The Booming West

The Booming West

By: EmilieRae Smith

At the turn of the twentieth century, the towns west of the Rocky Mountains were economically booming. After Lewis and Clark explored the Pacific Northwest, people began settling in the Idaho Territory. The territory brought many famers and miners to northern Idaho. Moscow, originally named Paradise Valley,  was one of the first towns founded in the area in 1871 and grew to be the largest city in Latah County. Shortly after, towns throughout Latah County came into existence.

In 1905, the western American ideals of many of Latah County's residents were challenged by a proposal to found a company town north of Moscow where all of the community's property would be owned by a single business, the Potlatch Coporation. The company is based out of Spokane, Washington and bought the land in Idaho as a sawmill site. At this time, Potlatch had one of the largest sawmills in the United States. Potlatch Corp. ran the city similarly to how Pullman, WA was run. Pullman got it's name after George Pullman and his company town in Illinois. His company town was very effective and Potlatch adopted many of it's tactics, for example;  only married couples who worked within the company were allowed to rent houses and live there. They created a school, church and general store.

Despite the economic success of Potlatch, locals from neighboring cities like Troy and Moscow had their reservations. In 1905, a newspaper from Moscow was printed about the growing concerns. The mayor of Moscow, W. M. Morgan, even called Potlatch an “un-American” town. The newspaper quoted him saying, “it denied the rights of people to own property -- and follow lines of enterprise of their own choosing, characteristic of the boom-towns of the West.” To him, it was the opposite of Latah County's ideals.  There had been rumors of wood working mills, planting mills and connecting railroads in Moscow and Troy before the announcement of Potlatch. The citizens saw their towns being by-passed in much needed developments.

The employees of the company saw this as an opportunity for a better life. They were looking forward to living in low rental houses that were equipped with electricity, water and sewers, along with a good school and church for their families. They saw Potlatch as a new way of community living, one where you worked alongside your neighbors while maintaining strong family values.

Photos courtesy of University of Idaho Library, Special Collection

A year after Potlatch came into being, the mayor of Moscow visited the town. The Moscow Evening Journal printed an article on March 19, 1906 explaining what the mayor said about the new addition into Latah County. After his visit, mayor Morgan was inclined to take his previous reservations and insults back. He said, “In common with a great many citizens in this community, I have been prone to criticize as un-American the plan of the Potlatch company to refuse to sell a town lot, or to allow anyone to become a property holder in Potlatch. This is a mistake. The three or four hundred men who are working in this town are well fed, well housed, well paid and contented.” After praising the conditions of Potlatch he ended by saying, “by the enterprise of this company the population and taxable property of Latah County will be doubled within the next very few months.”

The sawmill in Potlatch was shut down in 1981. The town was then sold to its residents and in 1986 the commercial district was listed on the National Registrar of Historic Places. Potlatch remains to be a historical town in Latah County and still holds the same values of a close knit community that it did when it was first founded.

If you'd like to read more from these articles, please visit the Latah County Historical Society and ask to see PAM 78-3.

The Bond of Food

The Bond of Food

By: EmilieRae Smith, LCHS Intern

“Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.” - Alan D. Wolfelt

Food has been a staple of society for generations. Especially in our American culture. In post-World War II America, food became the focal point of families. After the war, the economy in America was prosperous. The prosperity was symbolized by a happy, healthy family sitting around a table full of food. The American family gathered around a table full of food after long days of work and school to bond. We still hold the same value of a meal in today's society, whether it be Sunday night dinner with the whole family, holidays or even catching up with old friends at your favorite restaurant. We greet new neighbors and friends with a dish in hand and we show our love and gratitude with baked goods.

In the early 1960's, the Women's Club of Viola, Idaho compiled a recipe book of their favorite entrees, salads, soups, and desserts and made it available to their community and the rest of the county. Whoever this specific recipe book belonged to, they added their own newspaper clippings of other recipes to the collection, making it unique and special.

The Women's Club of Viola, Idaho was established in 1923. These women not only created recipe books, but also made quilting instruction books and continues to make strides to improve their community. As recently as this month, the Women's Club made efforts to rebuild the old Community Center that was built in the early 1940s.[1] The Women's Club has been making efforts to improve and comfort their community for generations.

