Evan E. Filby's Blog: South Fork and More, page 126

Negotiations Planned with the Nez Perce But Have Not Yet Begun

On May 12, 1863, a reporter for The Oregonian sent off a letter to the newspaper from Lapwai, Idaho Territory. (Lapwai is located about ten miles east of Lewiston, on Lapwai Creek.) His main goal was to observe negotiations for a new treaty with the Nez Percés Indians.

Still, he also observed, “On my way up from the Dalles, I was surprised to see so many miners disembark at the Umatilla Landing, but I was informed that that was the best and most practicable route to the Boise mines at this se...

Mine Owner and Long-Time State Senator J. Howard Sims [otd 05/12]

Howard Sims, ca. 1955.
Beal & Wells photo.Long-time mine owner and State Senator James Howard Sims was born May 12, 1904 in Salmon, Idaho. His father James came to Idaho from Texas in the 1880s, settling along the lower Wood River. In 1888, he moved north of Shoshone. Howard’s mother was born in Oregon; she and James were married in 1893 near Bellevue. Three years later, the couple moved to the Salmon area.

For over twenty years, James engaged exclusively in mining, and young Howard (he sel...

Idaho Territorial Governor Calls for Constitutional Convention [otd 05/11]

On May 11, 1889, George L. Shoup, Governor of Idaho Territory, issued a proclamation calling for a convention to draw up a constitution for the proposed state of Idaho. His proclamation contained features we would consider unorthodox, and might be thought technically illegal.
George L. Shoup.
National Archives.
Idaho’s status as “just” a Territory had frustrated locals almost from the start. The issue was kept alive by on-going friction between the elected legislature and the officers appointed...

Message Transmitted: Transcontinental Railroad Completed [otd 05/10]

On May 10, 1869, telegraph operators clattered a message all around the United States, East and West: “D-O-N-E”. That signaled the completion of the transcontinental railroad. The story of the vast national changes the rail line caused has been told and retold, in grand scale.
Meeting of the railroads, 1869. National Park Service.But perhaps no other region, not directly on the new tracks, felt that impact as much as Idaho. Even before the Golden Spike Ceremony, the station at Winnemucca, Nev...

Gold Discovered and Claimed in the South Boise Region

On May 9, 1863, Captain George F. Settle discovered a gold-streaked quartz lode in what came to be called the South Boise mining region. He and a swarm of other prospectors had been tracing placer gold up the tributaries of the South Fork of the Boise River.

Born in Kentucky around 1830, Settle had over a decade of mining experience when he arrived in Idaho. He had emigrated to California in 1850-1852, where he supplemented his mining efforts by teaching school. He later moved to Oregon. There...

Grand Opening for Owyhee Hotel in Downtown Boise [otd 05/09]

On May 9, 1910, the Owyhee Hotel in downtown Boise opened for business. Naturally, managers touted their new establishment as the best, with the most modern features and richest décor in all the Pacific Northwest. The lobby and surrounding balcony, for example, could seat a thousand people for grand events.
Owyhee Hotel, ca. 1920. J. H. Hawley.
Hotels appeared early in the history of Boise City. Among these, the Overland Hotel, located just three blocks from the capitol building, was the place...

Idaho Woolgrower, Businessman, and Legislator Fred W. Gooding [otd 05/08]

Fred Gooding. H. T. French photo.On May 8, 1856, woolgrower and state legislator Fred W. Gooding was born in Devonshire, England. Fred began work in a factory there at the age of eight, laboring in the morning and attending country school in the afternoon.

The family emigrated to the U.S. in 1867 and settled in Michigan. As a young man, Fred worked on a farm in California before returning to the Midwest. There, he took business classes at what later became Valparaiso University in Indiana.

In 1...

Idaho City & Placerville Mines Thriving, Building Boom On

On May 7, 1863, The Oregonian reported (May 7, 1863), “The miners are doing well at Bannock City and Placerville. Gold and silver quartz have been discovered in the Boise mines.”

Of course, (West) Bannack City would later be renamed Idaho City, as it is called today. In this case, the reference to “miners” meant those who were taking placer gold from gravel beds in the streams and the closer bluffs. Ninety years later, giant dredges would still be making profits from placer gold. But the final...

Irrigation Pioneer and Twin Falls Developer Ira B. Perrine [otd 05/07]

Ira B. Perrine.
Grubb & Guilford, The Potato, 1912.Twin Falls area developer Ira Burton Perrine was born May 7, 1861 in Indiana. He followed relatives to the Wood River Valley in 1883 and briefly pursued mining claims. He then decided he could do better selling dairy products. In the fall of 1884, Perrine wanted to move his small herd to a more protected spot for the winter.

Locals told him that early pioneer Charlie Walgamott could help him find a good spot. “Bert,” as he then called himse...

Owyhee Mining Investor and Developer John Scales [otd 05/06]

John Scales. Commercial Directory.Owyhee silver mine developer John Scales was born on the 6th of May, 1840 in County Clare, Ireland. The family moved to the U.S. and settled in Maine when John was a teenager. He first found factory work there before attending business school in New York. In 1868, he traveled to California via the Isthmus.

Scales decided Idaho offered better prospects and immediately moved to Silver City. Like most newcomers, he started out as a laborer and worked his way up...