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Idaho Territory Reduced in Size to Create Montana [otd 05/26]
On May 26, 1864, the U. S. Congress passed legislation that reduced the previously-massive Idaho Territory by creating Montana Territory and splitting off most of future Wyoming. President Lincoln...
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Snake Indians Defeat U. S. Army at Battle of Three Forks [otd 05/27]
The afternoon of May 27, 1866, a force of white infantry and cavalry encountered a band of about 500 “Snake” (Shoshone-Bannock-Paiute) Indians at the Three Forks of the Owyhee River. Major Louis H....
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Western Film Maker and Adventure Writer Oliver Drake [otd 05/28]
Prolific writer, producer, and director Clarence Oliver Drake was born May 28, 1903 in Boise. While not especially “wild” by that time, Idaho retained much of its Western character: Cowboys rode the...
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Political Operative, U. S. Senator, and Public Servant Fred Dubois [otd 05/29]
Senator Dubois. Library of Congress. Idaho Senator and political operative Fred Thomas Dubois was born May 29, 1851 in a tiny Illinois town about thirty-two miles south and a bit west of Terre Haute,...
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Weiser and Boise Physician Joseph R. Numbers, M.D. [otd 05/30]
Weiser mayor and southwest Idaho physician Joseph Reno Numbers was born May 30, 1864 on a farm near Lexington, Ohio, about 50 miles northeast of Columbus. Besides the common schools, Numbers attended...
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Businessman, Attorney, and Idaho Legislator Lorenzo Thomas [otd 05/31]
Lorenzo Thomas. Family archives. Idaho legislator, attorney, and businessman Lorenzo R. Thomas was born May 31, 1870 in Staffordshire, England. His grandparents had converted to the Church of Jesus...
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Indian Agent Discourses on “The Snake Indians” [otd 06/01]
On June 1, 1863, J. W. Perit Huntington, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Oregon, addressed a report to his Washington, D. C. boss, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. The essay summarized what he...
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Boise Replaces Volunteer Fire Department with Professional Firefighters [otd...
On June 2, 1902, Boise’s volunteer fire crew disbanded and fire protection became the responsibility of the new professional Boise Fire Department. Early Boise Fire Station. Boise Fire Dept. Boise City...
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Army Doctor M. W. Wood and Spotted Fever Research [otd 06/03]
Marshall Wood. U. S. Army archives. Lieutenant Colonel Marshall William Wood, Army Medical Corps, was born June 3, 1846, in Watertown, New York, about sixty miles north of Syracuse. He enlisted as an...
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Pettigrew Amendment Clarifies Forest Reserves Management [otd 06/04]
Senator Pettigrew. Library of Congress. On June 4, 1897, President William McKinley signed a "Sundry Civil Appropriations" bill, which included an amendment crucial to the development of our national...
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Eleven Dead, Millions in Damages Due to Teton Dam Failure [otd 06/05]
On the morning of Saturday, June 5, 1976, observers noticed a major leak in the north abutment of the Teton Dam. This came after two days of increasing seepage. Within about three hours, a whirlpool in...
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Weiser Stockman and Irrigation Developer Thomas Galloway [otd 06/06]
Tom Galloway. Illustrated History. Weiser pioneer Thomas C. Galloway was born June 6, 1837 in Iowa County, Wisconsin, about forty miles southwest of Madison. According to the Illustrated History, his...
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Farm Equipment Dealer and Agricultural Developer Sylvester Hill [otd 06/07]
Agricultural pioneer Sylvester Hill was born June 7, 1855 in Dekalb County, Illinois. Bolstered by a business school education, he first worked as a traveling salesman for the Deering Harvester...
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Silver City Volunteers Battle Bannock Indians at South Mountain [otd 06/08]
On June 8, 1878, a loose column of Silver City volunteers moved generally southward along South Mountain Creek. Angry Bannocks led by Chief Buffalo Horn were trying to join possible allies in Oregon....
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Treaty of 1863 Reduces Nez Perce Reservation, Sows Seeds of Trouble [otd 06/09]
On June 9, 1863, U. S. government negotiators concluded a treaty with the Nez Percés Indians. That treaty substantially reduced the "official" reservation, and promoted tensions that would bear ill...
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More Paved Highways, Better Bridges Demanded by “Good Roads” Groups [otd 06/10]
On Tuesday, June 10, 1913, the Fourth Annual Convention of the Intermountain Good Roads Association opened in Boise. Convention sessions ran through Thursday evening, with such topics as "Good Enough...
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Prolific and World Famous Bridge Designer David Steinman [otd 06/11]
D. B. Steinman. Boston College collections. David Barnard Steinman, considered one of the greatest bridge designers of all time, was born June 11, 1886 in New York City. He grew up almost literally in...
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Irrigation Developer, Idaho Governor, and U. S. Senator James Brady [otd 06/12]
Senator and Governor James H. Brady. Library of Congress. U. S. Senator and Idaho Governor James Henry Brady was born June 12, 1862 in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. According to the biography in J. H....
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Burke, Idaho, Ready for Almost a Century of Silver Production [otd 06/13]
On June 13, 1885, a group of prospectors met and “declared” the town of Burke. They picked a spot about six miles up Canyon Creek from Placer Center (soon to be Wallace), itself only a few months old....
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President Andrew Johnson Authorizes Fort Hall Indian Reservation [otd 06/14]
President Johnson, 1870-1880. Library of Congress. On June 14, 1867, President Andrew Johnson signed a very brief Executive Order that authorized two reservations “as recommended by the Acting...
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