The perfectly refined recipes sparked my interest, and I began to wonder through how many generations they had been passed down. I have always loved to cook, perhaps the reason I was drawn to the book in the first place. There is something special about homemade meals and something even more special when you know they were created locally. Each of the recipes included in the book is accompanied by the name of the woman who submitted it.

To satisfy my sweet tooth as well as my curiosity, I picked an Apple Cinnamon Puff recipe from the book to test my traditional culinary skills. I will be the first to admit that I am used to following along with step-by-step pictures from the Internet, which the Apple Cinnamon Puffs created by Mrs. Vernon Hillestad did not have.  Not surprisingly though, the puffs turned out great – not due to my baking capabilities, but instead due to the many years of culinary history that lay in the pages of this cookbook.

So, to Mrs. Hillestad and to the rest of the women of the Viola Women's Club, thank you. Thank you for caring so greatly about American tradition that you keep the bonding power of food alive in Latah County for not only my generation, but for the many generations to follow.

If you would like to check out other recipes from this resource, please go to the Latah County Historical Society and ask to see the PAM 88-21 collection.

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[1]   Moscow & Pullman Daily News. Week in Photos. 21 January 2012. Geoff Crimmins.

The Curious Case of the Curator and the Christmas Tree

To begin our tale I would like to thank everyone who came to the McConnell Mansion last week to support the Latah County Historical Society's Victorian Christmas party.  The party was a huge success, thank you.

To fully comprehend the curious case of the curator and the Christmas tree I am here to take you on a journey back in time.  The journey takes you all the way back to November 30, 2015.  While most people were staying at home (or at their office) working on Cyber Monday shopping the Curator went out in search of a Christmas tree.

The morning of the 30th found our curator traveling to Tri-State Outfitters to purchase two Christmas tree permits from the National Forest Service.  As our hero purchased the permits he was expecting some form of a map in which to find the best Christmas trees in the St. Joe National Forest, however finding none he packed up his hand saw and gloves and set his plan in motion.

The curator called his friend Luke Sprague of HistoryMint.com to ask to borrow his truck for the adventure.  Luke Sprague graciously donated the use of his pickup which allowed the curator to get lost in the woods searching for his Christmas Tree.  Driving out from Moscow, Idaho the curator stopped for provisions and fuel for the trip.

On the way to the National Forest the curator stopped in at the Potlatch Ranger Station for a map.  Now that the curator was armed with a map he was still lacking any direction as to where might be a good place to find said Christmas trees.  After examining the map the curator drove off into the National Forest looking for the best Christmas tree that the St. Joe National Forest had to offer.

As the curator navigated the roads winding int the forest he found that all of the side roads (where the curator had planned to look for a Christmas tree) were closed for the season.  Finally after investigating three different areas the curator got out of the truck and began to walk into the woods to find the LCHS Christmas Trees.

The curator left the comfort of the truck with a wool coat, map, measuring tape and gloves.  The curator began by following the roads the he had so recently planned on driving.  As the curator walked down the road he realized that the best trees were probably 30-50 feet high.  The curator decided, as he often does, that more research would be required before selecting a tree so he continued walking.

The road to find the tree.

As the curator continued walking down the road he found plenty of potential trees to chose from but none were just right.  Until he found it, the one.  The curator knew this would be the perfect tree for LCHS, the tree stood about 15 feet tall and was located on a slope which went down to the road.  The curator was excited.  He got out his trusty hand saw and began to liberate the tree from the forest.

The epic battle between the tree and the handsaw.

The curator knew he had truly found the right tree when it was a royal pain in the butt to alter the tree from vertical to horizontal.  As the curator worked up a sweat the tree finally fell.

Timber!

Once the tree had been chopped down the curator was faced with a new set of challenges.  First of all the curator had to get the tree off of the hill, then get the tree back to the truck.

The tree is on the hill to the left.

As the curator began to carefully drag the tree into position he finally got it placed on the road and began to head back to the truck.  While dragging the tree the curator began to realize how far away from the truck he had wandered looking for the tree.  The curator walked down the road with his new friend the tree for about half a mile before finally arriving at the truck.  Once the tree met the truck the curator then had to find a way to insert the tree into the truck for transport back to the McConnell Mansion.

Tree, meet truck.

Tree in truck.

