What's New in Local and Idaho History
@Twin Falls Public Library
 
November/December 2025

      • Newspapers: Part Two •

     In 2023, we received a grant to purchase archival boxes to house our collection of loosely bound local newspapers. Archival boxes can be expensive because not only are they sturdily reinforced (especially on the corners), they must ship already assembled - no folding these boxes.
 
     With more than 120 years worth of newspapers, however, that first grant only got us through about 1/3 of what we have. We were patient, and this year, when the SHRAB grant (which is offered through the Idaho State Historical Society, funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and then matched by the TFPL Foundation) opened up for consideration, we re-applied and were approved.
 
     This year, we were able to purchase even more boxes, about 144, and that should get us closer to our goal. The boxes arrived in two giant pallets, and we're working our way through sorting, boxing, labeling, and cataloging the papers. Once the papers are "rehoused," they'll be better protected and preserved, and hopefully remain in stable condition for the next generation of local history buffs.
 

Upcoming Local History Events

The Age of Revolution and U.S. Independence
 
Thu, Nov 20 • 6:30 PM
Mountain View Barn in Jerome
 
Learn more about the early days of the Revolution with CSI Professor Emeritus, Dr. Russ Tremayne. More information at the Preservation Twin Falls website. No charge for the talk (dinner available beforehand at additional cost).
The Life & Photography of Clarence Bisbee
 
Sat, Nov 22 • 11 AM
Program Room at the Library
 
Librarian Jennifer Hills will talk about photographer Clarence Bisbee, share some of his most significant photos, and examine the legacy he left to the Magic Valley and Idaho. No charge.
 
 
Stricker Victorian Christmas
Open House
 
Sun, Dec 7 • 2-4 PM
Rock Creek Station & Stricker Homesite
in Hansen
 
Experience the joy of the Christmas season at the historic Stricker Ranch!  The House will be decorated for Christmas in beautiful Victorian style and volunteers will be dressed in period costumes. Enjoy holiday music from the Twin Falls Magichords, and Lucy Stricker's famous gingersnap cookies! No charge.

Twin Falls Electric Railroad
Above: Schoolchildren pose in front of the Twin Falls Electric Railroad cars, which ran along the street behind the High School. Photo #742a, taken by Clarence E. Bisbee.
 
 
The Electric Railroad of Twin Falls
 
     Between the years of 1913 and 1916, there was an electric railway that traveled between Shoshone Falls and the town of Twin Falls. I.B. Perrine had a vision of a transportation system that connected the two - especially since the ferry at Shoshone Falls was the closest (and perhaps fastest) way to get across the Snake River at the time.
 
     The electric batteries that ran the rail cars were manufactured by Edison, whom Perrine had met and had corresponded with. The cars were ordered from the Illinois Steel Company, and the track was laid in stages, using local citizens as labor when they needed help to finish.
 
     The grand vision Perrine had in mind was that folks who lived in the area would use the line to travel into town, and that visitors to Twin Falls would travel out to see the Shoshone Falls. While some of those people did just that, the group that used the line most was children who needed a safe, quick way to come into town for the school day.
 
     Needless to say, the venture was not successful. Perrine and his supporters underestimated the desire for mass-transit in the area at the time, and the debt to pay back the Illinois Steel Company took a chunk of Perrine's personal assets. Still, a fascinating attempt to get people moving in our area - and one many of us may wish was still in operation today!
 
Below: Schedule from the Twin Falls Times - 21 January 1916, p.14.
 
 
New Books on Idaho Topics


Out of the Woods: A Girl, a Killer, and a Lifelong Struggle to Find the Way Home by Gregg Olsen
Out of the Woods: A Girl, a Killer, and a Lifelong Struggle to Find the Way Home
by Gregg Olsen

In May 2005, authorities discovered the Groene family murdered in their Idaho home. The family's youngest members--eight-year-old Shasta and her brother, nine-year-old Dylan--were nowhere to be found. As a community prayed for their return, Shasta and Dylan were already miles away in the woods of Montana at the hands of serial killer Joseph Edward Duncan.  After a harrowing forty-eight day ordeal, Shasta was rescued. In many ways, her survival story was only beginning.
 
Moving Mountains: Creating the Nurse Practitioner and Rural EMS by John MD Osborn
Moving Mountains: Creating the Nurse Practitioner and Rural EMS
by John MD Osborn

Moving Mountains is the real-life story of Idaho's first nurse practitioner, Marie Osborn. In 1971, Marie founded an emergency clinic in the rugged Sawtooth-Salmon River country, covering 6,000 square miles on 24/7 call. Time and again Marie survived conflicts with professional boards, legislatures, the insurance industry, and bitter Idaho winters - all at significant personal cost. 
 
 
Moscow by Latah County Historical Society
Moscow - Past and Present
by Latah County Historical Society

In the heart of the Pacific Northwest sits the Palouse, and at its core is Moscow, Idaho.  The Latah County Historical Society explores over 130 years of Moscow's history through photography and traces its own roots back to the Latah County Pioneer Association, founded in 1891.


Photo Finish
Wide view of the drive-up structures at the rear of the Twin Falls Bank and Trust (looking toward Shoshone St W), 1989.
{#HG 876; Photographer Harald Gerber}


Questions, Comments, or Suggestions? Let us Know!
Twin Falls Public Library201 4th Ave E
Twin Falls, Idaho 83301
208-733-2964
twinfallspubliclibrary.org/