Bank of Troy

The bank of Troy was built in 1910 at this site.  In 1914 the bank merged with the First Bank of Troy, located across the street.  When the banks merged, Ole Bohman was elected president, a post that he held for 47 years.  The next president of the bank became Frank Brocke.  Frank Brocke, who began as a cashier at the bank, became one of the most successful bankers in the West.  In 1960 the First Bank of Troy had over 6,000 active accounts, the city of Troy at this time had just over 500 people living in it.  Frank Brocke was so successful that he received an award for his hard work and had an article written about the First Bank of Troy and himself featured in the Los Angeles Times.  Frank Brocke studied his customers and their needs.  Customers were constantly astonished when the president of their bank knew all of them by name as they entered the bank.  Frank Brocke studied not only the finances of the bank but also his customers, examining their needs and ensuring that he knew exactly how to best serve them.  The First Bank of Troy was one of the last locally owned and operated banks in the United States.

Frank Brocke at work, Courtesy of the Latah county Historical Society, Brocke.F.01.

Frank Brocke had the pleasure of being held up at gunpoint.  The first time was in 1950 when a masked bandit made off with $5,448.00.  The bandit made off with the money but did not get far as Frank Brocke quickly alerted local officials to the robbery.  This robbery was quick and easy, not very well planned and the robber had no intention of clearing the vault.

Frank Brocke, age 69, Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, Brocke.F.02.

The second robbery was a different story.  At approximately 4 A.M. on September 6, 1963 a man broke into Frank Brocke's private residence.  After waking the Brocke family he let his two accomplices into the house.  Once the band had assembled they held the Brocke family hostage until the bank vault opened at 9 A.M.  Frank Brocke informed the intruders that the vault, which was on a time release lock, was old and did not always open directly at 9.  At 7 A.M. two of the band took Frank Brocke into the bank while the third bandit held Margie (Frank's wife) and Bob (Frank's 15 year old son) hostage.  The robbers remained in the bank, holding anybody who entered the bank hostage, all the while proclaiming that nobody would get hurt if they didn't step out of line.  The clock finally struck 9 o'clock.  Unfortunately, the vault door did not open.  The robbers informed Frank Brocke that if it did not open by 9:15 that they would shoot him.  At 9:14 the vault door opened and the robbers took $55,386.00 and headed out of the area.  The robbers were eventually apprehended in Seattle, WA the next day.



References:

Doroty Anderson, Troy City Historian.

Otness, Lillian W. A Great Good Country: A guide to Historic Moscow and Latah County, Idaho. (Moscow: Latah County Historic Society, 1983), 131-132.

The Spokesman-Review, September 7, 1963, Front Page.

Genesee

The site of present-day Genesee was located within the Nez Perce Reservation by the Treaty of 1855. It fell outside the reservation under the controversial new treaty in 1863, a year after the Homestead Act was passed by Congress and three years after gold was discovered at Pierce, Idaho.  Idaho territory was also formed in 1863 with Lewiston as the short-lived capital. As a homestead could not be claimed until the land had been officially surveyed, major settlement around Genesee would not occur until the first surveys were completed in 1870-1871. 

Main Street in Genesee, no date, courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 06-02-03.

In 1870, John P. Vollmer, Alonzo LeLand and a man named Stone, who was the agent for the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company, made a trip from Lewiston up Cow Creek.  Stone mentioned that the area reminded him of his home in the Genesee Valley of New York and that is how the town and valley got its name. “Old Town” Genesee was established in 1879 on the main Nez Perce trail that would become the first stagecoach road from Lewiston.  A fort was built in the town in 1877 in response to the Nez Perce War, but there were no hostilities and the fort served as the local school. Ten years later, the town had 45 inhabitants with a general store, hotel (stagecoach stop) and a post office.

The east end of Genesee looking North, 1910, courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 06-01-15.

In 1888, Vollmer and partners brought the Spokane and Palouse Railroad (soon to be part of the Northern Pacific RR) to the area.  Due to a problem with getting land for the railroad in Old Town, Vollmer platted a new town site one mile west of Old Town.  During this same time period, Latah County was carved out of Nez Perce County and Genesee became part of the new county.  “New Town” Genesee grew very rapidly and by 1890 had over 1,000 people and was the major shipping center for agricultural products from as far south as Grangeville.  By now, “Old Town” had been abandoned.  New Genesee would enjoy rapid growth and prosperity until the railroad arrived in Lewiston ten years later.