Once the first tree was loaded into the truck the curator went back up the road to find another, much smaller tree for upstairs in the Mansion.  The curator then packed the second tree into the truck and began driving back to the McConnell Mansion.

Once the trees were unloaded at the Mansion the curator asked the executive director of LCHS for assistance in getting the tree in the stand.  Once the tree was properly aligned in the stand the tree was ready to be decorated.  This year the University of Idaho Interior Design group volunteered to spend an evening decorating the McConnell Mansion.  After an evening of hard work the Christmas tree was ready for display.

The decorated Christmas Tree in the McConnell Mansion.

The curator would like to personally thank everyone who helped make this year's Christmas tree a reality including Luke Sprague, Dulce Kersting and the University of Idaho Interior Design group.  The curator would also like to thank everyone who attended this year's Victorian Christmas party.

A Sweet Summer Tradition

The Latah County Historical Society marks 40 years carrying on a local tradition whose origins date back over a century when it hosts its annual ice cream social this Sunday, July 26th, at the McConnell Mansion in Moscow. The event, held from 1:00-4:30 P.M. at 110 South Adams Street, is expected to attract several hundred guests to the Historical Society’s primary public venue. The Historical Society hosts several such community events every year-- including a harvest dinner, a Victorian Christmas party, and an annual potluck-- in addition to its ongoing work collecting, preserving, and cataloging local historic pictures, documents, and artifacts.

A photo of the Hog Heaven Muzzle loaders at the 2007 ice cream social.

William J. McConnell, Idaho’s first two-term governor, built the McConnell Mansion in 1886, and his wife, Louisa, became well-known for the ice cream socials she held there around the turn of the 20th century. The Historical Society’s ice cream socials still honor Louisa’s memory with features such as the esoteric inclusion of fresh pineapple as an ice cream topping-- something she always insisted on when hosting her own parties. 

The Moscow Volunteer Fire Department at the 2007 ice cream social.

This year’s event will involve street closures in the area of 2nd and Adams to make room for a variety of activities, including live music, a water balloon toss, a seed-spitting contest, lace-making, and horse-and-wagon rides. Representatives of the Moscow fire department and the historical reenactment group Hog Heaven Muzzleloaders will be in attendance to make presentations for guests.

Horse drawn wagon rides at the 2007 ice cream social.

Attendance is free of charge, though donations are encouraged. All ice cream is graciously provided by the DeWitt family of Moscow.

Just as in 2007 there will be entertainment for all at the ice cream social.

This article was written by Cody Wendt.

A Streetview Perspective of the McConnell Mansion's Sustainability

The hot and very dry days of summer are upon us, and it's got us thinking about ways to efficiently maintain the grounds of the McConnell Mansion while also being mindful of the water needs of our entire community and region.  Such considerations seem even more important as wildfires threaten neighbors on all sides of the Palouse. 

One way that we are able to conserve water is by maintaining the beautiful trees that surround the Mansion.  Earlier this spring we were pleased to welcome the Moscow Tree Commission to the grounds and serve as a test site for the new program being utilized by the group.  iTree is a free online tool developed by the USDA Forest Service that analyzes the environmental and economic benefits of the trees on any given property.  The Commission is exploring the use of iTree to enhance the Community Forestry Program.  

"The i-Tree Tools help communities of all sizes to strengthen their urban forest management and advocacy efforts by quantifying the structure of community trees and the environmental services that trees provide.  Since the initial release of the i-Tree Tools in August 2006, numerous communities, non-profit organizations, consultants, volunteers and students have used i-Tree to report on individual trees, parcels, neighborhoods, cities, and even entire states. By understanding the local, tangible ecosystem services that trees provide, i-Tree users can link urban forest management activities with environmental quality and community livability. Whether your interest is a single tree or an entire forest, i-Tree provides baseline data that you can use to demonstrate value and set priorities for more effective decision-making." -- www.itreetools.org

Members of the Moscow Tree Commission took measurements of the 34 trees that grow on the McConnell Mansion property.  Those figures were then put into the iTree Design program, which "allows anyone to make a simple estimation of the benefits provided by individual trees. With inputs of location, species, tree size, and condition, users will receive an understanding of tree benefits related to greenhouse gas mitigation, air quality improvements, and stormwater interception. With the additional step of drawing a building footprint – and virtually 'planting' or placing a tree – tree effects on building energy use can be evaluated."

