Rick Just's Blog, page 206
February 28, 2019
Idaho Writers
Idaho is proud of its writers from Ernest Hemingway to Anthony Doer. Neither of those was born in the state, though. Some who were born here include:
Carol Ryrie Brink, who wrote more than 30 juvenile and adult books, including the 1936 Newbury Prize-winning Caddie Woodlawn . Brink was born in Moscow and attended the University of Idaho. She was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters from U of I in 1965, and Brink Hall on the campus is named for her.
Vardis Fisher was a prolific and gifted writer who created the 12-volume Testament of Man, which depicted human history from cavemen to civilization. He is probably best known today for his historical novel, Children of God, which traced the history of the Mormons, and won the 1939 Harper Prize in Fiction, and his novel Mountain Man (1965) which was adapted for Sydney Pollack's film, Jeremiah Johnson (1972). Fisher was born near Rigby and lived in his later years in Hagerman.
Richard McKenna was born in Mountain Home. He’s best known for the historical novel The Sand Pebbles , which was made into the 1966 film of the same name starring Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, and Candice Bergen.
Sarah Palin sold more than two million copies of her book Going Rogue . The former governor of Alaska and vice-presidential candidate was born in Sandpoint. She received her bachelor’s degree in communication with a journalism emphasis from the University of Idaho in 1987.
Ezra Pound (pictured) was an American expatriate who was as well known for his controversial views as for his poetry. He helped shape the work of T.S. Eliot, James Joyce, Robert Frost, Ernest Hemingway and others. His unfinished work The Cantos is much admired still, long after his death in 1972. Pound was born in Hailey, though he spent little time there.
Frank Chester Robertson was born in Moscow. He wrote more than 150 novels and many more short stories. Robertson won the Silver Spur award in 1954 from the Western Writers of America best juvenile story for Sagebrush Sorrel.
Marilynn Robinson, who won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her book Gilead in 2005 was born in Sandpoint. Her book Housekeeping , which is set in Sandpoint, was a Pulitzer finalist in 1982.
Tom Spanbaur grew up outside of Pocatello. He is a gay writer who often explores themes of sexual identity and race. Three of his five novels take place in Idaho, The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon , Now is the Hour, and Faraway Places.
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich was born in Sugar City, Idaho. Her history of midwife Martha Ballard, titled The Midwife’s Tale , won a Pulitzer Prize and was later made into a documentary film for the PBS series American Experience. Oddly, she may enjoy more fame for a single line in a scholarly publication than for her prize-winning work. She is remembered for the line, "well-behaved women seldom make history," which came from an article about Puritan funeral services. She would later write a book with that title.
Douglas Unger was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his 1984 debut novel Leaving the Land . His other three novels and a collection of short stories have also garnered major nominations and awards. He was born in Moscow.
Tara Westover was born in Clifton, Idaho. Her 2018 memoir Educated was on many best book lists, including the New York Time top ten list for the year.
Emily Ruskovich grew up in the panhandle of Idaho on Hoo Doo Mountain. She now teaches at Boise State University. Her 2017 novel, Idaho , was critically acclaimed.
Elaine Ambrose grew up on a potato farm near Wendell. She is best known for her eight books of humor and recently released a memoir called Frozen Dinners, A Memoir of a Fractured Family .
This is by no means a comprehensive list of writers born in Idaho. I’m happy to hear about those I’ve missed so that they can be included in later lists.
#carolryriebrink #vardisfisher #richardmckenna #ezrapound #frankchesterrobertson #marilynnrobinson #tomspanbaur #laurelthatcherulrich #douglasunger #sarahpalin #tarawestover #educated #emilyruskovich #elainambrose
Carol Ryrie Brink, who wrote more than 30 juvenile and adult books, including the 1936 Newbury Prize-winning Caddie Woodlawn . Brink was born in Moscow and attended the University of Idaho. She was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters from U of I in 1965, and Brink Hall on the campus is named for her.
Vardis Fisher was a prolific and gifted writer who created the 12-volume Testament of Man, which depicted human history from cavemen to civilization. He is probably best known today for his historical novel, Children of God, which traced the history of the Mormons, and won the 1939 Harper Prize in Fiction, and his novel Mountain Man (1965) which was adapted for Sydney Pollack's film, Jeremiah Johnson (1972). Fisher was born near Rigby and lived in his later years in Hagerman.
