Alexander Toponce: Freighter, Stockman, Stage Line Operator ... and More [otd 11/10]

Alexander Toponce, energetic immigrant entrepreneur, was born November 10, 1839 in Belfort, France … about thirty miles west of Basel, Switzerland. The family came to the U. S. in June 1846. As a younger son, Alex labored hard on the farm but received no education and had no prospects of any kind. He spurned the family farm at age ten, and headed west at fifteen. Alex recalled, “I found lots of French people in St. Louis.”

For almost a decade, Toponce “whacked bulls” for a freight line, rode express mail, drove a stagecoach, and prospected for gold in Colorado.

Freight Wagon. Reminiscences.

In 1863, Alex sold what little he owned to finance a freight venture. He joined a band of like-minded men (and one woman) for a trip to the Montana gold fields. Alex said, “I had the honor of being elected captain of the train.”

Except for various short trips out of the area, Toponce spent the rest of his life in Idaho, southern Montana, and northern Utah.

Alex did much better prospecting in Montana than he had in Colorado and used the proceeds to go into the freight business full time. Over the next twenty-odd years, his freight line grew to be “one of the largest … in the Northwest.” But that was not enough for him. In 1867, Toponce transacted his first big cattle deal, using the animals to haul freight into Montana and then selling them to local meat markets and stockmen.

He also had contracts to supply meat to the construction crews building the transcontinental railroad. Alex said that on the last day of track-laying he “threw a shovel full of dirt on the ties just to tell about it afterward.” He could not recall what the dignitaries said at the Golden Spike Ceremony, but, he wrote, “I do remember that there was a great abundance of champagne.”

In 1871, Toponce acquired a cattle herd that had been trailed from Texas as far as Denver. Alex completed the drive to land he had leased on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. His ranch supplied the reservation, the gold camps, and any other market where Toponce could make a buck. At various times, he owned cattle in Utah and Nevada, and even drove some into California. He sold the Fort Hall outfit in 1879.

Alexander Toponce. Reminiscences.

Along with his freight line and cattle, Toponce built roads, ran a stagecoach company, and invested in mining properties from near Bellevue to north of Challis. He eased out of the wagon freight business in 1883-1886 as the completion of railroads across Idaho made long hauls unprofitable.

Alex himself did not ease back, however. At various times, he owned a piece of a canal company and grist mill in Utah, and a charcoal kiln in Wyoming. Seeing empty grazing land in Wyoming, he ran a considerable sheep outfit there. In 1892, the railroad shipped “twelve double-decked cars” full of sheep for him.

He also found time to serve a term as mayor of Corinne, supply ties to the railway company, own a butcher shop, and more. In 1914, he sold the rights to a hydropower site he still owned in Idaho. He finally began to slow down a few years later, and took the time to prepared his Reminiscences. His wife arranged publication after his death in May 1923.
                                                                                                                                      

References: “Construction: Pacific States,” Electrical World, Vol. LXIV, McGraw Publishing Company, Inc., New York (July 4 to December 26, 1914).

“Railroad Transfer of Sheep,” The Standard, Ogden, Utah (Nov 11, 1892).

Dan L. Thrapp (ed.), Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln (1991).

Alexander Toponce, Reminiscences of Alexander Toponce, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman (1971).

Boise Mayor, Attorney, and Earthquake Witness Joseph Pence [otd 11/09]

Mayor Pence. CityofBoise.com

On November 9, 1869, Boise Mayor Joseph Thomas Pence was born in Ottuma, Iowa. He graduated from Parsons College (Fairfield, Iowa) in 1892. Pence then taught at another small Iowa college, serving four years as Chair of its Department of Classical Languages.

After studying law for a year at Georgetown University, he transferred to Drake University Law School. He received his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1900.

Pence moved to Boise immediately after graduation and opened a practice there. His experience in educational matters was soon recognized: The governor appointed Joseph as one of the Trustees of the Albion State Normal School. He held that position for over a decade. Throughout that period, his reputation grew, both as a public-spirited citizen and as an intelligent, hardworking, and resourceful attorney.

