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Franchise Granted for Taylor's Bridge Across the Snake River [otd 12/10]
On December 10, 1864, the Territorial legislature granted a bridge franchise to the Oneida Road, Bridge, and Ferry Company for a span across the Snake River in eastern Idaho.Taylor’s Bridge, 1871....
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Glenn Balch: Writer of Horse and Dog Stories for Young Readers [otd 12/11]
Writer Glenn Balch was born on December 11, 1902 in a tiny Texas town that’s now near the southern edge of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Young Balch grew up among animals and the countryside. He...
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Michael Carey – Mine Owner and State Senator [otd 12/12]
Idaho state Senator Michael Carey was born December 12, 1844 in Ireland. The family emigrated to the U.S. in 1850, settling in Keweenaw County, on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The area was known...
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Cattle Ranchers Demand Limit Law on Sheep Grazing [otd 12/13]
On December 13, 1872, the Idaho Statesman (Boise) published a letter from pioneer J. H. Whitson, which said in part: “But the people of Ada county, and perhaps other counties need, ask for and demand a...
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Pacific Northwest Earthquake Rocks Idaho Panhandle [otd 12/14]
Late on the evening of Saturday, December 14, 1872, residents in North Idaho felt a major earthquake that swayed buildings, caused shelved objects to rattle around, and agitated animals. In its report...
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Freighter, Mining Investor, and U. S. Marshall Joe Pinkham [otd 12/15]
Marshal Pinkham.Illustrated History.U. S. Marshal Joseph Pinkham was born December 15, 1833 in Canada. His grandparents were Welsh and had emigrated many years earlier to what became the state of...
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Mining Investor and Idaho Governor Frank W. Hunt [otd 12/16]
Governor Hunt. J. H. Hawley photo.Idaho Governor Frank W. Hunt was born December 16, 1861 in Newport, Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio. His father was an officer in the U.S. Army,...
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Falsely-Convicted “Diamondfield Jack” Davis Finally Released from Prison [otd...
Diamondfield Jack Davis.Denver Public Library, Western Collection.On December 17, 1902, the Idaho Board of Pardons annulled the life sentence of cowboy-gunman Jackson Lee Davis – better known as...
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Weiser Signal Newspaper Publishes Its first Issue [otd 12/18]
On December 18, 1890, Robert E. Lockwood published the first issue of the Weiser Signal newspaper.Vintage printing press.American Local History Network,Clark County, Wisconsin.Lockwood was born in...
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Prominent Boise Area and Twin Falls County Architect Benjamin Nisbet [otd 12/19]
Architect Nisbet. Family archives.Benjamin Morgan Nisbet, who made his name as a fine Idaho architect, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 19, 1873. At age seventeen, Ben began an...
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Mountain Man Osborne Russell Becomes a "Free" Trapper [otd 12/20]
On December 20, 1835, trapper Osborne Russell said he “bid adieu to the ‘Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company’ and started in company with 15 of my old Messmates to pass the winter at a place...
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Truman C. Catlin: Stockman, Irrigator, and City of Eagle Developer [otd 12/21]
Truman Catlin. J. H. Hawley photo.Rancher and developer Truman C. Catlin was born December 21, 1839 in Farmingdale, Illinois, about eight miles west of Springfield.In 1862, he boarded a Missouri River...
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Stock Raisers of Idaho
Truman C. Catlin is one of many ranchers featured in my book about the development of the Idaho stock raising industry:Before the Spud: Indians, Buckaroos, and Sheepherders in Pioneer Idaho. Of course,...
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Civil Engineer, Idaho Falls Mayor, and Idaho Governor Barzilla Clark [otd 12/22]
Governor Barzilla Clark.Bonneville County Historical Society.Barzilla Worth Clark, sixteenth Governor of the state of Idaho, was born December 22, 1881 in Hadley, Indiana, about twenty miles west of...
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Kidnapping and Murder in the Coeur d'Alene Mining Districts [otd 12/23]
On the evening of December 23, 1897, “persons unknown” kidnapped mine foreman Fred D. Whitney from his apartment in Frisco, about four miles northeast of Wallace, Idaho. Then he apparently broke for...
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Murray Newspaperman and Developer Adam Aulbach [otd 12/24]
Prominent Murray, Idaho newspaperman Adam Aulbach was born December 24, 1846 in Belleville, Illinois, 4-5 miles southeast of St. Louis, Missouri. He started early in the newspaper business, first in...
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Civil Engineer and Western Dam Builder John Savage [otd 12/25]
Jack Savage. National Academy of Sciences.On December 25, 1879, world-renowned civil engineer John Lucian Savage was born on a farm about twenty miles south of Madison, Wisconsin. After graduating from...
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First Christmas Services in the Boise Basin
On December 25, 1863, Roman Catholic Fathers held the first Christmas services in the gold towns of the Boise Basin.More details on this event have been posted on the blog for Sourdough Publishing. A...
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Canal Builder and Idaho Falls Mayor Joseph Clark [otd 12/26]
Mayor Clark. Idaho Falls Post-Register.On December 26, 1837, future Idaho Falls Mayor Joseph A. Clark was born in Randolph County, North Carolina, south of Greensboro. The family owned slaves, but...
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New Home Dedicated for Neglected Children in Boise [otd 12/27]
On December 27, 1910, a new, larger building was dedicated for use by the Children’s Home Finding and Aid Society. This ceremony was the culmination of over three years of effort, and continued a...
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