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Newspaperman and Pure Food Enforcer James Wallis [otd 04/13]
J. H. Wallis. Photo from Rytting biography. Newspaperman and pure food crusader James Hearknett Wallis was born April 13, 1861 in London, England. The family moved to a town near Liverpool when he was...
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Army Leader and Western Explorer Benjamin Bonneville [otd 04/14]
U.S. Army General Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville was born to bourgeoisie parents on April 14, 1796, near Paris, France. His father, perhaps sensing how the political winds were blowing, sent the...
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Fur Trade Leader Donald Mackenzie Navigates Hells Canyon [otd 04/15]
Donald MacKenzie, ca. 1840s. Chautauqua County Historical Society, Westfield, New York. On April 15, 1819, fur trade leader Donald Mackenzie reported his "successful" ascent of the Snake River through...
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Congress Authorizes Fort Sherman Construction in North Idaho [otd 04/16]
Gen. William T. Sherman, ca. 1865. Library of Congress. On April 16, 1878, the U.S. Congress authorized the construction of a fort on Lake Coeur d'Alene at what would eventually become the city of that...
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Nampa Incorporates and Forms City Government [otd 04/17]
On April 17, 1891, the village of Nampa, Idaho was officially incorporated and proceeded to form a municipal government. The town – there's no consensus on the origin of the name – owes its existence...
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Rancher, Horse Breeder, and Sheriff Sam F. Taylor [otd 04/18]
Samuel F. "Sam" Taylor was born April 18, 1848 in Kentucky. Like his cousin, James Madison “Matt” Taylor [blog Dec 10], Sam traced his lineage back to Englishman James Taylor, who emigrated to Virginia...
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Grand Opening for Exotic and Modern Egyptian Theater [otd 04/19]
On April 19, 1927, crowds began to gather outside the brand new Egyptian Theater at least an hour before it was supposed to open, at 7:00 pm. Boise's first movie "palace" had created an expectant buzz...
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Educator, Newspaperman, and Rexburg Patriarch Arthur Porter, Jr. [otd 04/20]
Arthur Porter, Jr. as a young man. Porter family records. Arthur Porter, Jr. – college professor, businessman, public servant, and religious leader – was born April 20, 1876 in Auckland, New Zealand....
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Lewiston Physician and Hospital Founder Edgar White [otd 04/21]
Dr. White. J. H. Hawley photo. Edgar Lee White, Lewiston physician and hospital operator, was born April 21, 1883 in St. Louis, Missouri. The family moved to Spokane in 1888. For five years starting at...
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Boise Brewer and Capitalist John Lemp, Early Idaho Millionaire [otd 04/21]
Brewer, investor and eventual millionaire John Lemp was born in a small town about twenty miles north of Frankfurt, Germany, on April 21, 1838. His father died when he was twelve years old and, two...
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Watermaster, Irrigation Engineer, and Musician Forrest Sower [otd 04/22]
F. L. Sower. Beal & Wells photo. Engineer and irrigation expert Forrest Lindsay Sower was born April 22, 1887 in Battle Creek, Michigan. The family soon moved to Idaho, and Forrest graduated from...
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Banker, Idaho Governor, and Reclamation Manager D. W. Davis [otd 04/23]
Idaho Governor David William Davis was born April 23, 1873 in Wales. The family moved to the U.S. two years later, and the father found work mining coal in the districts northwest of Des Moines, Iowa....
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Movie, TV, and Stage Actor J.D. Cannon ... "McCloud" Co-Star [otd 04/24]
J.D. Cannon as western detective Harry Briscoe in Alias Smith & Jones. ABC TV trailer. Long-time stage, movie, and TV actor John Donovan "J. D." Cannon was born April 24, 1922 in Salmon, Idaho. A...
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Prichard Tries to Hide Coeur d'Alene Gold, Sparks Rush Anyway [otd 04/25]
On April 25, 1882, Andrew J. Prichard* discovered an outcropping of rich gold-bearing quartz in the Coeur d'Alene River watershed. Prichard, and others, had unearthed signs of gold in the area before,...
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Major Lead-Silver Discoveries Spark Rush to Wood River Area [otd 04/26]
On April 26, 1879, Warren P. Callahan filed on a lead-silver claim at the base of the ridge a mile or so west of the present town of Bellevue, Idaho. This filing was a major milestone for what would...
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Governor Issues Proclamation to Protect Chinese from Attack [otd 04/27]
Gov. Stevenson. City of Boise photo. On April 27, 1886, Idaho Territorial Governor Edward A. Stevenson issued a proclamation that said, in part, "The life and property of our citizens, and those of the...
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Sportsman and Idaho Dentistry Pioneer Edward Maberly [otd 04/28]
Boise dentist Edward H. Maberly was born April 28, 1853 in England. Apparently his father and part of the family lived for a time in Illinois before 1855-1860. However, Edward did not arrive in the U....
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Angry Union Men Blow Up Wardner Mill, Kill One Non-Union Worker [otd 04/29]
On April 29, 1899, a train packed with perhaps a thousand angry union members rumbled along the tracks leading from Burke and Wallace into the Kellogg-Wardner area. They were headed for the...
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Railroad Touts Plans for Larger Passenger and Freight Terminals in Idaho...
On April 30, 1909, the Oregon Short Line announced that they would soon begin a substantial upgrade to the railroad facilities in Idaho Falls. This notice followed several years of steadily rising...
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Investor, Political Operative ... and Alleged Smuggler ... Alonzo Cruzen [otd...
A. R. Cruzen. Family archives. Boise capitalist Alonzo R. Cruzen was born May 1, 1858 in Oskaloosa, Iowa, about fifty miles southeast of Des Moines. In 1886, he opened a small town bank in southwest...
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