07/30/2016
AUGUST 2016 TIMEPIECE©
GOODING COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
P. O. Box 89, Gooding, Idaho 83330
[email protected]
TELEPHONE:
MUSEUM – (208) 934-5318
Answering machine is attached
JOANI PAULS – (208) 934-5366
KRIS QUIGLEY – (208) 490-7466
DONATIONS TO THE MUSEUM
We have had some wonderful donations to the Museum in the last few months. Donna Lucke Thomas has given us several things from her parent’s and brother’s estates which we really appreciate. You need to come in and see them. Yesterday, we picked up two old Kendrick Drug signs from the Gooding Pharmacy and Gary Spackman. We will be hanging the older sign immediately.
Then a nasty rumor surfaced. Someone is spreading a rumor that the Museum is not accepting any items now. That definitely is not true. We love and value any donations that are given to us and we do not say NO. Well, maybe if it is a live snake or spider who may creep in but we have never been given either so we haven’t had to say no.
Our storage space is tight but the Gooding City Council graciously allowed us to place a cargo container at the Museum for the next three years while we work on expanding the Museum for additional storage place.
If you drive by the Museum, you will also notice that we have railings up in front of the schoolhouse, through the hard labor of Ray Faulkner, Tom Faulkner, and Ken Wilson. Yesterday, Nu-Vue Glass installed news windows
to repair the vandalized ones, (seven of them), and the next project is to scrape and stain the exterior of the schoolhouse. We are still looking for the vandals who destroyed the windows, so if you hear anything or know anything, please let us know.
When we get the Thorne Creek School’s interior done, we will be able to move the student’s desks, the teacher’s desk, and other school related items. We will have even more storage space. In other words, we love donations and welcome all that we receive.
AUGUST’S THEME
While reading a book on women in Idaho that we have in our Research Center, I was interested in one woman that was mentioned. The book had information what she had contributed to Gooding and to the State of Idaho. Then two other books attracted my vision so I included them in this month’s theme.
Miss Myrtle Powell was born in 1879 in Avon, Illinois and moved with her family to Gooding in 1909. She served as the first Gooding Librarian in 1909, when the library was in the Herald Office. She married W. L. Enking in 1911 in, who was a lumber yard manager. The married in Salt Lake City and moved to Boise. Unfortunately, Mr. Enking passed away in 1913, so she attended a business college and returned to Gooding to serve as the county auditor.
Myrtle P. Enking ran for state treasurer in 1932 after serving as Gooding County Auditor for 14 years. Mrs. Enking was the first state woman treasurer in Idaho and the second in the nation. Myrtle served as Idaho State Treasurer until she resigned in 1944 to marry W. M. Beatty of Salt Lake. Mr. Beatty was a tax agent for Utah Power and Light. She began the long history of the only office to pass in a woman’s hands until 1998.
After her second husband passed away in 1961, she returned to Boise and in 1966, she married Fred Clark, who was a tax man with Union Pacific. Mr. Clark had been her high school classmate in Avon, Illinois. Mrytle passed away in Boise in 1972. One humorous story about her was that she liked to wear tall hats to hide the fact that she was only four feet, eleven inches tall.
HOUSE CALLS
My second book was written by Dr. Bernard A. Bodmer and its title is HOUSE CALLS. Gooding County Hospital, or as we know today, North Canyon Medical
Center, will turn 100 years old in 1918. They are starting their research on the history of the hospital. When Barbara Bunn mentioned this book; I thought it quite appropriate to read and pass on the information to the hospital. Dr. Bodmer practiced 9 years in Gooding, between Dr. Fred Barrett and Dr. Richard Short. In the first three years of his practice, Dr. Bodmer delivered five sets of twins, with the first set being Ted and Tim Pierson. When he left Gooding, he became a radiologist, finishing his medical career in Boise.
HOUSE CALLS is a great book to read. I borrowed a book from the Gooding Public Library and read it one Sunday afternoon. It is very easy to read and you can figure out the people he mentioned and he does write about some history of Gooding that I didn’t know. One bit of information was about two brothers who owned a store that was established way before my time in Gooding. He said that the two brothers had not spoken to each other since WWII. Any communication had to take place with their employee, Milt, relaying the information. This store was where you could find any unusual hardware part and was on Main Street. We also have a display case from the store that was given to us by the Seifert family. The Seiferts said that it was a lot of work to remove all of the black dust and grime that had accumulated over the years.
Marge Pierson was kind enough to donate a copy of the book to our Research Center. If you would like to read it here, we do have comfortable seats to sit in or a copy can be checked out at the Gooding Public Library.