Main Street in Genesee, no date, courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 06-02-06.

The incredibly rich farm land surrounding Genesee has supported the community over the years through several ups and downs.  For example, the town suffered a setback in the early 1950s when Hwy 95, which went through town, was realigned, bypassing Genesee. Again, farming and the close proximity to Moscow and Lewiston, both university communities, have kept the town going.  Genesee is today a small community with just under 1,000 citizens. The town is well known for its excellent school, productive farmland and for the Pacific Northwest Cooperative (PNW), the largest farmer’s cooperative in the Pacific Northwest.

A parade of automobiles in Genesee, 1914, courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 06-02-013.

References:

Boone, Lalia Phipps. From A to Z in Latah County, Idaho: A Place Name Directory (Lalia Phipps Boone, 1983), 37.

Otness, Lillian W. A Great Good Country: A guide to Historic Moscow and Latah County, Idaho. (Moscow: Latah County Historic Society, 1983), 167-168.

Axel Bohman's House

Axel Bohman was one of three brothers who immigrated to Troy in 1903 at the age of 20.  Axel originally immigrated as Axel Olssons, however he decided that name was too common, so he and his brother Ole cahnged their name to Bohman.  The Bohman brothers became very prominent in Troy business circles, especially lumbering and baking.  In 1912, Axel married Julia Mattson and this house was built in 1914 next to Axel's older brother Ole's house.

Axel and Julia started their family in this home having three children, Alice, Morris and Helen.  Axel and Julia shared their home with Julia's father Peter Mattson until he passed in 1925.  In 1938 the family moved to Lewiston where Axel managed the Troy Lumber Company.  All three of the Bohman children went on to graduate from the University of Idaho.

Axel Bohman was a prominent man in Troy and was associated with many businesses including Borlen's Department Store, F. M. Green Grain Company, the First Bank of Troy and the Troy Lumber Company.

Axel's brother Ole, who lived next door, was involved in the Bank of Troy from 1905 until it merged with the First Bank of Troy.  Ole Bohman was the president of the First Bank of Troy from 1914 until 1961 when he passed away.  Ole Bohman was also elected to the Idaho State Legislature for two terms biginning in 1915.  Vivian Bohman Moline, Ole Bohman's daughter, recalls that"I remember him (Ole Bohman) saying he never missed an election to cast his vote and that he had never voted a straight ticket."



References:

Johnson, Stella E. History of Troy. (Troy, ID: Stella E. Johnson, 1992), p. 149-154.

History of Idaho: Personal and Family History Volume III. (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc. New York, 1959), p. 67.

Juliaetta

Juliaetta was named in 1882 by Charles Snyder, who named it after his two daughters, Julia and Etta, who were the first white females born there.  He established a Post Office and the town was off and running with a general store and a population of 200 people.  Soon the verdant valley would be known for its production of fruits, vegetables, and crops.  A flour mill was established and soon followed by establishment of a school, a bank, and a tramway system.  The Northern Pacific Railway came to Juliaetta in 1891.  By 1902, Juliaetta was a bustling town with a full business district, hotels, a stage line, a winery, and churches.

Main Street in Juliaetta between 1900 and 1910, image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 09-02-01.

The Foster School of Healing in the Stumps building in Juliaetta, image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 09-03-11.

The town continued to grow when Dr. Foster established his School of Healing.  Dr. Foster's school of healing attracted many patients and students to the city of Juliaetta.  A cannery was also established with an output of 10,000 cans a day.  The population by 1911 was 600 people, as Juliaetta thrived.  When Dr. Foster left town, the economy began to wane and soon the cannery closed.  Since its peak in 1912 there has been a steady decline in the business district.

The Palace Hotel in Juliaetta, image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 09-03-12.

 References:

A Centennial History of Kendrick-Juliaetta Area, Kendrick Juliaetta Centennial Committee, 1990.

Juliaetta-Kendrick Heritage Foundation.

Kendrick

First named Latah, and later Kirby, after the founding father, Thomas Kirby; Kendrick would ultimately derive its name from a Northern Pacific Railway engineer John Kendrick.  With the coming of the railroad in 1891, Kendrick became a thriving city.  It was the trading center for the back country mining operations.  Kendrick thrived but faced more than its share of natural disasters.  Kendrick burned to the ground the first time in 1893.  The town rebuilt only to have a disastrous train wreck and massive flooding in early 1900.  With courage the patrons rebuilt the town only to have it burned again in August 1904.

