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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: Boise Valley Stockman, Irrigator, and Eagle Developer [otd...
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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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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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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Award-Winning Children’s Author Carol Ryrie Brink [otd 12/28]
Author Brink. Publisher photo.Writer Caroline Ryrie was born December 28, 1895 in Moscow, Idaho. Misfortune dimmed her early years. When she was five, her father died of tuberculosis.The following...
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Moses Goodwin: Pioneer Builder, Mine Operator, Rancher and More [otd 12/29]
Moses Hubbard Goodwin, pioneer builder, mine operator, rancher, and lumber man, was born December 29, 1834 in Waldo County, Maine, northwest of Penobscot Bay. His grandfather, Aaron, was a ship’s boy...
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Ex-Governor Frank Steunenberg Assassinated, Fire Destroys Post Falls Sawmill...
Governor Steunenberg. University of Utah.On December 30, 1905, an assassin’s bomb murdered former Idaho Governor Frank Steunenberg. The resulting investigation, arrests, and trials had worldwide...
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Mining Investor, Legislator, and Federal Marshal James Crutcher [otd 12/31]
James Crutcher. Illustrated History.On December 31, 1835, U. S. Marshal James I. Crutcher was born in Shelby County, Kentucky, east of Louisville. In 1860, James followed the rush to the gold fields of...
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Snake Brigade Leader Peter Ogden Laments Fur Trade Deaths [otd 01/01]
Peter Skene Ogden.Oregon Historical Society. On New Year's Day, 1829, Peter Skene Ogden wrote in his journal, “One of the trappers left in charge of the sick man arrived with his horse fatigued and...
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Boise Developers and Patrons Thomas J. Davis and Wife Julia [otd 01/02]
T. J. Davis. J. H. Hawley.On January 2, 1838, 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...
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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...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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, his father sold the Montana property and...
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