Idaho Trivia & Tidbits - Page 5

Looking for Idaho trivia? Try our list Idaho little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

—Among the techniques mastered by Nez Perce artist Nakia Williamson-Cloud, of Lapwai (pop. 1,134), is illustrating on buffalo hide, a traditional way in which Nez Perce men recorded important events. Williamson-Cloud also expresses the Nez Perce culture through storytelling and dancing. He credits his grandparents, who never spoke English and dressed in the Nez Perce tradition, for having a profound impact on his life.

first appeared: 11/19/2006

—The largest white sturgeon on record weighed 1,500 pounds and was caught on the Snake River near Weiser (pop. 5,343) in the late 1800s. White sturgeon, North America’s largest freshwater fish, are bottom-feeding, primitive-looking fish with plates on their sides resembling armor.

first appeared: 11/5/2006

Built in 1880 as part of Fort Coeur d’Alene, the Fort Sherman Chapel served as the first church, school and library in Coeur d’Alene (pop. 34,514). Now owned by the Museum of North Idaho, the clapboard chapel still is used as a house of worship and a wedding venue. Established in 1877, Fort Coeur d’Alene was renamed Fort Sherman in 1887.

first appeared: 11/5/2006

—Renfrew Hall at the University of Idaho in Moscow (pop. 21,291) is named for chemist Malcolm Renfrew. The scientist, who holds 17 U.S. patents, received his bachelor’s degree in 1932 and master’s in 1934 from the University of Idaho and doctorate in 1938 from the University of Minnesota. He went on to become part of the team at DuPont that developed Teflon, before returning to Idaho to lead the university’s physical science and chemistry departments.

first appeared: 10/22/2006

—Idaho is the only inland Western state with ocean-run salmon and steelhead, according to the state Department of Fish and Game. The state’s largest salmon, a 54-pound Chinook, was caught on the Salmon River in 1956. Idaho’s record steelhead weighed in at 30 pounds, 2 ounces, and measured 44 inches in length. It was caught on the Clearwater River in 1973.

first appeared: 10/8/2006

More than 4,500 historical photographs, along with newspapers dating to 1899, help document the history of the Clearwater River drainage region at the Clearwater Historical Museum in Orofino (pop. 3,247). Exhibits include artifacts from the Nez Perce Indians, the Lewis and Clark Expedition (which traveled there in 1805 and 1806), gold seekers (who followed in the 1860s), homesteaders, farmers and loggers.

first appeared: 9/24/2006

A hill-like rock formation near Kamiah (pop. 1,160) is known as "heart of the monster.” According to an ancient American Indian legend, Coyote, a character in the native spirit world, killed a monster, and then threw parts of the monster throughout the land, creating a tribe wherever the parts fell. The rock represents the monster's heart to the Nez Perce, who believed their tribe started where drops of blood fell.

first appeared: 9/10/2006

This site near Kamiah (pronounced "KAM-ee-eye”) was important to the Nez Perce for other reasons, too. It was located near one of their main crossing sites on the Clearwater River, and they often spent winters in the area, fishing for steelhead and making ropes from a plant known today as Indian hemp.

first appeared: 9/10/2006

Coaches from Idaho led both football teams in the 1999 Crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl, held in Boise. Dirk Koetter, former coach of the Boise State Broncos, was raised in Pocatello (pop. 51,466), while John L. Smith, former coach of the University of Louisville Cardinals, is a native of Idaho Falls (pop. 50,730). The Broncos won 34-31 over the Cardinals.

first appeared: 9/8/2006

In 1912, U.S. Geological Survey member T.M. Bannon made the first documented climb of Mount Borah, the state's highest mountain, near Mackay (pop. 566). Today, the 3.5-mile trip up to the 12,662-foot peak is popular with advanced hikers and climbers. The mountain was named for U.S. Sen. William Edgar Borah in the early 20th century.

first appeared: 8/27/2006

Known as Rocky Mountain quartzite and Oakley stone, the quartzite found in the City of Rocks area near Oakley (pop. 668) is used in a variety of building applications, including floors, walls and fireplaces. Mormon pioneers from Utah established Oakley, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in the Goose Creek Valley in the late 1870s.

first appeared: 8/13/2006

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year is the Coeur d'Alene Resort, located in Coeur d'Alene (pop. 34,514) on the shores of the city's namesake lake, near the foothills of the Bitterroot Mountains. Established in 1986, the resort includes an 18-hole golf course and the award-winning Beverly's restaurant.

first appeared: 7/30/2006

Former NFL player Merril Hoge, who was born in Pocatello (pop. 51,466) in 1965 and graduated from Idaho State University in 1987, played for the Pittsburgh Steelers until 1993. He set a team record for most receptions by a running back in 1988 after completing 50 catches in one season. Hoge became an ESPN commentator after his NFL retirement in 1995.

first appeared: 7/16/2006

Slick Rock Mountain near McCall (pop. 2,084) offers one of the state's longest continuous technical rock climbs with up to 800 feet of climbing on solid granite rock. The mountain has a summit elevation of 6,894 feet and can be found in the Lick Creek region of the 2.3-million-acre Payette National Forest.

first appeared: 7/16/2006

When the University of Idaho's 11-story Theophilus Tower was built in Moscow (pop. 21,291) in 1969, the local fire department's equipment could only reach the sixth floor, prompting the university to buy the department a new hook-and-ladder truck that could reach the upper levels. The tower was named for Donald R. Theophilus, who served as university president between 1954 and 1965.

first appeared: 7/2/2006

Cowboy Dee Pickett, from Caldwell (pop. 25,967), had the opportunity to play professional football after college, but instead chose rodeo. Named the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association's Rookie of the Year in 1978 and World All-Around Cowboy in 1984, Pickett qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 20 times during his career, in tie-down roping and team roping. Pickett was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2003.

first appeared: 6/25/2006

When Milton "Dubby" Holt proposed building an enclosed football stadium on the Idaho State University campus in Pocatello (pop. 51,466) in the late 1960s, the student body voted in favor of the idea. The ISU Mini Dome was completed in 1970, becoming the state's first enclosed stadium and the nation's first covered football stadium on a college campus. The stadium was renamed Holt Arena in 1988.

first appeared: 6/4/2006

In the early 1920s, Nell Shipman (1892-1970) built a movie camp called Lionhead Lodge on the edge of Priest Lake, north of Priest River (pop. 1,754). The actress, writer and independent filmmaker maintained her own menagerie of "wild" animals there, and produced several wilderness-set movies that used the location, including The Grub Stake and Little Dramas of the Big Places.

first appeared: 5/21/2006

Treaty Rock Historic Site in Post Falls (pop. 17,247) commemorates the transfer of land by Coeur d'Alene Chief Andrew Seltice to Frederick Post in the late 1800s. Post, a German immigrant, then built a water-powered sawmill on the Spokane River, thus giving Post Falls its start as a community. The Treaty Rock site also preserves American Indian pictographs, or rock paintings.

first appeared: 5/21/2006

Last year, the city of Eagle (pop. 11,085) installed a bronze statue of one of its earliest residents, Thomas Hugh Aikens, at the corner of First and State streets. Aikens arrived by freight team in the late 1800s, buying land and filing the first plat with Ada County in what is now Eagle. The community was named for a nearby bald eagle's nest.

first appeared: 5/14/2006

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