Kendrick after the 1904 fire, image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 10-01-19.

Kendrick during the 1900 flood, image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 10-01-002.

After Kendrick was rebuilt in 1904, the business district thrived.  Kendrick would peak in the 1920’s with a population of 856 people.  The fertile farmlands located on the seven ridges that surround the valley provided a stable economy.  Timber in the area was abundant as well.  Kendrick was known for its Fourth of July celebrations.  Thousands of people came to town for the event.  With the advent of the automobile, the economy of Kendrick began to suffer since businesses no longer had to rely on the railroad to transport their goods.

Kendrick, ID no date, image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 10-04-001.

References:

Historical Tour of Kendrick, Juliaetta-Kendrick Heritage Foundation

Juliaetta-Kendrick Heritage Foundation

Potlatch

At the dawn of the twentieth century, Potlatch, Idaho stood out as the new frontier for the Weyerhaeuser’s latest logging and lumber mill ventures, and by the early 1900s, a lumber mill and company town were built. Within a few years, the sawmill would be hailed as the largest white pine mill in the world.  Although white pine was coveted because of its strength and ability to float, mill interests had seriously miscalculated the area’s river flows.  Consequently, the abundant white pine could not be floated to the mill, but was instead hauled to the Potlatch Lumber Company mill by the company’s own short line railroad, the Washington, Idaho and Montana Railway.

Potlatch, Idaho April 17, 1906, image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 12-01-02.

The Company Town era earned Potlatch national recognition, and the company store, the Potlatch Mercantile, rivaled any major department store in Seattle.  Baseball, too, was a big item, and in 1914, the American and National Leagues All-Star teams stopped for an exhibition game at the bustling mill town.  The community was praised for its fine schools, cultural aspects, work ethic and spirited citizens.  Surrounding towns such as Princeton, Harvard and Onaway also contributed to the robust business climate and neighborly lifestyle.  Farming, logging and milling provided mainstay jobs in the area.

Aerial photo of the Potlatch mill in Potlatch on September 19, 1955, image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 12-01-20.

But in 1981, the mill whistle sounded its last blast, and by 1983, the renowned sawmill at Potlatch was completely dismantled.  Despite predictions of the town folding, the little community has survived, and agricultural crops such as barley and timothy hay contribute to the current economy, along with the state-of-the-art Bennett Lumber Products mill at Princeton. 

References:

Petersen, Keith C., Company Town: Potlatch, Idaho, and the Potlatch Lumber Company. (Pullman, Washington: Washington State University Press, 1987).

Potlatch Historical Society.

White Springs Ranch Museum and Archival Center

White Spring Ranch Museum and Archival Center (WSR) is a century farm owned by the non-profit organization, Lorang Farm Restoration. WSR includes a house, a log cabin, a curio museum, and a grove surrounded by 300 acres of farmland. This site is a historical treasure trove resembling a community attic with archives and objects gathered and saved by a family willing and able to restore, preserve, and share these histories. This material explains how pioneers John and Mary Lorang moved across the country and bought this site where they worked and raised ten children. WSR tells the story of four generations of one family, the Lorangs, who believed there existed historical value in everyday artifacts. The Lorangs were not famous people nor political or social leaders. They were a family who documented a reflection of the simple farm, providing chronologies of life, work, entertainment, and current events in a rural Palouse town during a span of over 130 years.

White Springs Ranch house, image courtesy of the White Springs Ranch Museum and Archival Center.

 WSR is a significant historical site because of the historical memory found in the written word, the oral histories, the artifacts, and the buildings. Every piece of paper found was used to jot down notes, grocery lists, ledgers, ideas, poems, and stories and every piece of paper was saved. Thus, the archives, which are one of the largest in the area includes; references to world wars, romance, the American West, the Palouse region of Idaho and Washington, Genesee news and history, agricultural history, architectural history, as well as sources of entertainment and daily activities of pioneer residents on the Palouse.

Restoration work at White Springs Ranch, image courtesy of White Springs Ranch Museum and Archival Center.

WSR offers research opportunities, interpretative material, and staff offers historical knowledge and enthusiasm. Museum hours: Tuesday and Sunday 1pm – 5pm or by appointment. Contact: Diane Conroy 208-416-1006.