Moscow Tree Commission members Patrick Fekety and Mary Jo Hamilton

The results provided by the iTree report were wonderfully informative.  For example, one report focused specifically on carbon dioxide revealed that our trees will sequester 1,257 pounds of CO2 this year.  The report put that value into perspective when it noted that a flight from LA to NYC which releases ~1,400 pounds of CO2 per passenger.  In total, the iTree Design software produced six separate reports from the data that took just a few hours to gather.  

Along with overall benefits, reports were available for how the trees kept storm water from becoming wasted runoff, how much energy they saved, how they improved air quality, and how much carbon dioxide they sequestered. 

To find out more about how to use the iTree program, I encourage you to contact the Moscow Tree Commission.  You should also take a look at their Tree Selection Guide for Street Tree Planting.  Representatives from the commission will also be available at this year's 40th Annual Ice Cream Social on July 26th to answer any questions you might have about the iTree program.  

Below is the summary report of the benefits provided by the 34 trees that share 110 South Adams Street with the McConnell Mansion.

Rolling Shelving

Some of you out there might be aware that we have a bit of an issue with our rolling shelving.  Here at LCHS we use our rolling shelving units to house our archival records.  These consist of mostly paper records that are housed in acid-free folders which sit in acid-free boxes, which sit on acid-free shelving.  The reason for the absence of acid is that it helps to extend the life of the paper records.

The shelving units roll from side to side to allow us to maximize our space in the shelving units.  However a strange thing started to happen (from since before I came on board), the shelves were drifting.  If you had to get a record from the rolling shelving you would not only have to roll open the aisle you wanted to look into, but also you had to wedge one of your feet into the shelf behind you in order to stop it from rolling back into you.

In order to fix the problem, we contacted a local architect who informed us that the south wall of the building had settled, causing the floor to fall out of level.  In order to re-inforce the floor, we had to move (almost) everything out of the housewares room in the basement to reinforce the beams underneath the rolling shelving.  This part of the project was completed about three months ago.  Now that the floor was not settling any more we still had to fix the shelving.  The shelves run on rails on top of the flooring.  Over time with the settling of the floor the rails had bent and were still out of level even though the floor had been reinforced.

We contacted the local SpaceSaver (the company who makes the rolling shelving) representative to find out what could be done.  A maintenance technician visited the Annex about a month ago to inform us that the shelves needed to be taken out so that they could be re-layed with a steel base underneath the rails to prevent this problem from happening again.  The technician looked at the floor reinforcement and he believes that the floor will not settle further.

So, fast forward to June 12th, the company called and asked if the work could begin on June 22nd.  With a mix of enthusiasm and terror we accepted the start date so that we were not pushed down the list until next fall or worse.  In order to have the rolling shelving ready for the technician I had to remove all of the boxes of records from the shelving.

In order to do this I first made a map of where all of the boxes were.  I plan on making some changes to the organization of the boxes, however it helps to know where everything was before making major changes.  After the map of all the shelves was complete I spent the better part of two days removing all of the records to the research room, volunteer office, mail room, accessions table and oversize storage room.  The rolling shelving is now empty and ready to be fixed.  I'm very excited that the shelving will be fixed soon and look forward to the day when I can grab a box of records without precariously wedging my foot in the proper place to avoid being crushed.

Zachary Wnek
Museum Curator
Latah County Historical Society

The Locust Blossom Festival

Last Saturday (5/30/15) I had the opportunity to head down to Kendrick to enjoy the Locust Blossom Festival.  The festival marked the 55th anniversary of the event and was a lot of fun.  The events started in the morning with a 2 and 5K run.  Then at 10am there was a parade going down main Street, which lasted for almost an hour.  After the parade a fantastic lunch was served, with proceeds benefiting the J-K Lions club.

Since this was my first Locust Blossom Festival I didn't really know what to expect.  However after watching the parade for a few minutes I quickly realized that you should expect a great, family friendly time at the Locust Blossom Festival, which is exactly what I experienced.  Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to put the festival on this year and I look forward to attending again next year.  Mark you calendars teh last Saturday in May for the Locust Blossom Festival.

Here are some pictures of the parade that I took while enjoying the festival.

A keen eye might see a former Latah County Historical Society director in this photo.

By Zachary Wnek

Museum Curator

Latah County Historical Society