Richard McKenna was born in Mountain Home. He’s best known for the historical novel The Sand Pebbles , which was made into the 1966 film of the same name starring Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, and Candice Bergen.
Sarah Palin sold more than two million copies of her book Going Rogue . The former governor of Alaska and vice-presidential candidate was born in Sandpoint. She received her bachelor’s degree in communication with a journalism emphasis from the University of Idaho in 1987.
Ezra Pound (pictured) was an American expatriate who was as well known for his controversial views as for his poetry. He helped shape the work of T.S. Eliot, James Joyce, Robert Frost, Ernest Hemingway and others. His unfinished work The Cantos is much admired still, long after his death in 1972. Pound was born in Hailey, though he spent little time there.
Frank Chester Robertson was born in Moscow. He wrote more than 150 novels and many more short stories. Robertson won the Silver Spur award in 1954 from the Western Writers of America best juvenile story for Sagebrush Sorrel.
Marilynn Robinson, who won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her book Gilead in 2005 was born in Sandpoint. Her book Housekeeping , which is set in Sandpoint, was a Pulitzer finalist in 1982.
Tom Spanbaur grew up outside of Pocatello. He is a gay writer who often explores themes of sexual identity and race. Three of his five novels take place in Idaho, The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon , Now is the Hour, and Faraway Places.
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich was born in Sugar City, Idaho. Her history of midwife Martha Ballard, titled The Midwife’s Tale , won a Pulitzer Prize and was later made into a documentary film for the PBS series American Experience. Oddly, she may enjoy more fame for a single line in a scholarly publication than for her prize-winning work. She is remembered for the line, "well-behaved women seldom make history," which came from an article about Puritan funeral services. She would later write a book with that title.
Douglas Unger was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his 1984 debut novel Leaving the Land . His other three novels and a collection of short stories have also garnered major nominations and awards. He was born in Moscow.
Tara Westover was born in Clifton, Idaho. Her 2018 memoir Educated was on many best book lists, including the New York Time top ten list for the year.
Emily Ruskovich grew up in the panhandle of Idaho on Hoo Doo Mountain. She now teaches at Boise State University. Her 2017 novel, Idaho , was critically acclaimed.
Elaine Ambrose grew up on a potato farm near Wendell. She is best known for her eight books of humor and recently released a memoir called Frozen Dinners, A Memoir of a Fractured Family .
This is by no means a comprehensive list of writers born in Idaho. I’m happy to hear about those I’ve missed so that they can be included in later lists.
#carolryriebrink #vardisfisher #richardmckenna #ezrapound #frankchesterrobertson #marilynnrobinson #tomspanbaur #laurelthatcherulrich #douglasunger #sarahpalin #tarawestover #educated #emilyruskovich #elainambrose
February 27, 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 movie motel/hotel had a Coeur d’Alene doppelganger?
A. Holiday Inn from White Christmas
B. The Bates Motel from Psycho
C. The Overlook Hotel from The Shining
D. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel from the movie of the same name
E. The Hotel New Hampshire, from the movie of the same name
2). What Idaho tribe declared war on the US in 1974?
A. Nez Perce
B. Coeur d’Alene
C. Shoshone Bannock
D. Kootenai
E. All of the above
3). Why was “Fearless Farris” Lind called that?
A. He got that reputation as a fighter pilot.
B. He used to cross the Snake River near Twin Falls beneath the bridge like a swinging monkey.
C. He liked the alliteration.
D. He earned the nickname racing sports cars.
E. He fought Ladybird Johnson’s effort to get rid of billboards.
4). What did Meriwether Lewis name his dog?
A. Seaman
B. Rover
C. Scannon
D. Discovery
E. Neufy
5) What connection did Lincoln have with Idaho?
A. He was there when it was named.
B. He signed the legislation making it a territory.
C. He applied to be governor when it was part of Oregon Territory.
D. Lincoln’s bodyguard applied to be governor of the territory.
D. All of the above.
Answers
1, B
2, D
3, C
4, A
5, E
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 movie motel/hotel had a Coeur d’Alene doppelganger?