White Springs Ranch at sunset, image courtesy of the White Springs Ranch Museum and Archival Center.

 References:

Lind, C.E. (2011).  White Spring Ranch and Archive Center Development Plan. Unpublished. University of Idaho.

Welcome to Deary

 Settled in the 1880’s largely by Scandinavians, this area was originally called Anderson.  In 1907, Potlatch Lumber Company General Manager William Deary had the town platted and a post office was established on September 12.  Although Deary was named after the Canadian timberman, William Deary never did live in the town.  Officially incorporated in 1912, Deary became an important stop along the Washington, Idaho and Montana Railway line.

Deary, Idaho with Potato Hill in the background, ca. 1910.  Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 04-01-002.

By 1914 the community had two churches, a bank, hotel, weekly newspaper and four sawmills.  Additionally, it boasted a new two-story school and a dozen other businesses.  A devastating fire in 1923 burned every building on the west side of Main Street except the bank.

Main Street in Deary, Idaho with Potato Hill in the background, ca. 1910.  Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 04-02-003.

Main Street in Deary, Idaho, ca. 1919.  Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 04-02-008.

Through much of its history, Deary has been dependent on timber and farming as the mainstays of its economy.  The prominent hill north of town is a well-known geological landmark dubbed Potato Hill – or Spud Hill. With an elevation of 4,017 feet above sea level, Spud Hill is a volcanic vent of undetermined age.  Townspeople and students have been known to have races up its steep sides as part of an annual ritual.

Main Street in Deary, Idaho after the 1923 fire.  Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 04-02-004.

References:

Conoly, Cort, Idaho for the Curious: A Guide (Backeddy Books, 1982).

Otness, Lillian W. A Great Good Country: A guide to Historic Moscow and Latah County, Idaho. (Moscow: Latah County Historic Society, 1983), 13-14, 81-82.

Troy Garage

This building was constructed in 1916 when Olson and Johnson Company (Olaf Olson and August Johnson) built this garage.  Just one year later the garage was sold to W. M. Duthie who later sold it to Lloyd and Linnie Chaney. 

Troy garage as a Ford sales and service center, ca. 1918, coutesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 15-03-014.

This building has been used as an automobile garage and sales store continuously since 1916.  Due to it's easily identifiable shape and location on main street, the garage has become one of the more photographed sites in Troy during the early 20th century.  Here are some of the photographs of the garage throughout the history of Troy.

Photograph of a parade in Troy in 1921, notice the garage with the Ford sign in the background.  Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 15-02-07.

Photograph of a parade in Troy, ID, courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 15-02-09.

Fourth of July parade in Troy in 1929, notice the garage in the background, courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 15-05-018.

References:

Dorothy Anderson, Troy City Historian.

Julin, Suzanne, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Troy Downtown Historic District, August, 30, 2009.

Latah County Historical Society.

Troy Post Office

W. M. Duthie built this building in 1913, and the Post Office occupied it from 1913 until 1942.  The building was vacant during World War II; in the 1950s the first floor housed a bakery and cafe while the second floor provided rented rooms.  In 1955 Virginia Johnson operated Virginia's Cafe at this location, which was well-known for its home cooking. 

The Troy Post Office sits second building from the left, this is part of the 4th of July parade in Troy, ID in 1929.  Image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 15-05-18.

On one fourth of July Bing Crosby, the famous singer and movie actor, was eating at Virginia's Cafe when a drunk started to harass the waitress.  Bing Crosby told him to leave her alone and when the drunk said something like "Who's gonna make me?"  Bing Crosby stood up to show him, once Mr. Crosby stood up the drunk recognized him and sat down to finish his meal in peace.

Bing Crosby, image courtesy of The Internet Archive, archive.org.

References:

Dorothy Anderson, Troy City Historian

Julin, Suzanne, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Troy Downtown Historic District, August, 30, 2009.

Troy Hospital

This house was built in 1905 by Oscar Larson, a prominent businessman.  When a young Dr. Charles Meyers arrived in Troy, he purchased the house to make it into a five-bed hospital from 1926 to July 12, 1942.  Dr. Meyers employed his sister, Julia Meyers to work as one of his first nurses.  Located on the first floor were his offices, surgery, a two-bed ward, a kitchen and bath.  The second floor contained a second two-bed ward, a single patient room and a room for a nurse.  Since this house had been a home before a hospital it had a kitchen, which was operated by Esther Sandquist and Ella Olson.  These ladies not only cooked for patients and nurses but stoked the Monarch Stove so that the nurses could sterilize the surgical instruments in the oven.

