Preston

9781467132824

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Known first as Worm Creek because of a stream winding through dry bluffs, Preston, Idaho, blossomed as its first residents harnessed life-giving waters from surrounding mountains. The first homesteaders, who arrived in 1866, hauled lots of water, often wondering if their efforts to tame Mother Nature would ever pay off. On his way to Bear Lake, Brigham Young, colonizer of the West and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had his driver stop near the present business district of Preston. Placing his cane to the ground, he said, "There will be a great city built here." Today, Preston is a pretty great place.

Moscow

9780738548685

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Each spring for centuries, the Nez Perce Indians visited the area they called Taxt-hinma (place of the spotted deer) to harvest the camas root. Today Taxt-hinma is Moscow, Idaho, a forward-looking university community dedicated to preserving the spirit of place that attracted the area's first permanent settlers in 1871. Originally known as Paradise, Moscow started out as a trading center serving homesteaders settling the prodigiously fertile Palouse. Since its incorporation as a city in 1887, Moscow has grown steadily upon a foundation of education and agriculture. From its central core of notable commercial and public buildings to the splendid houses that once sheltered its founders to the scenic University of Idaho campus, Moscow is clearly a community that values its cultural, economic, architectural, and natural heritage.

Ernest Hemingway & Gary Cooper in Idaho

9781467137188

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In the autumn of 1940, two icons of American culture met in Sun Valley, Idaho--writer Ernest Hemingway and actor Gary Cooper. Although "Hem" was known as brash, larger-than-life and hard-drinking and "Coop" as courteous, non-confrontational and taciturn, the two became good friends. And though they would see each other over the years in Hollywood, Cuba, New York and Paris, it was to Idaho they always returned. Here they hunted together, waded through marshes and hiked sagebrush-covered hills, sometimes talking and sometimes not but continually forging a close comradeship. That bond sustained them through the highs and lows of stardom, through personal trials and triumphs and from their first conversation to their deaths seven weeks apart in 1961. Author Larry Morris celebrates the story of that unforgettable friendship.

Legendary Locals of Idaho Falls

9781467101684

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In 1864, a stage line driver named Matt Taylor and two associates decided Black Rock Canyon was the place for a toll bridge to handle traffic to and from Montana. The following year, their bridge opened and a town called Eagle Rock took shape. With the coming of the railroad, trains brought everyone from saloon keeper Dick Chamberlain to temperance crusader Rebecca Mitchell. To project a more genteel air, Eagle Rock became Idaho Falls in 1891. Joseph Clark, the first mayor, and newspaper publisher William Wheeler were just two of the people who helped pave the streets and turn on the lights. After assiduous wooing by boosters such as Bill Holden, D.V. Groberg, and E.F. McDermott, the Atomic Energy Commission in 1949 chose Idaho Falls for the headquarters of its National Reactor Testing Station. Today, Idaho Falls is a vital trading and service center with two hospitals, a professional baseball team, symphony orchestra, and world-class museum. It is also the hometown of some remarkable people who have gone out in the world to make names for themselves.

Idaho Beer

9781626193796

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In a state famous for producing great potatoes, it's easy to forget about Idaho's barley and hops. Few states can boast the quality barley grown in southern and eastern Idaho or the aromatic hops grown in Treasure Valley. These crops combine to create a beer that is distinctly Idaho--a taste of home. Join author Steve Koonce as he surveys the best brewers from across the state. Koonce tracks the state's storied brewing heritage and offers an in-depth look at Idaho's vibrant modern beer scene. With more than twenty breweries statewide, there's so much to see, and taste, in Idaho. Enjoy a refreshing guide to the best brew the state has on tap.

Idaho Falls Post Register

9780738559681

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This once-rowdy railroad town completed its metamorphosis into a real city--with paved streets, lights, and a firm foothold on law and order--only after decades of struggle and tumultuous, sweeping social change. In the middle of the fray were three distinctly different newspapers, which often took opposing sides, acting as both contestants and self-appointed referees. The Register, with its dapper editor, William Wheeler, at the helm, was an upright proponent of Republican principles and agricultural expansion. The feisty, financially unstable Times was usually a Democratic Party organ and prone to fighting lost causes. The Daily Post, a brash newcomer arriving in 1905, challenged the establishment with a progressive, pro-labor outlook. All eventually combined to become the independent and still locally owned Post Register.

Hailey

9780738588995

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When Hailey was founded in 1881, it was one of many boomtowns that sprang up as a result of the lead-silver rush in the northwestern United States. The city was named for John Hailey, a successful entrepreneur who operated a freight hauling business before the railroad reached the Wood River Valley. The new town's strategic location--in proximity to surrounding, rich lead-silver deposits and at the junction of the Wood River and Croy and Quigley Canyons--allowed Hailey to become a bustling center of commerce and mining. Over the years, Hailey grew and changed with the rise and fall of the local mining and sheepherding industries. In recent years, Hailey has reinvented itself yet again, with tourism as the mainstay of the local economy. More than 130 years after its founding, Hailey remains a vibrant and energetic community in the heart of the Wood River Valley.