A. Holiday Inn from White Christmas
B. The Bates Motel from Psycho
C. The Overlook Hotel from The Shining
D. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel from the movie of the same name
E. The Hotel New Hampshire, from the movie of the same name
2). What Idaho tribe declared war on the US in 1974?
A. Nez Perce
B. Coeur d’Alene
C. Shoshone Bannock
D. Kootenai
E. All of the above
3). Why was “Fearless Farris” Lind called that?
A. He got that reputation as a fighter pilot.
B. He used to cross the Snake River near Twin Falls beneath the bridge like a swinging monkey.
C. He liked the alliteration.
D. He earned the nickname racing sports cars.
E. He fought Ladybird Johnson’s effort to get rid of billboards.
4). What did Meriwether Lewis name his dog?
A. Seaman
B. Rover
C. Scannon
D. Discovery
E. Neufy
5) What connection did Lincoln have with Idaho?
A. He was there when it was named.
B. He signed the legislation making it a territory.
C. He applied to be governor when it was part of Oregon Territory.
D. Lincoln’s bodyguard applied to be governor of the territory.
D. All of the above.
Answers1, B
2, D
3, C
4, A
5, E
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.
February 26, 2019
A Persistent Philanthropist
Virgil McCroskey might have been Idaho’s most persistent philanthropist, even though he didn’t live here. Virgil’s parents homesteaded near Steptoe Butte, about eight miles from Colfax, Washington. Virgil played there as a child and grew to love the views of the Palouse from its summit. As an adult his vocation was pharmacist, and his avocation was conservationist. He donated Steptoe Butte to the State of Washington in 1945 to create Steptoe Butte State Park.
He also loved the views of the Palouse just across the border in Idaho from the ridgetops along a winding dirt road called Skyline Drive. He began buying up property there so that he could present Idaho with a state park.
When Virgil McCroskey approached the Idaho Legislature in 1951 about accepting his gift of land, legislators worried about upkeep and about taking 2,000 acres off the property tax rolls. McCroskey purchased more property to add to the gift. By 1954, he had 4,400 acres to offer and a new governor, Robert E. Smylie, as a supporter. Still the legislators were concerned about maintenance, so McCroskey, 79 years old, agreed to maintain it himself for the next 15 years. The lawmakers finally relented, accepting the gift. McCroskey kept his word, taking care of the site until just before his death at age 94 in 1970.
In a sense, he still cares for the park today. McCroskey left $45,000 in trust to the state to be used for maintenance of Mary Minerva McCroskey State Park, which is named for his mother in honor of the pioneer women of the West.
#mccroskeystatepark
He also loved the views of the Palouse just across the border in Idaho from the ridgetops along a winding dirt road called Skyline Drive. He began buying up property there so that he could present Idaho with a state park.
When Virgil McCroskey approached the Idaho Legislature in 1951 about accepting his gift of land, legislators worried about upkeep and about taking 2,000 acres off the property tax rolls. McCroskey purchased more property to add to the gift. By 1954, he had 4,400 acres to offer and a new governor, Robert E. Smylie, as a supporter. Still the legislators were concerned about maintenance, so McCroskey, 79 years old, agreed to maintain it himself for the next 15 years. The lawmakers finally relented, accepting the gift. McCroskey kept his word, taking care of the site until just before his death at age 94 in 1970.
In a sense, he still cares for the park today. McCroskey left $45,000 in trust to the state to be used for maintenance of Mary Minerva McCroskey State Park, which is named for his mother in honor of the pioneer women of the West.
#mccroskeystatepark
February 25, 2019
Andrew Henry
Andrew Henry’s name is all over Southeastern Idaho, all because he spent a hard winter near present-day St. Anthony. Henry and his men were on a trapping expedition, hoping to find a good supply of rodent fur they could liberate from beavers on account of the beavers being dead and all. Felt hats were all the rage.
The Henry party had been in present-day Montana on the upper Missouri on a quest for the slap-tails, but Blackfeet Indians had driven the trappers across the divide at Targhee Pass. They found a location near what would later be called the Henrys Fork of the Snake River, not far from what would later be called Henrys Flat at the foot of the Henrys Lake Mountains, near Henrys Lake, on the shores of which Henrys Lake State Park would one day be, and went about constructing a few cabins for the coming winter.
