The Courier
NEWS
Hagerman Museum Finds New Home
Earlier this year, US Bank closed its branch office in Hagerman, leaving one of Hagerman's oldest buildings empty. But... not for long! Last week, the building was sold to the Hagerman Valley Historical Society. HVHS has been working on a new building for the museum for several years, but when the bank building became available, there was no question that it was the perfect place for displaying the history of the valley and the people who have live there. The west side of the building was built in around 1891. By 1905 the east side had been added and it became the Morris Roberts Mercantile. Other businesses came and went over the years and in 1978 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In the 1980s, the building was purchased by Idaho State Bank and was completely remodeled, including a restoration of the outside of the building to its original mercantile days. Idaho State Bank merged with West One Bank in 1994, and was acquired by US Bank in 1996 which operated in Hagerman until January of this year. While the bank names changed, the ownership of the building remained in the hands of the Knox family. HVHS President, Mike Owsley, said they started the process of acquiring the building as soon as US Bank vacated the building, but because the building was used as a bank, it took a great deal of effort to finalize the sale. Mr. Owsley also said this is just the first step in creating a home for the thousands of historical items that have been in storage for years. "We have a lot of work to do, removing the teller counters and bank storage units, to create the space for a great museum. It will take time and fundraising to finish this dream." It may take time to prepare the building for historical displays, but that is not stopping HVHS from using the building. On October 18th at 7:00 p.m., anthropologist Ray Brooks will present the history of Hagerman Valley Native Americans: their rock art and seasonal migrations to the Camas Prairie. For more information, check out their facebook page or send an email to: hagermanmuseum@gmail.com
DEQ Certification for Bliss Hydroelectric Facility
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is preparing a draft 401 water quality certification for Stevenson No. 2 (Black Canyon Bliss) hydroelectric facility – Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Docket No. P-8866. The facility is located on the Snake River in Gooding County, Idaho, and is an operatinglicensed facility filing for a new license with FERC. DEQ received a request on May 24, 2022, to certify... continued on page 3...
News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding
October 5, 2022
Vol 46 Num 40
Old Camas School Comes to its End
On Monday, October 3rd, the Fairfield Grade School, built in 1913, ended over 100 years of service to the community. "This is a sad day for the community due to how many have attended the school and have fond memories of learning in that building," said Superintendent Janet Williamson. During the 1920s, along with elementary classes, an unaccredited high school was held in the building. In 1927 the community finally pass a bond to build the high school that now stands on Soldier Road. The grade school building then served elementary students - 1st grade thru 8th - until 2005 when a new elementary school was added to the high school building. While the school district continued to use the newer part of the elementary building for music classes, various problems with mold, water leaks, and asbestos made it necessary to end all use by students. For those of you who spent part of your childhood in that building, the school district is creating a space to stack the rock facia from the front of the building. For anyone who would like a piece of that memory, it will be available to the community when it is safe to pick up. In the meantime, please do not approach the building until everything is cleared off the site and the school district says it is safe. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school office at 208-764-2472.