Rick Just's Blog, page 56
June 20, 2023
An Idaho Veterinarian's Aspirational Name
Hope, perhaps the most optimistically named town in Idaho, was not named because of any great opportunity that seemed just over the horizon. It was named after Dr. Hope, a railroad veterinarian, so little remembered that we don’t even know his given name.
And that’s about the end of the story of how Hope got its name. But to me, that’s not the real story in the last sentence of the paragraph above. The story is in the title “railroad veterinarian.” Why would a railroad at the turn of the century—Hope was incorporated in 1903—need a veterinarian?
Railroads, tramways, and trollies existed long before steam engines. The first passenger railway was the Swansea and Mumbles Railway, which operated in Wales from 1804 to 1877. It was a horse-drawn railway at first, though it was later electrified. Horses also pulled loads out of mines on rails for decades and trudged along ahead of countless trollies.
It seemed to me that once steam engines came along, railroad veterinarians would have outlived their usefulness. But, as it turns out, horses were used to move railcars in and out of yards, to pull cars up steep inclines, and to transport goods to and from the rail yard. Horses were also used to transport railroad workers and to pull maintenance equipment along the tracks. The horses used by railroads were often large, strong draft horses such as Percherons, Belgians, and Clydesdales. So, there was a need for a Dr. Hope.
And that’s about the end of the story of how Hope got its name. But to me, that’s not the real story in the last sentence of the paragraph above. The story is in the title “railroad veterinarian.” Why would a railroad at the turn of the century—Hope was incorporated in 1903—need a veterinarian?
Railroads, tramways, and trollies existed long before steam engines. The first passenger railway was the Swansea and Mumbles Railway, which operated in Wales from 1804 to 1877. It was a horse-drawn railway at first, though it was later electrified. Horses also pulled loads out of mines on rails for decades and trudged along ahead of countless trollies.
It seemed to me that once steam engines came along, railroad veterinarians would have outlived their usefulness. But, as it turns out, horses were used to move railcars in and out of yards, to pull cars up steep inclines, and to transport goods to and from the rail yard. Horses were also used to transport railroad workers and to pull maintenance equipment along the tracks. The horses used by railroads were often large, strong draft horses such as Percherons, Belgians, and Clydesdales. So, there was a need for a Dr. Hope.
June 19, 2023
Sockeye Salmon by the Thousands
That famous redfish, the sockeye, has been a part of Idaho’s environment since long before man came to live here. The fish started making the newspapers early on in the state’s history. In 1899 the Idaho Statesman was reporting on the planting of sockeye eggs. Most references to sockeye salmon were in the grocery ads, starting at ten cents a can in the 1890s and rising to 59 cents for a “half-sized can” in 1956.
The Silver Blade newspaper in Rathdrum ran a report on fisheries on the Columbia on August 19, 1899, that said, “The records for catching sockeye salmon were broken one day last week. At the Pacific-American Fisheries Company’s cannery, 136,000 were received. Of these, 80,000 were sockeyes.”
That same year, the Cottonwood Report noted an estimated sockeye salmon pack of Puget Sound to 510,000 cases for the year.
The installation of dams on the Columbia and other manmade issues caused a dramatic drop in wild sockeye making their way back to Idaho. Fewer than 50 returned to Redfish Lake in 1958.
In 1991 the species was declared endangered. In 1992 a single fish, nicknamed Lonesome Larry, made it back to Redfish Lake.
The most recent ten-year average has been 558 returning to the Sawtooth Basin. In 2019 only 17 fish returned.
Today, the Eagle Island Fish Hatchery raises sockeye salmon near Boise in an attempt to keep the fish from going extinct.
The Silver Blade newspaper in Rathdrum ran a report on fisheries on the Columbia on August 19, 1899, that said, “The records for catching sockeye salmon were broken one day last week. At the Pacific-American Fisheries Company’s cannery, 136,000 were received. Of these, 80,000 were sockeyes.”
That same year, the Cottonwood Report noted an estimated sockeye salmon pack of Puget Sound to 510,000 cases for the year.
The installation of dams on the Columbia and other manmade issues caused a dramatic drop in wild sockeye making their way back to Idaho. Fewer than 50 returned to Redfish Lake in 1958.
In 1991 the species was declared endangered. In 1992 a single fish, nicknamed Lonesome Larry, made it back to Redfish Lake.
The most recent ten-year average has been 558 returning to the Sawtooth Basin. In 2019 only 17 fish returned.