At one point, he got his name in the newspapers for an usual reason. The Idaho Statesman reported (November 12, 1905) that a slight earthquake had hit Boise the day before. The quake struck in the afternoon, and ground-level pedestrians hardly noticed it. The motion did, however, startle people working on the higher floors of the downtown buildings. Attorney Pence felt his desk lurch and watched a hanging overcoat swing back and forth. The newspaper report went on, “A sectional bookcase full of books was noticed by him to sway fully three or four inches, as did also a hanging electric light globe.”

Pence took an active interest in politics, working diligently for the Democratic Party. Still, only once could supporters persuade him to run for office himself: Boise voters handily elected him as Mayor in 1909. His administration completed or initiated “many excellent public improvements,” although lack of funding slowed the work.

One prime feature included substantial developments at Julia Davis Park. Little had been done since Thomas J. Davis gave the land to the city in 1907 [blog, January 2]. Under Pence, about ten acres of soil was leveled, improved, and seeded as green space. A protective barrier was constructed along the river front. Officials also developed plans for a baseball field, boating pond, water features, and other amenities

Boise, ca. 1918. J. H. Hawley photo.

However, during his term Pence found himself the lead defendant – along with the city council – in a suit brought by a firm that applied for a liquor license. Judging them to be “not suitable” proprietors of such a business, the council had denied the license. In the end, the suit went all the way to the Idaho Supreme Court, which upheld the council’s position.

Reports from the period indicate that his performance pleased most Boiseans, who might well have elected him for another term. Possibly the liquor store litigation reinforced his reluctance to pursue public office; he never ran again. He did stay active in the Democratic Party, serving as a Delegate to the 1916 National Convention that nominated Woodrow Wilson for the U. S. Presidency.

During World War I, Pence held several positions on the Idaho Council of Defense, a “home front” support organization. The Council helped sell war bonds, addressed critical manpower shortages, and advanced “other matters calculated to bring the war to a successful conclusion.”

A few years after the war, the Salt Lake Telegram announced (May 26, 1922) that Pence had formed a partnership with a Salt Lake lawyer. They opened an office in the three-year-old Clift Building in Salt Lake City. (The Clift Building is now on the National Register of Historic Places.) Pence lived in Utah until his death in 1941.
                                                                                                                                      

References: [French], [Hawley]

I. W. Hart (ex officio reporter), “Darby et. al. vs Pence, Mayor, et. al.,” Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of Idaho, Bancroft-Whitney Company, San Francisco (1910).

University of Idaho Language Professor and Dean Jay Eldridge [otd 11/08]

Dean Eldridge.
University of Idaho Archives.

University of Idaho Dean of the Faculty Jay Glover Eldridge was born November 8, 1875, in Janesville, Wisconsin (about 60 miles southwest of Milwaukee).

After much moving around the country, the family ended up in New York state where the young man received his early education. He then graduated with highest honors from Yale University in 1896. (He received a Ph.D. from the school ten years later.)

He then studied modern languages at Yale while also serving as a German instructor. After receiving his Master’s degree in 1899, he spent several months in Germany. That trip surely sparked his production of a textbook version of Die Braut von Messina (The Bride of Messina), a famous play – a tragedy – written by German philosopher Friedrich Schiller. Eldridge’s text remained in academic use for over thirty years.

In 1901, he accepted a position as Professor and Chairman of the Modern Languages Department at the University of Idaho. Two years later, he was appointed Dean of the Faculty, the first Dean created at the institution.

Starting in 1905 and continuing for around fifteen years, Eldridge performed the duties normally assigned to a college Registrar. Early on the morning of March 30, 1906, Jay and his family – they lived just off campus – awoke to a great stir. To his horror, he learned that flames were attacking the school’s Administration Building.