That winter of 1810 was a rough one for the trappers. The cold had driven buffalo south, so they found little game. The Henry party was reduced to eating some of their horses.
The next spring, they headed back to St. Louis with only 40 packs of pelts which, as everyone knows, was meager for a whole season of trapping.
The buildings they left behind would be much appreciated by the Wilson Price Hunt party the very next winter. They stayed there on their ill-fated trip to Fort Astoria in 1811.
Today, there’s an Idaho State Historical Marker a few miles from the site, and the City of St, Anthony has a monument downtown commemorating what the members of the Henry Party probably thought of as something like, “the winter we ate Sea Biscuit.”
#henryslake #henrysfork #andrewhenry #forthenry
The Henry party had been in present-day Montana on the upper Missouri on a quest for the slap-tails, but Blackfeet Indians had driven the trappers across the divide at Targhee Pass. They found a location near what would later be called the Henrys Fork of the Snake River, not far from what would later be called Henrys Flat at the foot of the Henrys Lake Mountains, near Henrys Lake, on the shores of which Henrys Lake State Park would one day be, and went about constructing a few cabins for the coming winter.
That winter of 1810 was a rough one for the trappers. The cold had driven buffalo south, so they found little game. The Henry party was reduced to eating some of their horses.
The next spring, they headed back to St. Louis with only 40 packs of pelts which, as everyone knows, was meager for a whole season of trapping.
The buildings they left behind would be much appreciated by the Wilson Price Hunt party the very next winter. They stayed there on their ill-fated trip to Fort Astoria in 1811.
Today, there’s an Idaho State Historical Marker a few miles from the site, and the City of St, Anthony has a monument downtown commemorating what the members of the Henry Party probably thought of as something like, “the winter we ate Sea Biscuit.”
#henryslake #henrysfork #andrewhenry #forthenry
February 24, 2019
Did Little Jo Vote First?
Have you ever fantasized about starting a new life? Perhaps no one ever did that more completely than Little Jo Monaghan.
Jo showed up in Ruby City, Idaho Territory in 1867 or 1868 determined to try his hand at mining. He was a slight little guy, no more than five feet tall, but he was a real worker. He dug with the best of them for several weeks, then decided mining was just too tough.
Jo Monaghan then became a sheepherder, spending three years mostly in the company of sheep. After that, he worked in a livery for a time and took to breaking horses for a living. He was so good at it that Andrew Whalen hired him to work in Whalen’s Wild West Show, billing the bronc rider as Cowboy Joe. Whalen offered $25 to anyone who could find a horse the man couldn’t ride.
Eventually Jo homesteaded near Rockville, Idaho. He built a cabin and raised a few livestock, living a quiet life. He served on juries and voted in elections. Jo Monaghan was a respected member of the community. A quiet man. Except that he wasn’t
In 1904 Jo Monaghan passed away. The Weiser Signal marked Jo’s death with the headline, "Sex is Discovered After Death" and noted that, "There are a number of people residing in Weiser, who knew the supposed man intimately, and never had a suspicion that she was not what she represented to be."
Jo Monaghan was a woman. Who that woman was is still open to speculation. One story often told is that she was from a wealthy New York family and had found herself in a family way. As that story goes, she left her child for her sister to raise and headed West. It wasn’t uncommon for women at that time to travel as men to help assure their own safety. Jo may have done that and simply found it convenient to keep up the ruse.
The story has fascinated people for decades. A 1993 movie called The Ballad of Little Jo , written and directed by Maggie Greenwald and starring Suzy Amis as Jo told a version of her life.
The part of the story that always interested me was that he voted. No, make that SHE voted. She might have been one of the first women to cast a vote in the United States.
#littlejoemonaghn #littlejomonaghn
Jo showed up in Ruby City, Idaho Territory in 1867 or 1868 determined to try his hand at mining. He was a slight little guy, no more than five feet tall, but he was a real worker. He dug with the best of them for several weeks, then decided mining was just too tough.
Jo Monaghan then became a sheepherder, spending three years mostly in the company of sheep. After that, he worked in a livery for a time and took to breaking horses for a living. He was so good at it that Andrew Whalen hired him to work in Whalen’s Wild West Show, billing the bronc rider as Cowboy Joe. Whalen offered $25 to anyone who could find a horse the man couldn’t ride.
