Dianne and Ken's Grand Tour of Boise

My friend and fellow Igougo guide Ken (GN: ducksunset) and I just parted company after spending five fun-filled days visiting each other in my adopted home of Boise, Idaho. It was sad parting after so much fun touring around Boise, and Ken said he learned a lot more about Boise from me rather than books or tour groups.

Ken is a train enthusiast and editor of the "Arkansas Railroader" newsletter, a monthly magazine about the history of trains and railroads in Arkansas. He came to Idaho for a special train ride from Ontario, Oregon to Cascade, Idaho. I offered my services as his tour guide during the Boise part of his trip.

We toured some of my favorite places in Boise such as the State Capitol, the Old Train Depot, the Old Idaho Penitentiary (see separate journal), and the sights in Julia Davis Park. Julia Davis Park is one of three great parks in Boise and contains the Idaho History Museum, The Idaho Black History Museum, the Boise Zoo, a model of an old Union Pacific Train, and the Julia Davis Park Rose Garden. These places, to me, are the most interesting and least expensive places to tour in Boise and tell us a lot of Boise's history.

In the following entries to this journal, I will tell you more about my favorite spots in Boise and my trip with Ken. Unfortunately, I was trying to edit some photos on my digital camera, and most of my State House and all of my Old Depot photos were erased. I will add those photos in at another time.

Quick Tips:

All of the places that I have mentioned in this journal are within close proximity of each other and can be reached by foot or car.

A trip to Boise is not complete without a trip to the Idaho History Museum or the Idaho Black History Museum located next to each other in Julia Davis Park. Check tour books for times when they are open.

If you are looking for romance, the Julia Davis Park Rose Garden is the place to go. I know of many couples who became engaged in this garden, and its gazebo is a great place to tell someone that you love them.

Our State Capitol is one of the most beautiful in the country in summertime and at Christmastime when it is decorated with a huge tree in front of the main entrance and a huge "pointsettia tree" in the rotunda.

Wear comfortable shoes because you will be doing a lot of walking. Parking is limited in downtown Boise.

Best Way To Get Around:

All of the above mentioned locations are located near each other on Capitol Boulevard in downtown Boise. If you are traveling by car, take I-84 to 184 all the way to the end of 184. If the State House is your first stop, take a left at Capitol Boulevard to the end. The State House is right there. To get to the other locations from the State House, take a left on 9th Street and it blends into Capitol Boulevard. The Old Depot is on the right on a hill heading towards Vista Avenue. After seeing the Depot, take a right onto Vista, find a place to turn around, and go down Capitol again to Julia Davis Park and its sights. It's a pain to get around, but it is worth your time.

My friend Ken is a big train nut. So, naturally, the first stop in our grand tour of Boise was to the Old Boise Depot near Boise''s city center. It was my first time inside the old Depot, but this is also where I began my life in Idaho on December 12, 1992. The depot was closed for restoration when my train let me off at 5:30am on that cold December day, and I had to wait outside, freezing, with my luggage for my family to come and get me.

Located on a hill overlooking Boise, the Depot was where many hellos and goodbyes took place and is and Idaho Historical Site.

The present-day Depot''s construction began on August 1, 1924 by the Cherdon Construction Company of Salt Lake City, Utah. It was built of concrete and stucco in the Spanish style. The interior is built with heavy timbers with Native American motifs and the floors are made of tile mosaics. When I went inside the Depot, I was reminded of that famous scene in the movie "The Untouchables" when Elliot Ness and his men were bringing Al Capone''s accountant to safety. Except Boise''s interior is a lot smaller than Chicago''s Union Station.

In 1990, Morrison Knudsen bought the Depot from the Union Pacific Railroad and began to restore it for Amtrak Service in 1992. It opened for Amtrak in February 1993, but Amtrak service didn''t last long in Boise because in August 1995, the City of Boise bought the Depot and took over it on January 24, 1996. On May 10, 1997, Amtrak service to Boise ceased to exist.

Now the Boise Depot is a museum for all to enjoy. Admission is free, but they ask for donations to keep the Depot open. It is open daily from 10-5, except holidays.

The Idaho State Capitol in downtown Boise is one of the nicest State Capitols in the USA and deserves about an hour of your time when you visit Boise, Idaho.

Ken and I went to the Idaho State House on August 5. We parked on the 8th Street side of the State House. On the 8th Street side, there is a bed of geraniums in the shape of the State of Idaho. After taking photos and admiring the artistry and beauty of the geraniums, Ken and I went to the Capital Boulevard side of the State House, where the main entrance is.

Construction of the Idaho State Capitol Building began at the beginning of the 20th Century. It was ready for business in January 1913 when Governor John M. Haines became governor of Idaho, and he was the first to be inaugurated in the new Capitol. Built from marble from the USA and Europe, the Idaho State House was built in the same design as the Capitol in Washington, DC.