Today, the Eagle Island Fish Hatchery raises sockeye salmon near Boise in an attempt to keep the fish from going extinct.
June 18, 2023
The Female Dude was a Type
So, maybe you thought creativity in type was just something people did before emojis came along--;). That turns out not to be the case. The little piece of creativity that goes along with this post appeared in the Wood River Times on July 16, 1883. There was no explanation; no attribution. Maybe it was the work of a bored typesetter. One can only hope. Pity the typesetter that had to slug this out if it wasn’t their own creation.
The title seems eerily modern, somehow. The Female Dude. Note that "dude" was often non-gender-specific then, as it can be now.
What’s left to say? Whatever it is, I invite you to say it.
The title seems eerily modern, somehow. The Female Dude. Note that "dude" was often non-gender-specific then, as it can be now.
What’s left to say? Whatever it is, I invite you to say it.
June 17, 2023
Not THAT Moscow... Not that one Either
Idaho has some lofty place names that would seem to honor much larger and better-known places. Paris is one of those. If you’re expecting an Eiffel Tower, you’re not likely to find one. The name Paris came from the man who platted the town. His name was Frederick Perris. How the name morphed into the spelling that place in France uses is unknown. The U.S. Postal Service is more often the culprit in such cases, having a long history of “correcting” the spelling of post office names.
That happened to a place called Moscow. No, not the one in Idaho. I’ll get to that in a minute. Moscow, Kansas, one of more than 20 Moscows in the U.S., was honoring a Spanish conquistador named Luis de Moscoso, according to a story on the PRI website about the naming of the Moscow cities across the country. For some reason, they wanted to shorten the name to Mosco. A postal person in DC may have thought Kansans simply didn’t know how to spell, so he helpfully added the W, and it officially became Moscow.
None of the Moscows seem ready to claim a Russian connection. The one we know best was allegedly named by Samuel Miles Neff, who owned the first general store there. In that story, Neff had lived in Moscow, Pennsylvania, and Moscow, Iowa, so why not live in another Moscow, this time in Idaho.
There is at least one Idaho town that gets its name, more or less, from the city you would expect. Atlanta was named for a nearby gold discovery that was called Atlanta. It was named after the Battle of Atlanta. News of Sherman’s victory there came about the same time gold was discovered, according to Lalia Boone’s book, Idaho Place Names, A Geographical Dictionary.
That happened to a place called Moscow. No, not the one in Idaho. I’ll get to that in a minute. Moscow, Kansas, one of more than 20 Moscows in the U.S., was honoring a Spanish conquistador named Luis de Moscoso, according to a story on the PRI website about the naming of the Moscow cities across the country. For some reason, they wanted to shorten the name to Mosco. A postal person in DC may have thought Kansans simply didn’t know how to spell, so he helpfully added the W, and it officially became Moscow.
None of the Moscows seem ready to claim a Russian connection. The one we know best was allegedly named by Samuel Miles Neff, who owned the first general store there. In that story, Neff had lived in Moscow, Pennsylvania, and Moscow, Iowa, so why not live in another Moscow, this time in Idaho.
There is at least one Idaho town that gets its name, more or less, from the city you would expect. Atlanta was named for a nearby gold discovery that was called Atlanta. It was named after the Battle of Atlanta. News of Sherman’s victory there came about the same time gold was discovered, according to Lalia Boone’s book, Idaho Place Names, A Geographical Dictionary.
June 16, 2023
“An education and trade for every boy and girl who is willing to work for them.”
The Intermountain Institute in Weiser was a boarding school established in the fall of 1899 to provide children who lived too far from a high school a chance at an education. The school’s motto was “An education and trade for every boy and girl who is willing to work for them.” Children worked five hours a day to help pay for their tuition, board, and room.
About 2,000 students got their education there before the ravages of the Great Depression forced it to close in 1933.
To architects, one feature of the campus buildings is worth note. All but one of the structures, a carriage house, were made of reinforced cast concrete. Concrete was a common building material in early Idaho, but it was used mostly in block form.
The buildings at the Intermountain Institute still had some style. The surfaces of the neo-classical buildings were scored to resemble masonry joints. This can be seen in the photo below of the laundry building under construction.
The Weiser School District used campus buildings until 1967 when a new high school was built. Hooker Hall, a three-story building with a five-story clock tower, became the county museum in the 1980s. In 1994 a fire caused much damage, and the building is still under renovation.
About 2,000 students got their education there before the ravages of the Great Depression forced it to close in 1933.
