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...
View ArticleMore 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...
View ArticleProlific 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...
View ArticleIrrigation 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....
View ArticleBurke, 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....
View ArticlePresident Andrew Johnson Defines Fort Hall Indian Reservation [otd 06/14]
President Johnson, 1870-1880.Library of Congress.On June 14, 1867, President Andrew Johnson approved an executive order devised by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The order defined a reservation bounded...
View ArticleOregon Treaty of 1846 Largely Settles U. S.-Canadian Border [otd 06/15]
President Polk. Library of Congress.On June 15, 1846, the United States and Great Britain reached an agreement that settled almost all the remaining disputes about the border between the U. S. and...
View ArticleDistinguished Federal Judge and Legal Educator Ray McNichols [otd 06/16]
Judge McNichols.Photo courtesy ofUniversity of Idaho College of Law.Federal District Judge Raymond C. McNichols was born June 16, 1914 in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. The family moved to Lewiston at some...
View ArticleNez Percés Drub U. S. Army at Battle of White Bird Canyon [otd 06/17]
On June 17, 1877, a column consisting of U. S. Cavalry and a few civilian volunteers engaged Nez Percés warriors in the Battle of White Bird Canyon. This was the opening clash of the Nez Percés War,...
View ArticleEarly Nez Percés: Image versus reality
After the Nez Percés treaty of 1855, mentioned in my blog item of about a week ago, white Indian Agents made every effort to downplay the warrior traditions of the tribe. By selling that image they...
View ArticleIdaho National Guard Mobilized for Mexican Border Duty [otd 06/18]
On June 18, 1916, state authorities mobilized the Idaho National Guard for duty on the Mexican border. The Governor had received instructions from the Secretary of War under the National Defense Act,...
View ArticleIdaho Chief Justice, Businessman, and Educator James F. Ailshie [otd 06/19]
James Franklin Ailshie, Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court, was born June 19, 1868 in Greene County, Tennessee, 50-70 miles east of Knoxville. He attended a "noted preparatory school" through his...
View ArticleBoise River Water Flows into the New York Canal [otd 06/20]
On June 20, 1900, a rude diversion structure turned water from the Boise River into the New York Canal. The diversion, though feeble, culminated nearly twenty years of effort to bring irrigation water...
View ArticleSportsman, Animal Advocate, and District Judge Charles F. Koelsch [otd 06/21]
Judge Koelsch. H. T. French photo.Idaho District Judge Charles F. Koelsch was born June 21, 1872, in Mayfield, Wisconsin, about twenty miles north of Milwaukee. He graduated from high school at the age...
View ArticleIrrigation Water Flows into East Idaho's Great Feeder Canal [otd 06/22]
On June 22, 1895, water was diverted from the Snake River into the Great Feeder Canal. The Diversion Dam, located about 20 miles northeast of Idaho Falls, supplied water to one of the most ambitious of...
View ArticleRicks College (Brigham Young University-Idaho) President Hyrum Manwaring [otd...
President Manwaring.BYU-Idaho archives.Hyrum Manwaring, President of Ricks College (now Brigham Young University - Idaho) was born June 23, 1877, southwest of Salt Lake City, Utah.In 1890, the family...
View ArticleMountain Man and Western Explorer Jedediah Smith [otd 06/24]
Jed Smith, drawn ca. 1835by a close family friend.Family archives.June 24, 1798 is one of two presumed birth dates* (the other is Jan 6, 1799) of mountain man and Western explorer Jedediah Strong...
View ArticleGeneral Edward McConville: Civil War Veteran, Indian Fighter, and Philippines...
General McConville. Illustrated History.General Edward McConville was born June 25, 1846 in Jefferson County, New York. Histories of the day noted that he came from a "martial family," whose members...
View ArticleSportsman, Conservationist, and Outdoor Writer Ted Trueblood [otd 06/26]
Ted Trueblood, angler.Trueblood Collection,Boise State University.Hunter, angler, conservationist, and writer Cecil Whittaker “Ted" Trueblood was born June 26, 1913 in Boise. He grew up on a farm near...
View ArticleMining Investor, Prominent Mason, and Judge Jonas Brown [otd 06/27]
Judge Brown. H. T. French photo.Early Western pioneer and prominent Idaho lawyer Jonas W. Brown was born June 27, 1825 in Coshocton County, Ohio, 60-70 miles northeast of Columbus.Around 1842, Jonas...
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