name probably should be obvious. It is a pass between the states of MONtana and IDAho.
July 20, 2019
Did You Order a Pizza?
So, in the interest of solid historical research I sometimes type a random word in the search box of various newspaper archives. The word one Sunday was “pizza.” I thought it might be fun to find out when the first pizza, as we know it, arrived in Boise.
The first mention of what one might recognize as a pizza was a recipe that appeared in the Idaho Statesman in 1941. It was basically throw some red sauce on Italian dough, grate some cheese over the top of it and bake for 25 minutes.
The next decade of pizza news in the capital city was dominated by Frank Pizza, who played a lot of amateur softball. He was in the news approximately ten to one over a scattering of other pizza recipes, including one for Maine Sardine Pizza. Yum?
Softball Frank still led the pizza search (he also went to work servicing Maytags, by the way) in the early 50s, but in 1951 it finally happened. You could BUY a pizza at a restaurant in Boise (photo). The Villanova restaurant began offering pizza after 9:30 pm, by candlelight. Apparently, this was after the kids would be in bed, so it was safe.
Pizza recipes continued, often suggesting an English muffin as the solid foundation for your genuine Italian dinner at home.
Frank played softball.
In 1953, the Payless Drug Store on Tenth and Idaho moved pizza technology forward a notch by selling the Bake-King Pizza Pan with which you could make pizza RIGHT AT HOME.
It was a major advancement in culinary news in May 1955 when the Howdy Partner Drive in Café, (on Hiway 30 Near the Fairgrounds), began advertising a new taste sensation the Pizza Burger (Trade Mark Reg.). It was said to be all the rage on the West Coast.
Still, Frank Pizza’s amateur softball career was getting more mentions than anything pizza-like that you could have for dinner. He eventually switched to golf.
There were rumblings of what was to come, though. Classified ads started appearing looking for various kinds of restaurant help including those experienced in PIZZA MAKING!
Then, the breakthrough. On October 8, 1955 the first restaurant with pizza in its name opened in Boise. Pete’s Pizza Pie Restaurant on Vista Avenue, next to Quinn’s Lounge advertised Real Italian Pizza. And so it began.
Today, of course, there are 147,000 pizza restaurants in Boise, according to the number of search results I got back when I typed into Google “How many pizza restaurants are there in Boise?” Hold the anchovies.
The first mention of what one might recognize as a pizza was a recipe that appeared in the Idaho Statesman in 1941. It was basically throw some red sauce on Italian dough, grate some cheese over the top of it and bake for 25 minutes.
The next decade of pizza news in the capital city was dominated by Frank Pizza, who played a lot of amateur softball. He was in the news approximately ten to one over a scattering of other pizza recipes, including one for Maine Sardine Pizza. Yum?
Softball Frank still led the pizza search (he also went to work servicing Maytags, by the way) in the early 50s, but in 1951 it finally happened. You could BUY a pizza at a restaurant in Boise (photo). The Villanova restaurant began offering pizza after 9:30 pm, by candlelight. Apparently, this was after the kids would be in bed, so it was safe.
Pizza recipes continued, often suggesting an English muffin as the solid foundation for your genuine Italian dinner at home.
Frank played softball.
In 1953, the Payless Drug Store on Tenth and Idaho moved pizza technology forward a notch by selling the Bake-King Pizza Pan with which you could make pizza RIGHT AT HOME.
It was a major advancement in culinary news in May 1955 when the Howdy Partner Drive in Café, (on Hiway 30 Near the Fairgrounds), began advertising a new taste sensation the Pizza Burger (Trade Mark Reg.). It was said to be all the rage on the West Coast.
Still, Frank Pizza’s amateur softball career was getting more mentions than anything pizza-like that you could have for dinner. He eventually switched to golf.
There were rumblings of what was to come, though. Classified ads started appearing looking for various kinds of restaurant help including those experienced in PIZZA MAKING!
Then, the breakthrough. On October 8, 1955 the first restaurant with pizza in its name opened in Boise. Pete’s Pizza Pie Restaurant on Vista Avenue, next to Quinn’s Lounge advertised Real Italian Pizza. And so it began.
Today, of course, there are 147,000 pizza restaurants in Boise, according to the number of search results I got back when I typed into Google “How many pizza restaurants are there in Boise?” Hold the anchovies.