To architects, one feature of the campus buildings is worth note. All but one of the structures, a carriage house, were made of reinforced cast concrete. Concrete was a common building material in early Idaho, but it was used mostly in block form.
The buildings at the Intermountain Institute still had some style. The surfaces of the neo-classical buildings were scored to resemble masonry joints. This can be seen in the photo below of the laundry building under construction.
The Weiser School District used campus buildings until 1967 when a new high school was built. Hooker Hall, a three-story building with a five-story clock tower, became the county museum in the 1980s. In 1994 a fire caused much damage, and the building is still under renovation.
June 15, 2023
TV was Slow in Coming to the State Where it was Invented
There are always skeptics, even in a progressive industry. The following article appeared in the November 13, 1938, Idaho Statesman.
“Will television be here—in Idaho—this year, or next year, or the year after?
“E.F. McDonald, jr., president of Zenith Radio Corporation, thinks it’s premature introduction of television will retard development of television. He gives the following reasons: Television is still in the experimental stage, and replacements will make sets sold now obsolete, as receivers must be matched to and synchronized with the transmitting stations.
“The Federal Communications Commission has issued only 18 television licenses, all of which are experimental and noncommercial.
“Many technical problems of television are unsolved. One is elimination of interference by sparkplugs of autos.
“Television programs cannot be broadcast beyond a radius of 30 to 50 miles from the station. Therefore, it would require 2000 transmitting stations to cover the United States.
“The stupendous cost of transmitting television at the present eliminates paying for it by advertising. The cost of one hour’s program each day would be more than one million dollars a year.”
Somehow, broadcast engineers got over those hurdles. Today there are about 7,900 TV stations in the U.S. In Idaho, where TV was invented, there are 20. But to give Mr. McDonald his due, there probably weren’t many TV sets sold in Idaho in 1939. The first television station didn’t start broadcasting in the Gem State until July 12, 1953, when KIDO-TV (now KTVB) went on the air.
“Will television be here—in Idaho—this year, or next year, or the year after?
“E.F. McDonald, jr., president of Zenith Radio Corporation, thinks it’s premature introduction of television will retard development of television. He gives the following reasons: Television is still in the experimental stage, and replacements will make sets sold now obsolete, as receivers must be matched to and synchronized with the transmitting stations.
“The Federal Communications Commission has issued only 18 television licenses, all of which are experimental and noncommercial.
“Many technical problems of television are unsolved. One is elimination of interference by sparkplugs of autos.
“Television programs cannot be broadcast beyond a radius of 30 to 50 miles from the station. Therefore, it would require 2000 transmitting stations to cover the United States.
“The stupendous cost of transmitting television at the present eliminates paying for it by advertising. The cost of one hour’s program each day would be more than one million dollars a year.”
Somehow, broadcast engineers got over those hurdles. Today there are about 7,900 TV stations in the U.S. In Idaho, where TV was invented, there are 20. But to give Mr. McDonald his due, there probably weren’t many TV sets sold in Idaho in 1939. The first television station didn’t start broadcasting in the Gem State until July 12, 1953, when KIDO-TV (now KTVB) went on the air.
June 14, 2023
Henry Riggs Left His Mark on Boise and Idaho History
What’s worthy of getting you a place in Idaho History? Introducing quail to Idaho might do the trick. Henry Chiles Riggs did that in 1871, bringing 56 birds from Missouri. That would be just a footnote, clear down at the bottom of the page in a history book that had little else to talk about.
Okay, how about claiming to be the first citizen of Boise? There were a couple of cabins built where Boise would be, but they were unoccupied, according to Riggs. He claimed that first person honor by pitching a tent and living in it. So, history.
Riggs might have a better chance of making it in print if he brought the first newspaper to Boise, which he did. He didn’t start the Idaho Statesmen, but he went to Portland in 1864 and found some folks who were willing to establish a newspaper in the new town which, by the way, had been named Boise by Henry C. Riggs. Solid footing on the historical footnotes, now.
Riggs was elected to the first Idaho Territorial Legislature from Boise County. He didn’t do a lot in Lewiston during that first session. He just introduced a bill to move the territorial capital to Boise and was instrumental in another one to split Boise County in two. Both passed. Oh, and he suggested the name for the new county. It would be called Ada County, named for his daughter Ada Riggs.
He spent most of his later life at a ranch he bought near Payette. Henry Chiles Riggs died on July 3, 1909, at the Old Soldiers Home in Boise, his place in Idaho history assured.