FAIR-A-DISE
My third book is the premium book for the Gooding County Fair and Rodeo. The Gooding Fair is August 15-20. Antiques may be picked up Saturday, August 20th, from 9:00 PM to 10:30 PM. Any antiques not picked up Saturday can be picked up Sunday, August 21st, from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. After that, you will need to make arrangements with the Gooding County Museum.
This year’s theme is Fair-a-dise and the fair will be 92 years old at the Gooding site. Wendell did have the first fair in 1916 but they didn’t have a rodeo. The WENDELL IRRIGATIONIST, Wendell’s hometown newspaper, reported on July 13, 1916 that Wendell would have a Farm Products Show. The show would show how far Wendell had advanced and how great the agriculture was in this area. They offered great premiums for that era and said the show was quite successful. The Museum has a binder filled with research about that show and it even lists all who won prizes at the show. The information was compiled by Irene Rounsefell and is in our Research Center for anyone to look at.
This year, the antiques will be entered on August 15 between 9:00 AM and 9:00 PM. The Antiques Department has 22 Divisions and 891 classes for items to be entered in. Anyone can enter items in the fair and receive ribbons, but to receive premium money, you must live in and have a Gooding County address. We also ask that your items are clean and free of spiders and their webs. If you have any address labels, please bring them. It will save you from writer’s cramps as you fill out your name and address on each entry label.
The Historical Society does need volunteers for ever day of the fair. On the 15th, as items are entered into the fair, we need people to help move them to their location on shelves for judging. Working on Monday is interesting because the stories told on the items by the exhibitors is fun to listen to.
On the 16th, volunteers are needed to move judged items to the superintendent’s table for ribbons and entry in the premium book. We never ask our volunteers to move large or heavy items and we do have non-physical jobs such as attaching the ribbons. This day is fun because you get to hear what the judge has to say and you also get to see the Best of Show Exhibit before anyone else.
The Antique building is open after the parade on the August 17. Family night brings in a small audience for the buildings due to participation at the carnival. The Antiques building is only open until 10:00 PM.
August 18th, 19th, and 20th are days that we need sitters to watch the Antiques for 2 hour shifts from 10:00 AM through 10:00 PM. At all times, we will have a board member of the Museum or Historical Society there to assist. We also provide chairs and water for our sitters. Sitting with the Antiques is quite fun and full of laughter. That is the truth because every year, the same person complains to the fair office that the Antiques sitters laugh too much and have too much fun in her opinion. I haven’t figured out that statement because I always thought you should have fun when you work or else you were going to not have a good day. If you would like to have fun, laugh a lot, greet many of your friends and neighbors, and have that person complain again, please call Kris or Joani or leave a message on the answering machine and we’ll get you on the schedule.
If you have any questions or need a fair book, please contact us. We do have fair books to hand out and we usually have an answer for you.
SPEAKER NIGHT
On July 20th, we had the Community Education Representative for Idaho Power Company scheduled to speak. Unfortunately, our scheduled speaker was unable to attend due to a closed freeway. Fortunately, we did have another Idaho Power representative, Leo Sanchez, step up and provide a program. Although, he stated that he was there to serve as a” Vanna White”, his stories got people laughing. One of the programs he mentioned that Idaho Power was doing was the “No-Cost Energy-Savings Kits”. When Idaho Power started the program, they thought they would have only 3,000 people ask for the kit. In the few months they have been running the program, over 9,600 kits have been sent. You still can order a kit but it will be late fall or in the winter before Idaho Power can send it. You just need to get on the no-cost energy-savings kit mailing list. My kit had 9 LED bulbs, and other items including a showerhead. Go on line to Idaho Power and in the search box type in “no-cost energy-saving kits” and then follow instructions. The kit is free, plus it is a great deal.
BLISS GARDEN CLUB
The Gooding County Museum would like to thank the Bliss Garden Club for the tree they planted at the Museum. This month besides all of the flowers that the Bliss Club has planted at the Museum, they donated and planted a Serenity Maple sapling. The tree was placed on the southwest corner of the building. The Bliss Garden Club has an interesting background and originally began with violets. Next month, I’ll include information about their history.
KEN WILSON
As you drive by the Museum, you may notice that our weeds are gone. Ken Wilson has mowed and sprayed our weeds several times and we really appreciate his effort. This ground may have a lot of clay in it that hurts other vegetation but the weeds love it. Thank you for helping to keep our grounds in great shape.
SEE YOU AT THE FAIR
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Gooding County Historical Museum & Research Center
(208) 934-5318 273 Euskadi Lane (Hwy 46/ Hwy 26 Junction) Gooding, Idaho 83330
Membership Levels Gooding County Historical Society P. O. Box 89 Gooding, Idaho 83330
Adult Membership (annual) $15.00 (208)-934-5318
Family Membership (annual-2 adults) $25.00 [email protected]
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