Clik here to view.
Idaho Governor and Boise Developer John M. Haines [otd 01/01]
Idaho governor, and Boise developer and mayor, John Michener Haines was born January 1, 1863 on a farm east of Des Moines, Iowa. He received a solid education to about the age of twenty, including...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Boise Developers and Patrons Thomas J. Davis and Wife Julia [otd 01/02]
T. J. Davis. J. H. Hawley.On January 2, 1837,* Boise pioneer Thomas Jefferson Davis was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father died when Thomas was a boy, so he and a brother were indentured to an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Businessman Peter Sonna Dedicates an Opera House for Boise City [otd 01/03]
On January 3, 1889, the Idaho Daily Statesman, Boise City, Idaho, headlined, “Dedication of the New Opera House under the auspices of the Boise City Board of Trade … ” The article went on, “The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Major Fire Devastates the Silver Mining Town of Wardner [otd 1/4]
On January 4, 1890, a major fire broke out in a laundry behind a popular restaurant in the village of Wardner, Idaho, about a mile south of Kellogg. The small fire department and “hundreds” of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Silver City Merchant and Postmaster M. M. Getchell [otd 1/5]
Meserve Getchell.Directory of Owyhee County.On January 5, 1868, Postmaster Meserve M. Getchell was born in Baring, Maine, on the Canadian border and perhaps 25 miles inland from the Bay of Fundy. Mr....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lewiston Normal School Receives its First Students [otd 1/6]
On Monday, January 6, 1896, Lewiston State Normal School – today’s Lewis-Clark State College – opened its doors to receive its first students. That event was a key milestone on the long path to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Army Scout, Yellowstone Park Protector and Ashton Postmaster Felix Burgess...
Army scout and Fremont County postmaster Felix Burgess was born January 6, 1847 in Reading, Pennsylvania. His father, an immigrant from northern France, moved the family from Reading to St. Paul,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fur Trader and Pioneer Cattleman Johnny Grant [otd 01/07]
Johnny Grant.National Park Service photo.On January 7, 1833, John Francis “Johnny” Grant was born in Alberta, Canada. At the time, his father, Richard, was a clerk working for the British-Canadian...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Outdoorsman, Writer, Photographer, and Game Warden Otto Jones [otd 01/08]
Outdoorsman Otto Jones. J. H. Hawley photo.Photographer and journalist Otto M. Jones was born January 8, 1886 on a ranch near Dillon, Montana. Two years later, the family relocated to a sheep ranch...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Boise Builder, Real Estate Developer, and Mayor Walter E. Pierce [otd 01/09]
Mayor Pierce. City of Boise.Boise Mayor Walter E. Pierce was born January 9, 1860, in Bell County, Texas, between Waco and Austin. Indian unrest in that area forced the family to move to Kansas, where...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Town of Franklin Accepts Being in Idaho and is Formally Incorporated [otd 01/10]
Lorenzo Hill Hatch. Family Archives.On January 10, 1873, the Idaho Territorial legislature passed a “special act” to incorporate the village of Franklin. The Act defined the boundaries of the town,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Noted Microbiologist and Vitamin B-12 Researcher Dr. Mary Shorb [otd 01/11]
Dr. Shorb. University of Maryland.Dr. Mary Shorb, noted microbiologist and vitamin B-12 investigator, was born January 11, 1907 in Wahpeton, North Dakota, about 35 miles south of Fargo.The family moved...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Boise’s Dr. Mary E. Donaldson: Pioneer in Medicine and Elder Care [otd 01/12]
Dr. Donaldson. H. T. French photo.Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, M.D., was born Mary Craker on January 12, 1851 in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, about forty miles northwest of Madison. After graduating from high...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Engineer, Developer, and Boise Mayor Ernest G. Eagleson [otd 01/13]
Ern Eagleson. J. H. Hawley photo.Engineer and Boise Mayor Ernest George Eagleson was born January 13, 1864 near Cadiz, Ohio, 30-35 miles southeast of Canton. The family moved to Iowa and then...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Miner, Builder, Real Estate Developer, and Ferryman John Silcott [otd 01/14]
Ferryman Silcott. J. H. Hawley photo.Clearwater ferry operator John M. Silcott was born January 14, 1824 in Loudoun County, Virginia, just west of Washington D. C.. The family moved to Ohio about four...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Painter, Sculptor, and Wanderer Charles Ostner Gets Paid [otd 01/15]
Artist Ostner. J. H. Hawley photo.On January 15, 1869, the Idaho legislature appropriated $2,500 to reward artist Charles L. Ostner for the equestrian statue of George Washington he had recently...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Geologist, Mining Engineer, and State Mine Inspector Robert Bell [otd 01/16]
Inspector Bell. J. H. Hawley photo.On January 16, 1864, mining engineer Robert N. Bell was born in Yorkshire, England. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1877-1880 and worked first on a farm in Wisconsin....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Iconic Lawyer, Boise Mayor, Governor, and Historian James H. Hawley [otd 01/17]
Lawyer Hawley. Illustrated History, 1899.Lawyer, Governor, Mayor, and Historian James Henry Hawley was born in Dubuque, Iowa, on January 17, 1847. His mother died when James was an infant and he grew...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Freighter, Lumber Man, Rancher, and Mining Investor Josiah Hill [otd 01/18]
On January 18, 1844, Coeur d’Alene pioneer Josiah Hill was born in New Brunswick, Canada. Like others in that part of the country, his father was from the state of Maine. Clipper ship in Cape Horn ice,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Teacher, Rancher, and Nez Perce County Commissioner Charles Leeper [otd 01/19]
Charles Leeper.Illustrated History photo.Nez Perce County pioneer Charles A. Leeper was born January 19, 1850, in Marion County, Indiana, on the outskirts of Indianapolis. Some time before 1870, the...
View Article