Fur Traders, the "Overland Astorians," Enter Idaho Via Teton Pass [otd 10/5]
On October 5, 1811, a column of whites led by American Wilson Price Hunt mounted the slope out of Jackson Hole toward Teton Pass: “We climbed it, following an easy and much-traveled trail. Snow...
View ArticleBritish Canadian Trappers Camp Along the Salmon River [otd 10/6]
On October 6, 1824, a large band of fur traders, trappers, and camp keepers – the so-called "Snake Brigade"– returned to what they called "Canoe Point." (Probably located where the Pahsimeroi River...
View ArticleClasses Start at College of Idaho, Boise Basin Gold Towns [otd 10/7]
On October 7, 1891, classes began at the new College of Idaho in Caldwell. The Presbyterian Church's Wood River Presbytery began discussing the idea of an Idaho college in 1884. Leaders canvassed the...
View ArticleGuy Bowerman: Bank Organizer and Investor, and Banking Official [otd 10/8]
East Idaho banker Guy Emerson Bowerman was born October 8, 1866, in Coldwater, Michigan, about forty miles south of Lansing. Armed with just a public school education, Bowerman found bank employment in...
View ArticleKitty Wilkins, Horse Queen of Idaho and North American Supplier [otd 10/9]
On October 9, 1936, the Idaho Statesman announced that “Kittie” Wilkins had died the day before at her home in Glenns Ferry. The Statesman then reminded its readers of her place in Idaho history, when...
View ArticleBritish and American Fur Trapper Bands Have Friendly Meeting in Central Idaho...
On October 10, 1830, a party of trappers working for the American Fur Company met the bulk of the “Snake Brigade” – trappers and camp keepers of the British-Canadian Hudson’s Bay Company. The encounter...
View ArticlePacker Lloyd Magruder and Others Murdered on Nez Perce Trail [otd 10/11]
On the night of October 11, 1863, conspirators murdered packer Lloyd Magruder and four other men. The killings took place on the South Nez Percé Trail. The Trail – now also called the Magruder Corridor...
View ArticleBishop Tuttle Arrives in Boise, Rancher and Businessman Peter Pence [otd 10/12]
Bishop Tuttle.Utah State Historical Society.On October 12, 1867, the Right Reverend Daniel S. Tuttle, missionary bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church, arrived in Boise. In the Episcopal Church, a...
View ArticleCattleman Bower Describes “Self-Defense” Shooting of Sheepmen Wilson and...
On October 13, 1898, James E. Bower, Superintendent for the Sparks-Harrell Cattle Company, appeared before a Cassia County Justice of the Peace and made a sworn statement about the killings of sheepmen...
View ArticleCattleman David Shirk Owns Longhorns Driven from Texas [otd 10/14]
“The next day, October 14th, 1871, after all were mounted, we proceeded to divide the cattle,” rancher David L. Shirk said in his memoir.Ridin' drag. Library of Congress.Shirk was one of two junior...
View ArticleRogerson Stockman, Banker, and Businessman Louis Harrell [otd 10/15]
Louis Harrell. J. H. Hawley photo.Idaho stock raiser and businessman Louis Harrell was born October 15, 1853 in Forsyth County, Georgia, about forty miles north of Atlanta. Of course, the Civil War...
View ArticleGeorge Collister: Boise Physician, Spotted Fever Researcher, and Developer...
Dr. Collister. H. T. French photo.Boise physician and developer George Collister, M.D., was born October 16, 1856 in Willoughby, Ohio, just northeast of Cleveland. He graduated from high school there,...
View ArticleSupermarket Innovator and Self-Made Millionaire Joe Albertson [otd 10/17]
Joe Albertson, 1985. Albertson’s, Inc.Supermarket innovator Joseph A. “Joe” Albertson was born October 17, 1906 near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The family moved to a homestead west of Caldwell when Joe...
View ArticleNewspaper Publisher Ben Read, Lurid Headlines Attract Readers [otd 10/18]
Ben Read. J. H. Hawley photo.Idaho Falls newspaperman Benjamin Harrison Read was born October 18, 1888 in Palco, located about 25 miles north of Hayes, Kansas. His father, a storekeeper, moved the...
View ArticleRailroad Developer, Sheep Rancher, and Investor Robert Noble [otd 10/19]
Englishman Robert Noble was born on October 19, 1844 in Cumberland County, a sparsely-populated region on the border with Scotland. The family moved first to Canada when Robert was ten years old. They...
View ArticleThe Louisiana Purchase, and Oregon Country Compromise [otd 10/20]
An interesting coincidence happened On This Day. President Jefferson.National Archives.On October 20, 1803, the Senate approved a treaty authorizing the acquisition of Louisiana from France. President...
View ArticleCattlemen Chided for Missing Opportunities, Railroad Optimism on Camas...
The October 21, 1879 issue of the Idaho Statesman (Boise, then the Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman) editorialized about the opportunities being neglected by many Idaho stockmen: “During the present summer...
View ArticleIdaho Falls Gets Hydropower, William Jennings Bryan Stumps Idaho [otd 10/22]
Early spillway photo from Idaho Falls Power – History.On October 22, 1900, Idaho Falls Mayor Joseph A. Clark initiated "official" municipal operation of a 125-horsepower hydroelectric plant. A...
View ArticleColonel Edgar Heigho: Railroad Manager, Businessman, and Military Adviser...
Edgar Heigho. H. T. French photo.Railroad manager, business investor, and adviser on military affairs Edgar Maurice Heigho was born October 23, 1867 in Essex, England. He came to the U. S. as a young...
View ArticleSettlers Surge into Bruneau Valley, Stock Thieves Then and Now [otd 10/24]
The October 24, 1868 issue of the Owyhee Avalanche, published in Silver City, Idaho, commented favorably on the prospects for settlement in the Bruneau Valley. They had been informed that “several...
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