Administration Building on fire. University of Idaho Archives.

Eldridge raced to the building, where his office lay on the first floor, but high above a half-buried basement. Finding a ladder, he scrambled up and in. A cherished bookcase took second place to the student records stored in the desk’s file drawers: Those went out the window to safety. Some were reportedly “scorched,” but they remain in University storage to this day.

During World War I, Eldridge served in France with the Young Men’s Christian Association, providing support services for soldiers, sailors, and airman. At the time, military organizations had almost no programs or facilities for off-duty personnel: no R&R (rest and recreation) centers, no PX (post exchange) stores, no canteens, no traveling entertainment. Beginning formally during the Civil War and extending beyond WW-I, the YMCA provided these and other related services.

Their work was not without risk: “Y” volunteers suffered nearly 300 casualties, including 8 killed, and received an impressive collection of American, French, and British medals and awards.

Dr. Eldridge resumed his position at the University after the war. In addition to his teaching and administrative duties, he found time to play an active role in many social and religious activities. Himself selected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society as a junior at Yale, Dean Eldridge helped secure a Society Chapter at the University of Idaho, in 1923. He later served as Chapter President.

An accomplished and experienced singer, Dr. Eldridge acted as President of the Moscow Choral Society in 1930-1931. He also held leadership roles in the regional Presbyterian Church organization.  In 1937, his original hymn composition won a contest sponsored by the national Church.

In 1941, the University awarded him an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree. He retired from his position as Faculty Dean five years later.

Eldridge was very active in the Masons, and rose to be Grand Master of the Idaho Lodge. He served various roles in the Masons until poor health curtained his activities in 1955. He passed away in August 1962.
                                                                                                                                      

References: [Defen], [Hawley]

Captain Ralph Blanchard, “The History of the YMCA in World War I,” Relevance, The Quarterly Journal of the Great War Society, Stanford, California (Spring 1997).

Rafe Gibbs, Beacon for Mountain and Plain: Story of the University of Idaho, The Caxton Printers, Caldwell, Idaho (© The Regents of the University of Idaho, 1962).

“Idaho: 1955,” Proceedings of the Grand Lodge, Vol XXXVI. Part IV (1956).

Medical Pioneer and Tuberculosis Researcher Edwin Guyon [otd 11/07]

On November 7, 1853, physician and medical pioneer Edwin F. Guyon was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. By one account, his father was among the nearly 13 thousand yellow fever deaths (ten percent of the population) in New Orleans during the period 1853-1855. In 1855, his mother relocated the family to California, where she remarried.

They soon moved to Oregon and, when Edwin was about twelve, his stepfather went into cattle ranching. As a young man, Guyon became a successful small rancher himself, but also nurtured a desire to become a physician. After schooling at Walla Walla College (now University), he attended the University of Cincinnati. He attained his M.D. there in 1891, spent a year in post-doctoral studies, and then started practicing in Pendleton, Oregon.

Montpelier, ca. 1910. Personal Collection.

In 1896, he moved to Montpelier, Idaho and opened a practice there. Four years later, he took a position with a coal company in Wyoming, where he stayed until 1903. During the period from 1897 through 1903, he also served as a surgeon for the Oregon Short Line Railroad. He then returned to Montpelier.

Aside from his practice, Guyon served as chairman of the Montpelier city council in 1910-1911, and also became involved in statewide medical matters. He served on the state Board of Medical Examiners and authored the Idaho law that prohibited "illegal" (presumably, unlicensed) medical practice. He co-authored a similar law in Oregon.

One of Dr. Guyon’s primary interests was the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis. At that time, the disease was “the leading cause of death for all age groups” in the United States. The most common treatment, for those who could afford it, was isolation in a sanitarium, where the patients exercised mildly in the fresh air, rested, and were fed a balanced, nutritious diet.