Eventually Jo homesteaded near Rockville, Idaho. He built a cabin and raised a few livestock, living a quiet life. He served on juries and voted in elections. Jo Monaghan was a respected member of the community. A quiet man. Except that he wasn’t
In 1904 Jo Monaghan passed away. The Weiser Signal marked Jo’s death with the headline, "Sex is Discovered After Death" and noted that, "There are a number of people residing in Weiser, who knew the supposed man intimately, and never had a suspicion that she was not what she represented to be."
Jo Monaghan was a woman. Who that woman was is still open to speculation. One story often told is that she was from a wealthy New York family and had found herself in a family way. As that story goes, she left her child for her sister to raise and headed West. It wasn’t uncommon for women at that time to travel as men to help assure their own safety. Jo may have done that and simply found it convenient to keep up the ruse.
The story has fascinated people for decades. A 1993 movie called The Ballad of Little Jo , written and directed by Maggie Greenwald and starring Suzy Amis as Jo told a version of her life.
The part of the story that always interested me was that he voted. No, make that SHE voted. She might have been one of the first women to cast a vote in the United States.
#littlejoemonaghn #littlejomonaghn
February 23, 2019
The "Other" Idaho Internment Camp
You probably know something about the Minidoka Internment Camp, sometimes called the Hunt Camp that was located near Jerome, Idaho, now the Minidoka National Historic Site.
Did you know there was a second Japanese internment camp in Idaho?
The Kooskia Internment Camp was located about 30 miles east of Kooskia on Canyon Creek. The men housed there—and they were all men—worked on the construction of U.S. Highway 12.
The Kooskia camp was unique among camps in the U.S. in that those housed there volunteered for the assignment. They were men of Japanese ancestry who had been placed in other internment camps, but who had volunteered to go to Kooskia because they received wages of between $55 and $65 a month. The camp’s remote location meant there was not even the need for a fence around the Canyon Creek site.
A total of 256 men spent time working at the camp between May 1943 and May 1945. After the war, and with the completion of Highway 12, there was no need for the site. The buildings “walked” away or were torn down. Today only a concrete slab marks the site of the camp, which is on the Clearwater National Forest.
Some archaeological research has been done at the Kooskia Internment Camp, and Priscilla Wegars, PhD, has written extensively about the site. Her book As Rugged As The Terrain: CCC "Boys," Federal Convicts, And Alien Internees Wrestle With A Mountain Wilderness contains a detailed story of the camp as well as camps of different types in Idaho.
#kooskia #kooskiainternmentcamp
Did you know there was a second Japanese internment camp in Idaho?
The Kooskia Internment Camp was located about 30 miles east of Kooskia on Canyon Creek. The men housed there—and they were all men—worked on the construction of U.S. Highway 12.
The Kooskia camp was unique among camps in the U.S. in that those housed there volunteered for the assignment. They were men of Japanese ancestry who had been placed in other internment camps, but who had volunteered to go to Kooskia because they received wages of between $55 and $65 a month. The camp’s remote location meant there was not even the need for a fence around the Canyon Creek site.
A total of 256 men spent time working at the camp between May 1943 and May 1945. After the war, and with the completion of Highway 12, there was no need for the site. The buildings “walked” away or were torn down. Today only a concrete slab marks the site of the camp, which is on the Clearwater National Forest.
Some archaeological research has been done at the Kooskia Internment Camp, and Priscilla Wegars, PhD, has written extensively about the site. Her book As Rugged As The Terrain: CCC "Boys," Federal Convicts, And Alien Internees Wrestle With A Mountain Wilderness contains a detailed story of the camp as well as camps of different types in Idaho.
#kooskia #kooskiainternmentcamp
February 22, 2019
Deep Throat
Today we have the story of an Idahoan who was more famous by his code name than his real name.
Mark Felt was born in Twin Falls, Idaho in 1913. He went to Twin Falls High School, and graduated from the University of Idaho in 1935. In 1938 Felt married a girl from Gooding, Audrey Robinson.
Felt went to work for U.S. Senator from Idaho James P. Pope, and later worked for his successor David Worth Clark.
