Larry Cain - Nampa

IMAGES
of America

NAMPA

ON THE COVER: Taken in 1949, this image shows Nampas Main Street looking northwest. The presence of new cars and bicycles illustrates that the city was recovering economically from World War II. (Courtesy of the Canyon County Historical Society.)

IMAGES
of America

NAMPA

Larry Cain

Copyright 2014 by Larry Cain
ISBN 978-1-4671-3212-1
Ebook ISBN 9781439647622

Published by Arcadia Publishing
Charleston, South Carolina

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014931003

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Dedicated to my son Kevin Cain, who would have loved the history and pictures presented in this book.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Special thanks go to Tom Mark and the Canyon County Historical Society for their help with most of the photographs in this book. I would also like to thank Bob Quinly for his editing help on this and other books. My wife, Bonnie Jean Cain, gave constant encouragement and suggestions along the way. I should mention my high school history teacher, Annie Laurie Bird, who gave me a love of history and an ongoing curiosity about my hometowns past. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs are courtesy of the Canyon County Historical Society.

INTRODUCTION

When plans for the Boise & Central Idaho railway were approved, the tracks were to cross Alexander Duffess Indian Creek Ranch. Duffes started the Nampa Townsite Company, which was incorporated on September 6, 1886. Within a year, the town had grown from 15 houses to 50. Daniel Bacon moved his newspaper from Boise to Nampa in 1888 and renamed it the Nampa Progress; this helped develop the town, and its population grew to 347 by 1890. In a few more months, irrigated farming became possible close to Nampa, and a year later, a municipal government was organized.

By 1900, Nampa had a good representation of church denominations and an adequate school system. About 66,000 acres of irrigated farms were in production near the town, and another branch railwaythe Boise, Nampa & Owyheehad reached Murphy in 1899. With the Idaho Central being purchased by the Oregon Short Line, the Boise branch line retained the name while the rest of the railroad became part of the Oregon Short Line. These two railroads merged in Nampa along with the Idaho Northern and the Boise, Nampa & Owyhee. Four railroads meeting in Nampa gave it the nickname of the Junction City.

By 1900, the town had an aggressive home-building industry, a number of churches, and a good school system, which graduated its first high school class (nine girls) in 1903. The first boy to graduate was Adin Fox in 1904. These things made it an attractive place to settle. Nearly 66,000 acres of irrigated farmland now surrounded the town, and it was becoming a trade center for the agricultural area, which created a friendly atmosphere for the growth of business.

The travel book Over the Range to the Golden Gate, published in 1904, describes Nampa: Population 1500, industries, fine agriculture and fruit and exceptional stock raising facilities. Iron foundry, canning and evaporating establishments, creamery. One hundred and fifty thousand acres of fine land now under water; forty thousand acres under cultivation, balance will be irrigated upon completion of present irrigation plants.

In 1907, the completion of the Deer Flat Reservoir (or Lake Lowell) brought thousands of additional acres under cultivation. The most important industry that year was the opening of the Western Idaho Sugar factory. It flourished until 1909, when blight corrupted the beet crop. The farmers thought the company had given them bad seed, and the beet crop fell off so drastically that the factory was dismantled in 1912. But the growth in other areas of agriculture led to more expansion in Nampa. In 1926, Pacific Fruit Express opened, which contributed to more growth. The company operated refrigerated railcars so produce could be shipped all over the United States and Canada. It was a joint venture between the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads.

Business growth brought the formation of the chamber of commerce in 1905. It put out advertising and publications that extolled the virtues of Nampa, the Junction City. These promotions brought people to settle in the town and attracted new businesses to Nampa.

Social life blossomed by 1900 and continued to grow through the 20th century. Many clubs were formed. They sponsored all kinds of entertainment to raise money for noble causes, and improvements for the citizens of the city flowed forth. The Womens Century Club was the most prominent in the early years, and the group is still a force today. It was the driving force in obtaining a library for the citys readers, and it also formed the first kindergarten. Other clubs and organizations that brought improvement to Nampa include the Lions, with their glasses program; and Kiwanis, which funded a track for the high school athletic program, to name just two. All of the service clubs were dedicated to the improvement of life for Nampas citizens.

Dances were a favorite pastime of the towns populace from the beginning. Some of the dance halls that were very popular were Yorgasons, the Lake Lowell Pavilion, Moonbeam, and the Eagles in the 1920s, as well as Shadowland and El Patio in the ensuing years. The movies were always a huge draw. The most popular theater was the Majestic, with its fantastic decoration. Others were the Liberty (later the Adelaide) and the Pix. Sports were also popular. High school sports like football and basketball started in 1909, and both were still being played over 100 years later. Fans came to old Rodeo Park and, later, Bulldog Bowl for football, and after 1937, they gathered at the Central Assembly Building for basketball. Local town teams in basketball, baseball, and softball brought the faithful to the parks on warm summer evenings.

Education improved, and the schools multiplied. In 1929, Central Junior High School was opened, and 1937 saw the Central Assembly Building and Eastside and Roosevelt Grade Schools put into service. Lincoln Elementary School began in 1949, and a new high school was established in 1955, showing that the city was dedicated to education. Northwest Nazarene College opened in 1913 and continued to grow with the town. The Nazarene Academy evolved into Nampa Christian High School. As of today, two more public high schools and a number of charter schools have been added to the mix.

Nampa saw its share of disasters and bad times, such as the fire of 1909, the Drake Drug fire in 1937, the explosion of the Forbidden Palace in 1947, and, of course, the Great Depression, but they also had good times and enjoyed special events like Chautauqua, Harvest Festival, rodeos, sports, and business promotions that brought in special entertainment and low prices.

As the century matured, Nampa grew and became a typical American small town. A national publication, Parade Magazine, featured Nampa as just that, devoting parts of two issues to the community. The Idaho Free Press and KFXD started a publicity campaign a full month before the big event. There was a full week of activities in the town, including a Hollywood premiere at the Majestic. Additionally, Mutual Broadcasting System produced their daily show The Better Half from Central Auditorium, and the well-known local group the Eight Piano Symphony performed. The magazine tabbed Nampa as Main Street America, and a new sign proclaimed the distinction over the Eleventh Avenue subway. The merchants business during that week broke all records by a landslide.