Okay, how about claiming to be the first citizen of Boise? There were a couple of cabins built where Boise would be, but they were unoccupied, according to Riggs. He claimed that first person honor by pitching a tent and living in it. So, history.
Riggs might have a better chance of making it in print if he brought the first newspaper to Boise, which he did. He didn’t start the Idaho Statesmen, but he went to Portland in 1864 and found some folks who were willing to establish a newspaper in the new town which, by the way, had been named Boise by Henry C. Riggs. Solid footing on the historical footnotes, now.
Riggs was elected to the first Idaho Territorial Legislature from Boise County. He didn’t do a lot in Lewiston during that first session. He just introduced a bill to move the territorial capital to Boise and was instrumental in another one to split Boise County in two. Both passed. Oh, and he suggested the name for the new county. It would be called Ada County, named for his daughter Ada Riggs.
He spent most of his later life at a ranch he bought near Payette. Henry Chiles Riggs died on July 3, 1909, at the Old Soldiers Home in Boise, his place in Idaho history assured.
June 13, 2023
"Dandy Lion Wine" was Discouraged in Boise. Sort of.
Four years before the national prohibition of liquor, Idaho became a prohibition state on January 1, 1916. The Idaho Statesman seemed to treat it with good humor, lamenting that it “Would deprive many men of the only home they ever had.” (See image)
But there also seemed an element in the paper, as there was in society in general, that had mixed opinions about it. On May 19, 1916, the Statesman reported on an alarming increase in dandelion wine in Boise: “Many owners of dandelion infested lawns have marveled lately at the number of children and grownups who asked permission to help extricate the little golden nuisances ‘for a medicine that mother makes,’ and have been enthusiastically granted permission.
“It has now been learned the manufacture of dandelion wine has been carried on in many Boise homes in large quantities this spring.”
State Chemist Jackson (no first name given) tested some of momma’s medicine and found it came in at 12.6 percent alcohol. He opined that perhaps it should be called “Dandy Lion” wine, because of its alcohol content.
The newspaper extolled the wine’s virtues as a liver medicine, but cautioned that “many a strict prohibition mother is probably making the wine, never dreaming that she is a lawbreaker.”
With those warnings out of the way, the paper proceeded to give a complete recipe for making the wine.
But there also seemed an element in the paper, as there was in society in general, that had mixed opinions about it. On May 19, 1916, the Statesman reported on an alarming increase in dandelion wine in Boise: “Many owners of dandelion infested lawns have marveled lately at the number of children and grownups who asked permission to help extricate the little golden nuisances ‘for a medicine that mother makes,’ and have been enthusiastically granted permission.
“It has now been learned the manufacture of dandelion wine has been carried on in many Boise homes in large quantities this spring.”
State Chemist Jackson (no first name given) tested some of momma’s medicine and found it came in at 12.6 percent alcohol. He opined that perhaps it should be called “Dandy Lion” wine, because of its alcohol content.
The newspaper extolled the wine’s virtues as a liver medicine, but cautioned that “many a strict prohibition mother is probably making the wine, never dreaming that she is a lawbreaker.”
With those warnings out of the way, the paper proceeded to give a complete recipe for making the wine.
June 12, 2023
The Idaho Pure Food Commission Couldn't Recommend a Coke
Things go better with… You finish the phrase. That’s right, things go better with history. Of Coca-Cola.
Your great-grandparents may not have enjoyed a Coke, but they certainly had the opportunity. Coca-Cola began appearing in advertising in the Idaho Statesman in 1896. The drink was invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Pemberton. The beverage’s inventor knew nothing about marketing, so he didn’t do especially well with his drink. It was Asa Griggs Candler who took over the company and made it work, first advertising Coca-Cola as a patent medicine that would get rid of fatigue and headaches.
And, yes, an early version of Coca-Cola did contain a trace of cocaine, which was a common patent medicine ingredient. In 1907, the Idaho Pure Food Commission did an analysis of “the popular soda drink called Coca-Cola.” A story in the Statesman said the commission had found no cocaine, but “While this is not to be classed with as dangerous drug as cocaine, it is not one which can be recommended for constant use. A glass of Coca-Cola, as ordinarily served at soda fountains, contains about one grain of caffeine.”
The Women’s Christian Temperance Union wasn’t convinced. A 1908 Idaho Statesman article noted that a WCTU meeting had been about the danger of drinking Coca-Cola. “Mrs. McIntyre reading from various sources descriptive of this evil. These articles claim that in spite of the requirements of the new pure food law, this beverage still contains injurious quantities of cocaine.”