Latah County

9780738531335

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Its name derived from the Nez Perce language, Latah County is the only county in the United States to have been created by an Act of Congress. The abundance of its natural resources--from blue fields of camas to deep veins of gold, from great stands of white pine trees to vast green grasslands--attracted a diversity of dreamers seeking only the opportunity to build their own futures. Nestled in the heart of the Palouse, an agricultural area of extraordinary production, Latah County is a land of timber and, at Potlatch, was once the site of one of the largest sawmills in the world. At Moscow, it is also the home of the state's land-grant institution, the University of Idaho. From the forests of Troy and the ridges of Juliaetta and Kendrick, from the homesteads of Genesee to Bovill's hunting lodge and Deary's town site, Latah County has had a rich and varied history.

Calamity Jane and Her Siblings

9781467119399

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The mere mention of Calamity Jane conjures up images of buckskins, bull whips and dance halls, but there's more to the woman than the storied legend she became. Born Martha Canary, she was orphaned as a child and assumed the responsibility of caring for her siblings. Much too young and ambitious to rear a family, she found homes for all. After setting off on her own, Martha tried to reconnect with her fractured family in her typical haphazard fashion, all the while transforming into Calamity Jane. Soon, her own foibles and her siblings' choices rendered the attempt futile. From brother Elijah's horse thieving to sister Lena's denial of Martha's tales, author Jan Cerney uncovers the tumultuous Canary family often overlooked in the Calamity canon.

Cover image for Calamity Jane and Her Siblings, isbn: 9781467119399

Legendary Locals of Boise

9781467101660

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Boise of the 21st century is very different from the tiny community established in 1863 at the crossroads of the Oregon Trail and the road to the Boise Basin gold mines. Originally known as Boise City, it existed as a distribution center for supplies and fresh food for miners. The development of irrigated agriculture and the expansion of transportation networks during the 20th century and an influx of pioneers from many regions of the United States helped the city grow into a technology center during the 21st century. Early residents like Tom and Julia Davis helped create a city filled with green parks and walking paths; author and illustrator Mary Hallock Foote brought Boise to the attention of the nation with her writing and illustrations; businessmen J.R. Simplot and Joe Albertson established local businesses that grew to national companies. The music of Curtis Stigers, the literature of Anthony Doerr, and the athletic prowess of Kristin Armstrong have helped focus attention on Boise, which is now recognized as one of the country's most livable communities.

Boise

9781467132565

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Boise was founded on the Oregon Trail in 1863, shortly after the opening of Fort Boise, which was built to protect the gold that had recently been discovered in the Boise Basin around Idaho City. By the late 1800s, Boise had a very large downtown infrastructure, and it saw the addition of many multistoried buildings after 1900. In the late 1960s though the 1970s, Boise experienced a major urban renewal project with many of the historic buildings being torn down to make way for a new downtown mall. Since the 1970s, many new buildings have filled in the lots created by the urban renewal. This book will give readers an idea of what Boise once looked like.

Ghosts of Pocatello

9781609499655

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From the Native American tribes who first inhabited the land to the gold rush prospectors who flocked to the burgeoning town in the 1860s, Pocatello's legacy is defined by fascinating historical figures and colorful characters. But many restless souls from the city's past refuse to fade quietly into history. Join author John Brian as he records the voices and visions that haunt Pocatello today. Whether it's the long-dead theater devotee who still attends shows at Frazier Hall, the specter of a woman who evaded a judge at the Bannock County Courthouse or the many spirits that haunt a farm built on sacred Shoshoni tribal land, this collection proves that the Gate City is flooded with ghosts.

Wicked Boise

9781467152228

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Corruption, scandal, and injustice take center stage inWicked Boise< p>

Known today for its beauty, safety and livability, Idaho's capital city does harbor a few skeletons in its closet. Vigilantes lynched Ada County's first sheriff. A wealthy brothel owner was viciously murdered and found secretly living in squalor. The sensational Prohibition-era trial of a moonshine ring that included the sheriff, police chief and a prominent doctor extended a morality crusade by law enforcement. Mike Kirby was arrested and condemned to three years hard labor for sending a "most disgustingly worded letter'?, while others were sentenced for violating the state's infamous "crime against nature" law.

Author Janelle M. Scheffelmaier explores motive, morality, and the uncomfortable gray space between right and wrong as she unearths some of Boise's darkest moments.

Moscow:

9780738524252

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Centered in the glorious Palouse, a richly fertile area, the small Idaho town of Moscow was once home to the Nez Perce, who introduced the famous spotted Appaloosa horses. The intimate Moscow feel inspired by current residents has persisted since the original homesteaders settled here, a place they called "Paradise Valley." Resisting the anonymity of many rural agricultural towns, Moscow proudly claims an educational, civic, commercial, and cultural reputation far beyond a town of its size, a monument to the people who elevated the community.

Ghosts of Idaho's Magic Valley

9781609496012

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Barking dogs, silent birds and a malodorous stench foretell encounters with the ghostly apparitions and strange creatures that stalk Magic Valley. Are these just fanciful notions and figments of the imagination? Not according to eyewitnesses who swear things really do go bump in the night in south central Idaho. Read about the Stricker Ranch caretaker awakened by the phantom of a pioneer woman, the piercing red eyes that frightened visitors at Albion's normal school campus, the couple whose property is haunted by ancient spirits and the woman and her grandson who encountered Bigfoot's foul stench in a local wilderness. Turn on the lights, get cozy and read on as author Andy Weeks investigates the phenomena and local lore of Idaho's Magic Valley.