Dr. Meyers cared about the community of Troy a great deal.  Here is an excerpt from the History of Troy edited and compiled by Stella E. Johnson that tells an exceptional story of his character:

"Doc enjoyed taking the boys [his sons, Fritz and Jackie] fishing with him.  When Burl and Alice Trout were expecting a child he had refused the invitation of some of his friends to go fishing.  When they returned to show him their day's catch.  He said "I caught a bigger trout today."

Dr. Meyer's sons Fritz and Jackie are the two young men at the left end of the engine, Troy Fire Department and their engine, 1930s, Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 15-06-011.

Several old-timers in Troy remember having their tonsils removed here.  Children and adults alike took place in what became known as "tonsil Tuesday," and it is said that on Tuesdays there was so many people getting their tonsils removed that "the whole town smelled of ether."

References:

Anderson, Dorothy, Troy City Historian, interview with Zachary Wnek, Moscow, ID, 06/09/2014.

Johnson, Stella E. History of Troy. (Troy, ID: Stella E. Johnson, 1992), 27.

Julin Suzanne, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Troy Hospital, July 25, 2010.

Troy Drug

In the early 1950s, the wooden building located at this location burned when the owner of a bar a few buildings down informed his bartender to burn his wooden, false front bar in order to collect on his insurance policy.  The bartender did as he was told and set the bar ablaze.  Before long the fire could not be contained, the fire ended up enveloping the block from the middle of the block, where the bar was, to the end of the block.

Troy Drug Store, no date, Image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 15-03-04.

This one-part commercial building, faced with blonde brick, was constructed in 1953 to house C. Arthur Johnson’s Troy Drug.  C. Arthur Johnson worked with C.V. Johnson while he attended Washington State University to gain practical experience in the field.  C. Arthur Johnson bought the drug store and moved it to this location.  C. Arthur Johnson operated his drug store in Troy for 35 years.  Arthur's brother Kenneth was also a pharmacist, working in Pullman, WA before buying his own store in Palouse, WA.



References:

Anderson, Dorothy, Troy City Historian.

Johnson, Stella E. History of Troy. (Troy, ID: Stella E. Johnson, 1992) 216-217.

Julin, Suzanne, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Troy Downtown Historic District, August, 30, 2009.

Lane's Thrift Store

Fern Duthie Cooper built this building in 1928 and rented it to R. F. Lane, who operated Lane's Thrift Store.  R.F. Lane lived in Moscow, Idaho and operated a chain of thrift stores throughout the region, having stores in Moscow, Palouse, Pullman, Colfax and Troy by 1929.  Later grocers there included Cody Rader, Paul Smith, Arvo Smith and a Mister Kite.

Suzanne Juline describes the arcitecture for the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Troy Downtown Historic District as:

"Although the store front has been modernized, the upper level exhibits the original blonde brick and holds a recessed panel; the cornice is covered with a metal cap.  The upper part of the facade illustrates the transition from Italianate style to a less decorative, on-part, brick-front commercial building."

References:


Julin, Suzanne, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Troy Downtown Historic District, August, 30, 2009.

Johnson, Stella E. History of Troy. (Troy, ID: Stella E. Johnson, 1992).

The Palouse Republic, January 25, 1929, 1.

Arthur Snow House

The Snow family arrived as part of a wagon train on the Palouse from Tipton, Kansas in 1877.  The wagon train included the Snow, Holke, Clyde, Zeitler, Finney, Van de Walker and Hokes families.  Upon arrival in Moscow the families took refuge at 'Uncle' Billy Taylor's farmstead while the families found appropriate homesteads of their own.  Some of the families stayed as long as six months during this time.

Born in 1872, Arthur Snow was only five years old when he and his family crossed the plains to the Palouse.  As an adult he attended college at the University of Idaho and was part of the University football team in 1897.  Early in his farming career, Snow farmed in cooperation with three of his cousins.  Later Snow began farming his own operation, gradually purchasing more property until he owned 750 acres.  Mr. Snow constructed this house in 1918 with his wife Lella.  In 1931 Snow was elected to the Idaho State Legislature as a Republican where he served for six sessions.

