Special Recognition and Thanks: An Historic Evening in the Park has been brought to you by the Lewiston Ses-quicentennial Leadership Committee - City of Lewiston. The Sesquicentennial Leadership Committee would like to thank the Nez Perce County Historical Society for the use of their logo and photographs provided in the production of this program. A special thanks goes to Dick Riggs, Marion Shinn, Steve Branting, Carole Simon-Smolinski, Jacquelyn Haight, John and Melva Mock, Randy Smith, Vicki Johnson, Mary Romero, Lora Feucht, Sue Johnson, Scott Macey, Nez Perce Historical Society and other Lewiston historians for their generosity in donating time, ideas, background information and assistance with costumes. Thanks to our sponsors: Idaho Impressions, Ida-Vend, Steeley Print & Binding, City of Lewiston and the generous support of Lewis-Clark State College Speaker’s Bureau.

Printed courtesy of Steeley Print & Binding.

An Historic Evening

In the Park May 3rd, 2011

President William Howard Taft

Speaking at Pioneer Park—August 23, 1911

An Historic Evening in the Park May 3, 2011

Welcome to An Historic Evening in the Park. You are in Pioneer Park, overlooking Historic Downtown Lewiston. Pioneer Park was the site of the City’s first cemeteries (City, Masonic, Jewish). Rebecca Newell was the first official interment in 1867, although earlier burials have been documented. Famous names can be found in the cemetery records such as Magruder, Weis-gerber, Spalding, Kettenbach, Grostein and Vollmer. Use of these grounds as a cemetery (named the Fifth Street Cemetery) was short lived. By 1888 the new Normal Hill Cemetery opened and the City Council banned future burials at Fifth Street. In May of 1893, a contract was approved for removal of the dead in the old cemetery. Later a survey was ordered to plat the land for residential develop-ment. During the survey of 1895, several graves were found untouched. Local historian Steven Branting suggests that as many as 200 of those buried prior to 1875 may not have been exhumed from the original cemetery. Were the ceme-tery grounds set aside for a park to protect the dead? Pioneer Park was designed and constructed after 1901 but did not receive its official name until 1936. In the park’s first five years the Carnegie Library and Idaho Supreme Court Library buildings were erected and remain today. A band

shell and foun-tain followed in the next decade. In 1911, Lewis-ton hosted Presi-dent William Taft in the park. The Miranda Cabin, built in the 1860’s and reported to be the oldest sur-viving residence

in Lewiston, was moved to its location west of the band shell in 1937. Pioneer Park has been a favored location for community events and celebrations for over 100 years. The program tonight includes performances by the Community Band and a live chautauqua theatre with additional fiddle and string music for your listen-ing pleasure. An Historic Evening in the Park is the first of three signature events to com-memorate Lewiston’s Sesquicentennial throughout 2011.

Carnegie Library 1905: 1st Carnegie Library to Open in Idaho

1925 Idaho’s first kindergarten 1930 Pres-to-logs created and manufactured at Potlatch Corporation 1935 First bonded winery opens after repeal of prohibition 1944 Idaho’s first commercial airline 1945 First charter for a boy’s club granted in Lewiston 1947 First city west of the Rockies to add fluoride to its municipal water supply 1948 First national Appaloosa Horse Show 1951 First Northwest Intercollegiate Rodeo 1974 Idaho’s first female police officer 1995 Lewiston Tribune first Idaho daily to go “on-line”

Main Street—Lewiston

Cash/Erb’s Hardware From the 1880s Until 1980s, Cash/Erb’s Hardware busi-ness supplied the needs of miners, settlers, ranchers & homeowners through-out the region.

Lewiston is one of the original communities established in Idaho and was the first to have many functions and services in the State that today we take for granted: 1861 Idaho’s first police department 1861 Idaho’s first resident physician, Dr. Henry Stainton 1862 First assay office 1862 First newspaper “The Golden Age” 1862 First brewery opens 1862 Idaho’s first Jewish resident, Robert Grostein 1862 First post office 1862 First Masonic Lodge 1863 First Inland Territorial Seaport of the Pacific Northwest 1863-1865 First Territorial Capital of Idaho 1863-1865 First and Second Idaho legislative sessions held in Lewiston 1863 First great seal of the Idaho Territory designed in Lewiston 1863 First Gubernatorial Inauguration 1863 First Inaugural Ball at the Luna House 1864 Idaho’s first court trial 1864 Idaho’s first court sanctioned hanging occurred at the foot of 13th St. grade 1864 First female photographer opens studio 1865 Idaho’s first fire department 1872 First grape orchard in the Inland Northwest 1874 First telegraph service in Northern Idaho 1878 First telephone call on Pacific Coast 1880 First Territorial School District formed 1881 First Idaho city to allow women to vote and hold office 1882 Idaho’s first institution of higher learning 1883 First chartered bank in Northern Idaho 1883 Idaho’s first Women’s Christian Temperance Union Chapter 1895 First normal school founded (now LCSC) 1895 Helen Louise Nichols Young, Idaho’s first woman admitted to the bar 1898 Lewiston Tribune first newspaper in Idaho to receive electronic mail dispatches 1900 First public library 1900 First woman delegate to a national political nominating convention 1903 Idaho’s first exclusive mortuary business opens in Lewiston 1906 First high school band in Pacific Northwest 1907 Idaho’s first organized youth baseball leagues 1910 Idaho’s first powered flight 1912 First Northwest Livestock Show presented 1914 First woman to fly in Idaho takes off from Lewiston 1922 Lewiston receives first broadcasting license in Idaho