The WCTU had better luck, for a time, with the prohibition of alcohol. Coca-Cola went on to be a somewhat popular drink in Idaho and every other corner of the earth.
Your great-grandparents may not have enjoyed a Coke, but they certainly had the opportunity. Coca-Cola began appearing in advertising in the Idaho Statesman in 1896. The drink was invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Pemberton. The beverage’s inventor knew nothing about marketing, so he didn’t do especially well with his drink. It was Asa Griggs Candler who took over the company and made it work, first advertising Coca-Cola as a patent medicine that would get rid of fatigue and headaches.
And, yes, an early version of Coca-Cola did contain a trace of cocaine, which was a common patent medicine ingredient. In 1907, the Idaho Pure Food Commission did an analysis of “the popular soda drink called Coca-Cola.” A story in the Statesman said the commission had found no cocaine, but “While this is not to be classed with as dangerous drug as cocaine, it is not one which can be recommended for constant use. A glass of Coca-Cola, as ordinarily served at soda fountains, contains about one grain of caffeine.”
The Women’s Christian Temperance Union wasn’t convinced. A 1908 Idaho Statesman article noted that a WCTU meeting had been about the danger of drinking Coca-Cola. “Mrs. McIntyre reading from various sources descriptive of this evil. These articles claim that in spite of the requirements of the new pure food law, this beverage still contains injurious quantities of cocaine.”
The WCTU had better luck, for a time, with the prohibition of alcohol. Coca-Cola went on to be a somewhat popular drink in Idaho and every other corner of the earth.
June 11, 2023
Idaho History: You Can't go Back to Pocatello
I recently wrote about the cloudy history of the name Pocatello. In trying to answer a reader’s follow-up question about Lake Pocatello in New York State, I ran across another use of the term that I wasn’t aware of. By the way, I couldn’t track down how Lake Pocatello got its name, so I’m interested in what readers might know about that.
According to a January 28, 2009, article in the New York Times by William Safire, there is a well-known phrase in Washington DC political circles with a very Idaho connection. The phrase is, “You can’t go back to Pocatello.” Its meaning is that once you’ve had a political career in Washington DC, it’s difficult to go back home and resume your old life on the fringes of the spotlight.
In his column, Safire wrote, “The origin of that delicious adage was recounted to me long ago by Jonathan Daniels, once press secretary to F.D.R. While in D.C. during World War II, Dick Neuberger, later an Oregon senator, pointed out a former senator from Idaho, Worth Clark, and told Daniels, “Somebody ought to write an article, ‘You Can’t Go Back to Pocatello.’ That’s his hometown.” Daniels asked why he couldn’t go back. “They just can’t. They come down here to the Senate or something. Then they get beat. It isn’t easy to go back and practice local law and lead local lives.”
Clark was part of an Idaho political dynasty that I’ve written about before. He served in both the House and Senate. Glenn Taylor beat Senator Clark in the Democratic primary in 1944. Clark ran again in 1950 but couldn’t get his seat back. He maintained a law office in DC and one in Boise, though, indeed, he didn’t go back to Pocatello. Clark moved to Los Angeles in 1954. There he had an interest in several radio stations. Worth Clark passed away from a heart attack at age 53.
According to a January 28, 2009, article in the New York Times by William Safire, there is a well-known phrase in Washington DC political circles with a very Idaho connection. The phrase is, “You can’t go back to Pocatello.” Its meaning is that once you’ve had a political career in Washington DC, it’s difficult to go back home and resume your old life on the fringes of the spotlight.
In his column, Safire wrote, “The origin of that delicious adage was recounted to me long ago by Jonathan Daniels, once press secretary to F.D.R. While in D.C. during World War II, Dick Neuberger, later an Oregon senator, pointed out a former senator from Idaho, Worth Clark, and told Daniels, “Somebody ought to write an article, ‘You Can’t Go Back to Pocatello.’ That’s his hometown.” Daniels asked why he couldn’t go back. “They just can’t. They come down here to the Senate or something. Then they get beat. It isn’t easy to go back and practice local law and lead local lives.”
Clark was part of an Idaho political dynasty that I’ve written about before. He served in both the House and Senate. Glenn Taylor beat Senator Clark in the Democratic primary in 1944. Clark ran again in 1950 but couldn’t get his seat back. He maintained a law office in DC and one in Boise, though, indeed, he didn’t go back to Pocatello. Clark moved to Los Angeles in 1954. There he had an interest in several radio stations. Worth Clark passed away from a heart attack at age 53.