The Snow brothers' combine.  Photo taken in 1905 on the Snow farm.

The Snow household, no date.

Arthur Snow obituary from the Spokesman-Review, October 29, 1947.

Arthur Snow became involved with the Soil Erosion Service (SES) in a soil erosion study.  Snow signed a five year cooperative agreement with the SES in September of 1935 to implement a contour plowing system in order to determine if strait line plowing was a factor in soil erosion. Snow was one of only 12 farm sites in the country to be involved as a major demonstration area for the SES.

Contour plowing on the Snow farmlands, no date, Image courtesy of Tom Hansen via http://www.tomandrodna.com/Photos/Moscow/Moscow_Farmfield_090135.htm

Map of SES study areas, 1933, Image courtesy of Tom Hansen via http://www.tomandrodna.com/Photos/Moscow/Moscow_Farmfield_090135.htm

Arthur Snow's son, Harold Snow moved into this house with his wife, Vivian, in 1947 following the death of his father.  Harold Snow also served as a Republican in the Idaho State Legislature.  In 1962 Harold Snow sold the farmstead property to a local veterinarian, James “Doc” Lucas, who also served in the Idaho State Legislature.

The house is an excellent example of Bungalow and Craftsman style architecture and illustrates the ability of prosperous Palouse farmers to incorporate modern styles and conveniences, like luxurious bathrooms, into their domestic buildings.



References:

Associated Press article no. 4144, New York.

History of Idaho: Personal and Family History, Volume III, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., New York, 1959, p. 220-221.

Lola Clyde, Oral History Interview #1, December 2, 1974, Latah County Historical Society, Moscow, ID.

Julin, Suzanne, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Snow, Arthur, House, September 1, 2008.

Freeze Church

Over a hundred years ago, settlers journeyed to northern Idaho with high hopes.  As homesteaders, farmers and others migrated onto the Palouse Prairie, near Deep Creek.  The soil was fertile and forests were abundant, making it easier to cut lumber for new houses and barns.  One of the saw mills in Freeze was run by Mr. Strong, who furnished the lumber for this church and helped construct it.  In time, a mill churned out the materials for a blacksmith shop, a general store and a post office.  C.E. Freeze donated the land for the church and its spire rose above the farming town in 1899.  Also in 1899 John Starner came to Freeze and applied to become the postmaster for the area, ranging from Garfield, Washington to Princeton, Idaho.  John Starner became not only postmaster but also built a general store in Freeze. 

Ed Marsh Blacksmith shop in Freeze, Idaho, 1908.

Though the Palouse country originally beckoned to miners seeking their fortunes in the 1860 gold rush, farmers stayed on for the long haul.  Eventually Freeze boasted a population of 200 hardy souls, many of them crowding into the Freeze Church each Sunday to sing Rock of Ages and pray for good harvests.  The adjacent cemetery tells its own personal stories of Freeze, Idaho, and C.E. Freeze’s wife and daughter were buried there in those pioneer years.

The Freeze Church in Freeze, Idaho, no date, courtesy of Velda Starner Walker.

Once Potlatch Lumber Company constructed its giant white pine mill in 1905, the town of Freeze, its farms, businesses, and smaller mom-and-pop mills began to fade.  In 1907 the post office burned and in 1908 the store burned.  The destruction of these two structures combined with the emergence of the company town of Potlatch spelled the end of the line for the city of Freeze.  Yet believers used the chapel regularly until the 1980’s, enduring its lack of insulation and aging wood stove.  The standard joke of course was that you could freeze at Freeze!

General store and post office at Freeze, Idaho.  The Grocery store is the main building, the post office is the attached building on the right.  This photo was taken between 1899 and 1907.  Courtesy of Velda Starner Walker.

Over the years, the Freeze Church has been home to several congregations, and many weddings, funerals and celebrations have taken place there.  The building is so prominent that National Geographic featured it in its pages in June of 1982, and Country Woman magazine pictured the church surrounded by bright yellow canola blossoms on its 2003 calendar cover.  The building carries much historical significance and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sketch by Albert Clausen as he remembers Freeze, Idaho.

References:

Cook, Russ, "Early and Disappearing Communities in Latah County Idaho," (informally published, Latah County Historical Society, 1995).

Renk, Nancy, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Freeze Church, January 3, 1990.