Going to school nights, Felt earned a law degree from George Washington University, graduating in 1940. He started a career with the FBI in 1941, working his way up to the second highest spot in the bureau, associate director in 1972, retiring in 1973.
Oh, and he was “Deep Throat.”
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of The Washington Post , depended heavily on his anonymous tips during the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon.
Only a handful of people (including Nixon) knew who “Deep Throat” was, until Vanity Fair magazine revealed the secret on May 31, 2005, when it published an article on its website, followed up by an article in the magazine’s June edition (photo).
Mark Felt passed away December 18, 2008 at the age of 95.
#markfelt #deepthroat
Mark Felt was born in Twin Falls, Idaho in 1913. He went to Twin Falls High School, and graduated from the University of Idaho in 1935. In 1938 Felt married a girl from Gooding, Audrey Robinson.
Felt went to work for U.S. Senator from Idaho James P. Pope, and later worked for his successor David Worth Clark.
Going to school nights, Felt earned a law degree from George Washington University, graduating in 1940. He started a career with the FBI in 1941, working his way up to the second highest spot in the bureau, associate director in 1972, retiring in 1973.
Oh, and he was “Deep Throat.”
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein of The Washington Post , depended heavily on his anonymous tips during the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon.
Only a handful of people (including Nixon) knew who “Deep Throat” was, until Vanity Fair magazine revealed the secret on May 31, 2005, when it published an article on its website, followed up by an article in the magazine’s June edition (photo).
Mark Felt passed away December 18, 2008 at the age of 95.
#markfelt #deepthroat
February 21, 2019
Manley's
Idaho Statesman writer Anna Webb said this about Manley’s Café in a 2006 article: “Manley´s was famous for the size of its servings: ham slices bigger than the plate they were on and pieces of pie with enough a la mode to fill three ice cream cones.”
Manley’s was not famous for its lavish menu, or its white tablecloths, or its wine list. It didn’t have any of those things. It did have a rickety screen door, plastic burger baskets, a Wrigley’s gum rack, leatherette stools, and a linoleum pattern worn away to nothing by thousands of feet. Manley’s had good food and plenty of it.
The original name of the café was Manley’s Garden Café, then Manley’s Rose Garden Café. Outdoor seating was available for a time if one wanted to enjoy the roses. The garden eventually became not so garden-ish, and the outdoor seating went away.
The owners were Manley Morrow and his wife Marjorie. They opened the place in 1954. Marjorie passed away in January of 1960, leaving Manley to run it himself.
Manley was philosophically against having anyone that came through the door leaving hungry. Order a piece of pie and you got a quarter of a pie. Do you want that ala mode? Manley or one of his crew would plop a pint of ice cream on top of it.
Some famous folk stopped by Manley’s. Many Idaho governors ate there, as did a future president. John F. Kennedy was said to have stopped by when he was running for president. Tim Woodward, long-time reporter and columnist, remembered the time when he took New York Times writer and food critic Calvin Trillin to Manley’s. In an April 18, 2013 piece in the Idaho Statesman, Woodward quoted Trillin as saying, "Every town I go to, they take me to the restaurant in the glass ball on the top floor of the tallest building in town," he said. "The prices are outrageous, and the food is awful. This place is great!"
Manley Morrow passed away in 1976. His son, David, took over and ran the place for a while, then sold it to a couple of the Manley’s waitresses. They ran it until 1997 when it closed for good. The site of the café is now Terry Day Park at 1225 Federal Way.
#manleys #calvintrillin
Manley’s was not famous for its lavish menu, or its white tablecloths, or its wine list. It didn’t have any of those things. It did have a rickety screen door, plastic burger baskets, a Wrigley’s gum rack, leatherette stools, and a linoleum pattern worn away to nothing by thousands of feet. Manley’s had good food and plenty of it.
The original name of the café was Manley’s Garden Café, then Manley’s Rose Garden Café. Outdoor seating was available for a time if one wanted to enjoy the roses. The garden eventually became not so garden-ish, and the outdoor seating went away.
The owners were Manley Morrow and his wife Marjorie. They opened the place in 1954. Marjorie passed away in January of 1960, leaving Manley to run it himself.
Manley was philosophically against having anyone that came through the door leaving hungry. Order a piece of pie and you got a quarter of a pie. Do you want that ala mode? Manley or one of his crew would plop a pint of ice cream on top of it.
