Front & Broad St. Boise, Idaho
Question: What is the history for the area between Front St. and Broad St. on Fifth St. where the mural is located?
Answer: From 1911 until 1950, Boise Lumber Company operated at that site. They had a mill 1/4 mile east of the old Natatorium. Then shortly after they moved to Broadway Tennyson’s Transfer and storage was there until the 1980s. Hank’s formal name must have been Henry because that is what is listed in the Directory.
Boise grew rapidly at the turn of the century due to the development of the Idaho timber industry and expansion of irrigation acreage. With plentiful water and sunny conditions, farmers began exploring the possibilities of the valley. Because of the population growth, commerce and industry flourished. Lumber companies provided raw materials to build homes and businesses. In 1925 Union Pacific built its new mainline depot on the bench south of downtown, known today as “The Boise Depot”. The 8th Street wholesale district was built south of the railroad track in the decade after 1902. The central addition, south of the railroad track between 3rd and 6th Street, houses were built in the early 1900′s with architectural distinction such as the Victorian house represented in the mural.
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