At the time, the high, dry climate of the Mountain West was viewed as an ideal location for TB sanatariums. Colorado, with its abundant sunshine, became a particular destination of choice. Thus, in 1911, Dr. Guynon traveled to a tuberculosis conference in Denver as an official representative of the Idaho medical community.

President Taft. Library of Congress.

The following year, he was selected as one of just five Idaho representatives at the International Congress on Hygiene and Demography. That meeting was then the preeminent research conference in the area of public health: The New York Times noted that the Congress was meeting “on American soil for the first time in the three-quarters of a century of its existence.” U. S. President William Howard Taft, serving as honorary chairman, delivered the opening address.

As part of its lead, The Times noted that one Dr. Peyton Rous of New York’s Rockefeller Institute had discovered a cancerous agent that “rapidly transmitted the growth of malignant tumors in chickens.” This was one of the earliest reports on the research that won Dr. Rous the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1966.

Guyon served on several national and international physicians’ committees while continuing his practice in Montpelier. His own medical research accomplishments, while more modest, earned him, in historian French’s words, a “state-wide, even national, reputation for his interest and his labors in the direction of checking and stamping out tuberculosis.”

In 1920, the Montpelier school district began requiring physical exams for children entering school that year. Dr. Guyon chaired the committee of physicians who had volunteered to do the exams. Guyon continued to practice in Montpelier until the early Thirties, when he moved to Pocatello. He passed away there in January of 1934.
                                                                                                                                      

References: [French], [Illustrated-State]

Albert Hassell (ed.), Transactions of the Fifteenth International Congress on Hygiene and Demography (September 23-28, 1912).

“Reveal New Means of Fighting Disease,” The New York Times (September 24, 1912).

“Yellow Fever Deaths in New Orleans, 1817-1905,” New Orleans Public Library (online).

Elections: U. S. President Abraham Lincoln and Lewiston Mayor Ankeny [otd 11/06]

President Lincoln.
National Archives, Matthew Brady.

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. In March 1863, while leading the nation through the Civil War, Lincoln signed legislation that created Idaho Territory.

Lincoln profoundly impacted the new Territory throughout his time in office. A week after the Territory was created, he appointed William H. Wallace as the first governor. Wallace was both a political ally and a personal friend of Lincoln’s. He was probably also related to William Smith Wallace, the Lincoln family physician and brother-in-law to Mary (Todd) Lincoln. (Both Wallaces traced their roots to Scottish emigrant families in central and eastern Pennsylvania.)

Lincoln also appointed a Territorial Secretary, three justices for a Territorial court system, and a U. S. Marshal. He selected Sidney Edgerton, another Midwestern attorney, as Chief Justice. The Marshal, Dolphus S. Payne, would be condemned as the perpetrator of the infamous “Laramie Fraud” in the Territory’s first elections later that year [blog, Oct 31].

Almost a year passed before he finally appointed the Territorial Attorney. (Territorial residents voted for a legislature – Representatives and Councilors – but the Federal government controlled everything else.)

When Wallace resigned to become Idaho’s elected Delegate to the U. S. Congress, Lincoln appointed New York politician Caleb Lyon as governor. Intelligent, well-educated, but rather bombastic in speech and manner, Lyon received more derision than respect during his stay in Idaho. Worse by far, however, was simply his status as a Republican appointee. He was thus bound to clash with a legislature dominated by Democrats, many of whom were Southern sympathizers.

Lincoln again impacted Idaho history when, in 1864, he signed legislation that split off Montana Territory [blog, May 26] and gave Idaho something like its present boundaries. Along with that, Lincoln appointed Idaho’s Chief Justice Edgerton to be governor of the new Territory.

Finally, less than two months before his assassination, Lincoln made his last significant Idaho appointment: He selected John McBride [blog, Feb 28] as Chief Justice to replace Sidney Edgerton.

Levi Ankeny. Library of Congress.

On November 6, 1871, voters elected Levi Ankeny mayor of Lewiston. This had two interesting consequences. First, under his administration an important “loose end” was tied up with regard to the Lewiston town site.