Some famous folk stopped by Manley’s. Many Idaho governors ate there, as did a future president. John F. Kennedy was said to have stopped by when he was running for president. Tim Woodward, long-time reporter and columnist, remembered the time when he took New York Times writer and food critic Calvin Trillin to Manley’s. In an April 18, 2013 piece in the Idaho Statesman, Woodward quoted Trillin as saying, "Every town I go to, they take me to the restaurant in the glass ball on the top floor of the tallest building in town," he said. "The prices are outrageous, and the food is awful. This place is great!"
Manley Morrow passed away in 1976. His son, David, took over and ran the place for a while, then sold it to a couple of the Manley’s waitresses. They ran it until 1997 when it closed for good. The site of the café is now Terry Day Park at 1225 Federal Way.
#manleys #calvintrillin
February 20, 2019
Lewis Croft
Lewis Croft, the fourth of 14 children, was born in Shelley, Idaho, to Samuel and Roseland Croft on May 2, 1919.
At the age of 8, Lewis' parents noticed their son was not growing. Doctors diagnosed him with dwarfism.
Croft was just 3-1/2 feet tall when he left home at age 16 to work for side shows and circuses. He learned to sing and play instruments, and took on the stage name "Idaho Lewis."
When Croft was 20, he tried out for and won a roll as one of the Munchkin soldiers in the Wizard of Oz. After that performance, he went back on the road where he met Delores Del Rio, who was also a performer equally small in stature. The couple, now with two children, moved back to Lewis’ hometown of Shelley, where Lewis worked for R.T. French Co., retiring in 1978. Delores passed away in 1978. Lewis married Eva Arwin in 1984.
In his later years Lewis Croft reconnected with the surviving little people from The Wizard of Oz, attending many events where they were honored. Because of poor health he was unable to attend the unveiling of the Munchkins star on the Hollywood walk of fame in 2007. He passed away in 2008.
There were 124 Munchkins in the movie. Not all of them were little people. Ten girls ranging in age from 7 to 10 also played the parts.
#wizardofoz #munchkin #lewiscroft
At the age of 8, Lewis' parents noticed their son was not growing. Doctors diagnosed him with dwarfism.
Croft was just 3-1/2 feet tall when he left home at age 16 to work for side shows and circuses. He learned to sing and play instruments, and took on the stage name "Idaho Lewis."
When Croft was 20, he tried out for and won a roll as one of the Munchkin soldiers in the Wizard of Oz. After that performance, he went back on the road where he met Delores Del Rio, who was also a performer equally small in stature. The couple, now with two children, moved back to Lewis’ hometown of Shelley, where Lewis worked for R.T. French Co., retiring in 1978. Delores passed away in 1978. Lewis married Eva Arwin in 1984.
In his later years Lewis Croft reconnected with the surviving little people from The Wizard of Oz, attending many events where they were honored. Because of poor health he was unable to attend the unveiling of the Munchkins star on the Hollywood walk of fame in 2007. He passed away in 2008.
There were 124 Munchkins in the movie. Not all of them were little people. Ten girls ranging in age from 7 to 10 also played the parts.
#wizardofoz #munchkin #lewiscroft
February 19, 2019
Sending Prisoners Out of State
Prison overcrowding is often in the news as Idaho continues to send inmates out of state to serve their time. One might assume the practice is a fairly recent one. It is so only if you consider 1887 fairly recent.
That was the year Idaho sent its first convicts out of state. Well, out of territory. Idaho wouldn’t become a state for another three years. One can speculate on why they chose to do so, and, having just given myself permission, I’ll speculate that it was to provide an extra level of punishment for a crime that at that time was considered extra reprehensible. The five prisoners who were sent to the United States Penitentiary at Sioux Falls, Dakota Territory, on 4 December 1887, had been convicted of polygamy.
Austin Greeley Green, John Henry Byington, Sidney Weekes, William Sevins, and Josiah Richardson had the dubious honor of being the first men from Idaho to be sentenced to a prison in another territory. In a previous post I noted how aggressively Fred T. Dubois, then the U.S. Marshal of Idaho Territory, went after polygamists. It had proved difficult to convict on a charge of polygamy, even though congress made it a federal crime in 1862. Those practicing polygamy were not marrying multiple wives by going down to the local courthouse to get multiple marriage licenses. The marriages were recorded only in LDS church records, which were not open to the public.