Ross, Opal Lambert, Landed Gentry 1871-1978 (Farmington: Washington, Opal Lambert Ross, 1979), 14-21.

Rietmann Hotel

Ulrich Rietmann, a native of Switzerland, arrived in Latah County in 1890, and built the Rietmann Hotel - the first brick building in Troy - at the end of that decade.  Ulrich C. Rietmann was described in the History of North Idaho as: "energetic, capable, and progressive businessman and manages a first-class butcher shop in Troy, owns and leases the large brick hotel known as the Rietmann House, buys and sells stock of all kinds, has a fine farm near town, and also handles fruit, and operates a fruit dryer and cold storage plant, besides a number of large warehouses, being one of the leading men of the county and recognized by all as a power in the business world."  Ulrich Rietmann was born on the 4th of July, 1853 in Switzerland.  Mr. Rietmann was educated in Brazil where he also worked with his uncle who was a surveyor.  Mr. Rietmann moved to San Francisco in 1881 where he took up the butcher business.  In 1890 he sold all of his holdings in San Francisco and moved to Latah County where he became one of the leading businessmen of the county.

The Hotel Rietmann, 1908, Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society 15-03-05.

The second floor of the Rietman Hotel provided lodging for workers and railway passengers, while on the hotel's ground level, various shops and offices offered an array of goods and services to locals and travelers through the years.  The Hotel also served as a community gathering spot, serving hot meals in the dining room and spirits in the Hotel tavern.

The Hotel Rietmann, no date, Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society 15-03-06.

In 1911 Rietmann sold the hotel to Charles and Clara Tomson, who renamed it the Inland Hotel; it was also known as the Tomson Hotel.  In 1932, Clara Tomson sold the hotel to Pearl M. Field, who sold it to Joseph J. Berg in 1934.  Probably prompted by the end of the prohibition of alcohol, Berg and his wife Juanits opened a state liquor store in the rear of the building and reopened the Hotel tavern.  The hotel also operated the Inland Cafe.  The Inland Cafe had a kitchen that had one large wood stove for cooking and some smaller wood stoves for heating the hotel.  The Bergs were so reliant on wood heat that they purchased some timber land so that they would have a steady supply of firewood.  The Bergs would typically go out on Sundays to cut firewood and stock the supply at the hotel.  In the mid-1940s, the Bergs converted the hotel space to apartments, but retained the liquor store.

The Inland Hotel in Troy, ID, photo taken between 1920 and 1930, Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 15-03-43.

In 1958, the Bergs transferred the ownership of the building to their son and daughter-in-law, Norman and Hazel Berg, who owned the building until the early 1990s.  During that time, the cafe was affectionately known as "Norm's."

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.  The nomination for the register reads in part: "Troy (Vollmer) Sanborn maps reveal that the end section was added to the building sometime between 1901 and 1905.  This is also evident becase of the detail differences between this portion of the building and the original portion; the newer portion lacks the continuous belt courses, has no decorative cornice, and the parapet wall is lower.  The building retains good integrity."

References:

History of North Idaho: An Illustrated History Embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai, and Shoshone Counties State of Idaho (Western Historical Publication Company, 1903) 661.


Johnson, Stella E. History of Troy. (Troy, ID: Stella E. Johnson, 1992), p. 147-149.

Krahe, Diane and Suzanne Julin, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Hotel Rietmann, May 22, 2001.

Sullivan Building

The early history of this building can best be told through the life of Louis Phersson Wallner.  Wallner was born in Jamtland, Sweeden in 1867 and immigrated to America in 1888.  On December 21st, 1896 he married Sara Effie Culbertson.  Mr. Wallner was a keen businessman operating The Golden Rule, a general merchandise store from 1902 to 1915 and several saloons in Troy, Deary and Nora.  Wallner had three children, two of which lived into adulthood.  In 1917 Louis Pherson Wallner died at the age of 50.

A Photograph post card of Troy, ID from 1908.  Image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 15-02-04.

C.A. Sullivan built this structure in 1906, the opening tenants were a meat market and Louis Wallner's Golden Rule mercantile.  As time went on Christie's Pioneer Store moved into the northern side while a bakery and restaurant occupied the southern space.  For a time, Washington Water Power leased the southern portion of the building and built a shop in the rear of the building.  By the 1940s the second story had been converted into apartments.  Eldon Strom bought this building in 1945 for use as an electrical and plumbing shop.