According to the Illustrated History of North Idaho, “the government had granted the city a tract of land one square mile in extent at the junction of the Clearwater and Snake rivers, but the land office had as yet failed to act in granting a patent and the matter was held in abeyance.”

That, of course, meant that title to every tract of land within the city could be disputed. Ankeny followed through to insure that the grant was properly executed, “though not without litigation.”

Ankeny was a long-time pioneer in the area. In 1862, Captain Ankeny and some partners operated a steamboat, The Spray, on the Snake. Their steamer, with a purposely shallow draft, could navigate the Clearwater during its late-season low water. The partners sold out at nearly a 100% profit after a year. Later, Ankeny owned a Lewiston general store and ran cattle on land southeast of town.

The second result from the mayoral election was to give Ankeny a taste of success in politics. He later moved to the state of Washington and took up banking. Then, from 1903 to 1909, he represented that state in the U.S. Senate, serving on several important committees. He died in March 1921.
                                                                                                                                      

References: [B&W], [Brit], [Hawley], [Illust-North]

“Levi Ankeny,” Biographical Directory of the United State Congress (online)

Reverend William Judson Boone and the College of Idaho [otd 11/05]

William Judson Boone, D.D., first and long-time president of the College of Idaho, was born November 5, 1860, in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, 15-20 miles southwest of Pittsburg.

After high school, he studied at the College of Wooster (Ohio), from which he received A.B. and M.A. degrees. Study at the Western Theological Seminary (Pittsburgh) further prepared him for the ministry (they awarded him a D.D. degree in 1903). 

Rev. Boone. College of Idaho photo.

In 1887, Boone took up the Presbyterian ministry in Caldwell, Idaho. Three years later, the Wood River Presbytery founded the private College of Idaho there. Classes began in October 1891 [blog, Oct 7]. Two years later, Boone left his church ministry to assume the presidency of the College, a position he held for the rest of his life.

Initially, Boone taught Latin, Greek, and the natural sciences. Besides his duties as president and professor, Boone was also the school’s chief publicist and recruiter. Enrollment increased steadily, and by about 1907, the College needed larger facilities. Boone then had to become the school’s main fund-raiser, a job he disliked. Still, he was very effective and by 1911 the College had three new buildings on land that they still occupy. At about the same time, they could also afford professors for all the natural sciences.

However, Dr. Boone’s special expertise, and love, was botany … and he never gave that up. To enrich his teaching, he led students on numerous field expeditions. In the process, he essentially “wrote the book” on the flora of southwest Idaho. His personal garden included a wide variety of plants, including flowers – the “President Boone” rose is named for him.

Dr. Boone passed away in July, 1936. However, his enthusiasm for natural science put a special stamp on the school he founded and led for so long: A liberal arts college with a strong conviction that a fully-educated person must know something about science and its processes.

The school still takes that mission, with its special flavor, very seriously. The core curricula for most smaller liberal arts colleges require just one “hard science” class. Moreover, a substantial minority allows students to fill that requirement with a watered-down, “science survey” class.  (A few schools allow students to avoid the subjects altogether.)

College of Idaho requires 7 credit-hours of science, generally meaning that one of the two classes must include a lab. Oddly enough, the College also requires two courses in the “Fine Arts” – music, painting, dance, drama, etc. Most liberal arts schools require only one for their non-majors.

Activities Center, College of Idaho.

Without apology, the school sees itself as “uncompromisingly Christian,” but welcomes all denominations and leads by strictly voluntary example. Given its small size and community environment, many young people meet their spouses there. Students affectionately referred to the school as “Dr. Boone’s marriage mill.”

As usual for most private liberal arts colleges, College of Idaho has always struggled with finances, yet they have survived. Like any college, success is measured by the achievements of its graduates – and those are outstanding. For example, H. Corwin Hinshaw, a 1923 graduate, later earned a Ph.D. from UC-Berkeley and pioneered the use of streptomycin to treat tuberculosis.