Program

5:15 pm Fiddlers and Strings

Katy Mason, Juliana Mason, Sharon Wolfe, Tom Hackwith, Dennis Hackwith

5:30 pm Community Band

The Community Band has researched music from the 1860’s and developed this program specifically for your listening pleasure. The all volunteer band

consists of 40-50 musicians ranging in age from 12 to 84 years. Band Director—Garry Walker Band Announcer—Dennis Riendeau

Star Spangled Banner --- Francis Scott Key American Civil War Fantasy --- Jerry H. Bilik The Girl I Left Behind Me --- Robert Sheldon American Riversongs --- Pierre La Plante A Tribute to Stephen Foster --- Arranged by Sammy Nestico Oh My Darling Clementine --- Percy Montrose

6:20 pm “Chautauqua Theatre”

Each of these historic characters will be presented in first person format, portraying key events in Lewiston’s early history.

Alonzo Leland- Editor of Idaho’s first newspaper, “The Golden Age”, also published “The Teller” and other papers in Lewiston. From Portland, he publicized the early gold strikes in Northern Idaho which eventually led to the settlement of the entire area. He was an original member of Idaho’s First Territorial Leg-islature. He singlehandedly ensured that the Second Territorial Legislature would meet in Lewiston by preventing consideration of the issue to move the Territorial Capital location. Leland will serve as moderator, introducing characters, events, times and places. Portrayed by Garry Bush.

Wilbur Bassett—Captain E.D. Pierce and Wilbur Bassett explored rumors of gold in the Clearwater country. With a Nez Perce Guide, thought to be Jane, the daughter of Chief Timothy, Bassett was the first to see and pan gold at a place they called Oro Fino. Bassett was Leland’s source for declaring that gold had been found. Portrayed by Terrill Settles.

Captain Ephraim W. Baughman—Pilot of the Colonel Wright, first steamboat bound for the new gold fields in Idaho, Baughman helped determine the practi-cability of navigation on the Columbia, Snake and Clearwater Rivers. Captain Baughman was involved in founding and naming Lewiston as a supply town for the gold mines in 1861. He remained a steamboat captain until he was 70, retiring in Lewiston. Portrayed by Allan Jones.

Levi Ankeny—Levi arrived shortly after gold was discovered. Levi stayed in Lewiston for ten years running his own pack train to supply the gold miners, ran stores in Lewiston and Orofino, and later became Lewiston’s first official mayor. When he left Lewiston, he opened the First National Bank in Washing-ton (Walla Walla) and became a senator from the State of Washington. Levi’s wife started the first club in town, the “Young Ladies Historical Club”. Portrayed by Brady Ross-Minton.

Hill Beachey—Hill was the owner of the Luna House, Lewiston’s original hotel, as well as owner of the local stage line. Hill pursued Lloyd Magruder’s murderers. He tracked the murderers through The Dalles, Portland, Yreka and then to San Francisco. He brought them back to Lewiston to stand trial. Portrayed by David Walk.

Madame Melanie Bonhore—Originally from Paris, Madame Bonhore moved to California during its gold rush to start a hotel. With her husband and young son, she came to Lewiston for gold. Instead, she built and ran the most elegant hotel in Lewiston, with everything imported from Paris. She managed the Hotel DeFrance for some 35 years alone and outlived two husbands. Portrayed by Mary Minton.

Governor William H. Wallace—Appointed by President Lincoln as the First Territorial Governor of Idaho, he was quickly elected as Idaho Terri-tory’s first Delegate to Congress. Prior to this, he was the Fourth Territorial Governor of Washing-ton Territory and Washington’s Delegate to Con-gress. A friend of President Lincoln’s, Wallace and his wife turned down an invitation to accom-pany Lincoln to Ford’s Theater the night Lincoln was assassinated. Wallace selected Lewiston to be the territorial Capital of Idaho. Portrayed by Terrill Settles.

Newsboys and Townspeople: Ethan Ulrich, Ellie Knight, Debra Allen

Script Writers: Mary Minton and Garry Bush. In collaboration with local historians, Mary and Garry have researched, selected, and documented the his-torical materials used in this presentation.

Producer: Laura Von Tersch, Community Development Director

Lewiston sported 25 saloons