In 1882, Congress passed the Edmunds Act. It enabled law enforcement to arrest men on charges of adultery and cohabitation. It was much easier to prove cohabitation than to prove that a man had multiple wives.
There were many disaffected former Mormons who were willing to serve on juries looking into polygamy, cohabitation, or whatever a prosecutor wanted to call it. For a while being charged was the same as being found guilty, such was the anti-Mormon fever running high in places such as Blackfoot, where the trial for the five was held. On November 14, 1887, a reporter for the Deseret Evening News wrote that “A ‘Mormon’ arrested and taken to Blackfoot stands convicted, and all he has to do is wait for the sentence.”
One result of this prosecutorial zeal was that the Idaho Territorial Penitentiary was filling up. Finding empty cells out of the territory where prisoners could be housed made some sense. Bonus: They could send convicted “cohabiters” far away from their families, inflicting a special punishment on them that was off the books.
The first five men sent to the penitentiary in Dakota Territory were reportedly docile prisoners who caused no trouble. Meanwhile, back in Idaho Territory, there was growing sentiment for their release. James Hawley, then the US Attorney for Idaho Territory looked into their case and recommended a pardon. On January 7, 1889, President Grover Cleveland pardoned the men. This did little to quell the anti-Mormon and anti-polygamy sentiment in Idaho. It would take a manifesto from the LDS church in 1890 stopping the practice of polygamy to cool things down.
#polygamy #idahohistory
The main building of Idaho’s penitentiary in an undated photo courtesy of the Idaho State Historical Society’s digital collection.
That was the year Idaho sent its first convicts out of state. Well, out of territory. Idaho wouldn’t become a state for another three years. One can speculate on why they chose to do so, and, having just given myself permission, I’ll speculate that it was to provide an extra level of punishment for a crime that at that time was considered extra reprehensible. The five prisoners who were sent to the United States Penitentiary at Sioux Falls, Dakota Territory, on 4 December 1887, had been convicted of polygamy.
Austin Greeley Green, John Henry Byington, Sidney Weekes, William Sevins, and Josiah Richardson had the dubious honor of being the first men from Idaho to be sentenced to a prison in another territory. In a previous post I noted how aggressively Fred T. Dubois, then the U.S. Marshal of Idaho Territory, went after polygamists. It had proved difficult to convict on a charge of polygamy, even though congress made it a federal crime in 1862. Those practicing polygamy were not marrying multiple wives by going down to the local courthouse to get multiple marriage licenses. The marriages were recorded only in LDS church records, which were not open to the public.
In 1882, Congress passed the Edmunds Act. It enabled law enforcement to arrest men on charges of adultery and cohabitation. It was much easier to prove cohabitation than to prove that a man had multiple wives.
There were many disaffected former Mormons who were willing to serve on juries looking into polygamy, cohabitation, or whatever a prosecutor wanted to call it. For a while being charged was the same as being found guilty, such was the anti-Mormon fever running high in places such as Blackfoot, where the trial for the five was held. On November 14, 1887, a reporter for the Deseret Evening News wrote that “A ‘Mormon’ arrested and taken to Blackfoot stands convicted, and all he has to do is wait for the sentence.”
One result of this prosecutorial zeal was that the Idaho Territorial Penitentiary was filling up. Finding empty cells out of the territory where prisoners could be housed made some sense. Bonus: They could send convicted “cohabiters” far away from their families, inflicting a special punishment on them that was off the books.
The first five men sent to the penitentiary in Dakota Territory were reportedly docile prisoners who caused no trouble. Meanwhile, back in Idaho Territory, there was growing sentiment for their release. James Hawley, then the US Attorney for Idaho Territory looked into their case and recommended a pardon. On January 7, 1889, President Grover Cleveland pardoned the men. This did little to quell the anti-Mormon and anti-polygamy sentiment in Idaho. It would take a manifesto from the LDS church in 1890 stopping the practice of polygamy to cool things down.
#polygamy #idahohistory
The main building of Idaho’s penitentiary in an undated photo courtesy of the Idaho State Historical Society’s digital collection.