Louis Wallner (third from the left) pictured at Henry H. Christie's saloon in Troy, Idaho, c.a. 1900.  Image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 15-03-28.

References:

Julin, Suzanne, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Troy Downtown Historic District, August, 30, 2009.

Johnson, Stella E. History of Troy. (Troy, ID: Stella E. Johnson, 1992) 323.

Johnson's Drug

Mr. William M. Duthie built this building in 1916 which was originally occupied by the C. V. Johnson drugstore until 1942.  C.V. Johnson's drug store operated as more than simply a drug store, C.V. Johnson's daughter, Bernice Johnson Oliver, remembers the store as a social center and variety store.  Bernice recalled this about her father's store:

"He [C.V. Johnson] had a telephone put in the front of the store for the customers' convenience.  The daily paper was put out, much the same as the mail, and people could simply come in and find the paper under their name and pay with their monthly bill.  He handled a full line of chocolates, box chocolates, candy bars and penny candy, as well as making fresh popcorn everyday.  The drug store also had good gift merchandise: perfumes, leather goods, cut glass, etc. ... All kinds of pens, Kodaks , and stationary were for sale, and he could and did fill prescriptions. ...  There were a few nights in my childhood when the phone didn't ring or someone would come to the door with a prescription.  Dad was always more than willing to go to the store for whoever needed help."

After the C.V. Johnson moved out of this space in 1942 the main floor of the building was vacant for a decade until Willard Dyer established Moon's Grocery in 1952. The second story of the building served as a dental office for Dr. Elmer Sylvester Peterson from 1933 to 1955.  "Doc" as he was known was very involved in the community serving on the school board and city councils for several terms.  Dr. Peterson was also the beloved girls basketball coach at the Troy High School, he coached there from 1926 until at least 1952.  Legend has it that Dr. Peterson coached so long that he coached the daughters of some of his former players.


References:

Julin, Suzanne, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Troy Downtown Historic District, August, 30, 2009.

Johnson, Stella E. History of Troy. (Troy, ID: Stella E. Johnson, 1992) 25-27, 216.

Christie's Pioneer Store

Thomas Halvor Christie, known as T. H. Christie was born of Halvor and Mary Christie.  Halvor and Mary Christie immigrated to Windom, Minnesota from Christianna, Norway in the midst of the Civil War in 1863.  Later the couple moved to Driscoll Ridge, near the community of Huffs Gulch in 1892.  Huffs Gulch was the earliest name for what is now known as Troy.  T. H. Christie had four brothers and married Maggie Raun on February 15th, 1892.

Interior of Christie's Pioneer Store in Troy, Idaho.  Image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 15-03-026.

In 1903 T. H. Christie was highlighted in the History of North Idaho: "Mr. Christie is a merchant, handling a mammoth stock of general merchandise in Troy, and he has secured by his sagacious business methods and uprightness, a large patronage."

Exterior of a sale at Christie's Pioneer Store in Troy, Idaho.  Image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 15-03-027.

T. H. Christie was civicly involved in many different organizations.  Fraternally he was associated with the I.O.O.F. Lodge No. 29, the Elks Lodge of Moscow, Lodge No. 249 and the K. of P. Lodge No. 11 in Troy.

An image of Main Street in Troy, Idaho.  The sign in the center right of the image reads: "T.H. Christie's Dry Goods, Groceries, Boots, Shoes" no date.  Image courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 15-02-21.

In 1906 Ulrich Rietmann constructed this building, opening with Christie's Pioneer Store on the first floor with rental rooms above.  By 1909 Christie's Pioneer Store had moved to a different space and the lower floor mercantile space was vacant.  In 1927Alfred Ekhom bought the building for use as a department store and tailor shop.  In only two short years the building's use changed again to be split in two, in the northern section there was a moving picture theater while in the southern section there was a bakery.  In the 1940s the upstairs rooms were transformed into apartments while the first floor housed retail stores.




References:

History of North Idaho: An Illustrated History Embracing Nez Perces, Idaho, Latah, Kootenai, and Shoshone Counties State of Idaho (Western Historical Publication Company, 1903) 665.

Julin, Suzanne, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Troy Downtown Historic District, August, 30, 2009.

Johnson, Stella E. History of Troy. (Troy, ID: Stella E. Johnson, 1992) 9, 163-165.