Today, many graduates have jobs before they leave school and most (98%) are employed within six months after graduation. Moreover, their scholars enjoy a 75% acceptance rate for postgraduate work at many fine institutions.
                                                                                                                                      

References: [French], [Hawley]

Louie W. Attebery, The College of Idaho, 1891-1991: A Centennial History. © The College of Idaho, Caldwell (1991).

Herbert Harry Hayman, That Man Boone: Frontiersman of Idaho, College of Idaho, Caldwell (1948).

Boise Mayor, Merchant, and Prominent Mason Charles Himrod [otd 11/04]

Mayor Himrod. H. T. French.

Boise merchant and Mayor Charles Himrod was born November 4, 1842, in Burdett, New York, about 55 miles southwest of Syracuse. After completing basic country schooling, he became clerk in a general merchandise store. After eight years of that, he traveled in 1864 with a government-organized emigrant party on the Oregon Trail. The train reached Boise City at the end of September.

Charles decided to settle in the new town and found a job in the dry-goods and general merchandise store owned by Cyrus Jacobs. Jacobs had moved first to Oregon around 1852. After prospectors discovered gold in the Boise Basin, Jacobs headed there with a pack train. Instead of going on, however, he set up a tent store near Fort Boise and helped found Boise City nearby.

By August 1864, he had built a home – the first one made of brick – and was advertising his new permanent store in the Idaho Statesman. Jacobs must have been pleased to find an experienced clerk and bookkeeper in Himrod to help run the store. Himrod remained with that firm for around twelve years, before spending two or three years with another mercantile operation.

He did try to branch out in 1872, serving as business manager and Secretary for a new newspaper called the Idaho Standard (Idaho Statesman, May 2, 1872). That venture soon failed, however.

During the same period, Himrod also served in a number of public offices. He was Mayor of Boise City from 1869 through 1872, part of the time with a concurrent position as Ada County Treasurer (1870-1871). In 1872, “Charley” also served a term in the House of Representatives for Idaho Territory. He was very active in the state Democratic Party structure.

For a few years after about 1878, Himrod ran his own general store. He also returned to public office as the Mayor of Boise City in 1879, and had another stint as Ada County Treasurer.

Then, in 1882, he teamed up with Thomas J. Davis [blog, January 2] to open a dry goods and grocery store, styled “Davis & Himrod.” Like Cyrus Jacobs, Tom Davis was one of the original founders of Boise City. By this time, he owned extensive fruit orchards in the Boise Valley. The initial advertisement in the Idaho Statesman (July 6, 1882) said, “We deal extensively in dried and canned fruits, of our own raising, and better than any of the California or Oregon fruits.”

Main Street, Boise, ca 1912. H. T. French.

Davis & Himrod remained in business through most of the decade. In 1885 and again in 1889, Charley served terms as Treasurer for Idaho Territory. The partnership was dissolved “by mutual consent” after seven years (Idaho Statesman, March 28, 1889), but Himrod continue in the dry good business for another two years or so.

He then liquidated his stock to focus on a new electric trolley project. Later, he acted as an independent business agent, and also went into banking.

During the first decade of the new century, he served four years as a Commissioner for Ada County. Himrod also served for many years as a Director for the Boise School District.

Almost from his arrival in Idaho, Charley took an active part in the Masonic Lodge. For many years he served as Grand Secretary for the state Lodge, and was elected Grand Master in 1879. Starting in 1889, Himrod held the position of Grand Treasurer for the Idaho Lodge for over a quarter century. When Charley died in January 1920, the Lodge played a major role in his memorial and burial service.
                                                                                                                                      

References: [French], [Hawley]

Charles Himrod Papers, MS 512, Idaho State Historical Society, Boise (1985).

“Cyrus Jacobs: December 22 or 23, 1831 – June 28, 1900,” Reference Series No. 580, Idaho State Historical Society (1981).