Ken and I went across the street to take photos of the State House. There is a statue of Governor Frank Steuenberg, who was assassinated at his Caldwell home on December 30, 1905 by a disgruntled miner named Frank Orchard. It is the best place to get a good photo of the State House.

After taking pictures of the exterior of the Idaho State House, Ken and I went inside to admire the architecture and some of the gifts that have been given to the state of Idaho in the past 113 years. There is a replica of the Winged Victory (Nike) that was given to Idaho by France in 1949 as a thank you for Idaho''s contribution of goods on the Merci Train that went to France from the USA after World War II. There is also a gold plated statue of George Washington that was sculpted by an Austrian immigrant to Idaho in the 19th Century that shouldn''t be missed.

One must go down to the bottom floor of the Idaho State House and look up the rotunda to the roof and see the blue sky and stars painted on the rotunda''s top. It is dizzying for some, but beautiful.

On January 1, 1992, the Idaho State Capitol burned down, and it underwent years of rebuilding and reconstruction. It is now open to the public and looks like the fire never happened.

The Idaho State House is open daily for visitors, but you cannot tour the House and Senate when they are in session on the 3rd and 4th floors. At Christmas time, the State House is decorated with a huge Christmas tree at the Capital Boulevard entrance, and inside there is a beautiful pointsettia Christmas tree that goes about 2 stories high. The best time to see the State House at Christmas is at night when it is lit up and in its glory. Admission to the State House is free.

Saturday, August 9, was my friend Ken's last day in Boise, and he wanted to relax and enjoy his last day with his new friend, yours truly. I noticed during our time together that Ken really liked flowers and taking pictures of them. So, I suggested we go to the Julia Davis Park Rose Garden where he would have many flowers to choose from for his photo collection.

Julia Davis was one of the first ladies of Idaho who died in the mid-20th Century. This rose garden was dedicated in her memory in the 1970's and has many rose bushes from around the world. Some are named for famous people, others are named for strange phenomenoms such as the "Black Magic Rose," a beautiful and fragrant red rose. The three main parks of Boise are named for three of Boise's famous women. The Rose Garden is located at the beginning of Julia Davis Park across from the Idaho Historical Museum.

If you are looking for a romantic place to go in Boise, the Julia Davis Park Rose Garden is the place to go. There is a gazebo for one to sit in and smell the roses with the one you love and fountains that spew blue water that add to the romantic feel of the place. My friend Leslie and I have a former co-worker from JC Penney who proposed to his girlfriend there last year, and they just married on August 2, 2003. If you book ahead of time, you can get married in the Rose Garden or have your wedding photos taken there.

It is hard for me to decide which photos will go with this journal since I took so many photos. The best time to see the Rose Garden is early summer when the roses are in their prime. We went in August after a recent heat wave had wilted many of the roses, but most of them still maintained their shape. Admission to the Julia Davis Park Rose Garden is free, and it's open from dawn to dusk.

I have been to Julia Davis Park many time, but I have never been inside the Idaho Black History Museum there. When Ken and I were looking for things to do on his last day in town, I suggested we go and check out the Idaho Black History Museum since we were going to be in the park seeing the Rose Garden there.

When we first entered the Idaho Black History Museum, I was surprised at how small it was. We were greeted by a kind volunteer named Bill who asked us if we were local or from out of town. I said I lived in Boise, and Ken said he was from Arkansas. Bill then told us about the history of the museum.

The museum is housed in the former St. Paul the Baptist Church, one of two African-American churches founded in Boise in 1909. St. Paul's Church was built in 1921 by church members and served as an important place of worship for Boise's small African-American population until they moved to a new location in 1993. A preservation committee fought to save and preserve the church, and the museum has been there since 1995.

The exhibits in the Idaho Black History Museum change often, and the day Ken and I visited, we saw an exhibit on African-American inventors. Did you know an African-American invented the lawn mower>My friend and fellow Igougo guide Ken (GN: ducksunset) and I just parted company after spending five fun-filled days visiting each other in my adopted home of Boise, Idaho. It was sad parting after so much fun touring around Boise, and Ken said he learned a lot more about Boise from me rather than books or tour groups? It was interesting learning about the many inventions we take for granted were invented by African-Americans. It is sad to know that an African-American invented plasma, but bled to death when a white hospital refused to treat him after an accident.

I was hoping for more about the history of African-Americans in Idaho, but I guess I will have to wait for another exhibit.

There was a model train set up on the floor of the museum, and as I was talking with Bill, I looked down, and there was Ken, the train nut, playing with the trains. I just broke up laughing.

The Idaho Black History Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday in the Summer from 10-4 and in the Winter from Wednesday-Saturday from 11-4. It is free to get into the museum, but a donation box is at the entrance to encourage donations to keep the museum going. Idaho Black History Museum
Inside Julia Davis Park, Capital Boulevard
508 N. Julia Davis Drive
Boise, Idaho 83702
USA
(208) 433-0048
www.ibhm.org