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c. 1875
c. 1881
c. 1885
c. 1889
c. 1900
c. 1902-1903
c. 1903-1904
Carnegie Library, 1905
Supreme Court Building, 1910 Sacajawea fountain, c. 1918
c. 1924-1925 Image Sources:
Art Andrews Collection
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A Living
Legacy
Pioneer
Park The expanse now known as Pioneer Park, so central to the Normal Hill residential area, was once set aside as the city cemetery. The 1874 survey shows the area as 8.05 acres. After most of the graves, its gates and all of its fencing were removed (1889-1893), the property languished until June 14, 1899, when it was set aside by City Ordinance 244 as a public park. Following a plan laid out by public works engineer Ernest McCullough in 1901, landscaping began in April 1903 on what was then called the "Fifth Street Park." The 1902 photograph clearly shows that the park area had been completely cleared of items identifying it as a cemetery but had received no other special attention. In 1904 two major structures were under construction in the Park: the Idaho Supreme Court Building and the Carnegie Library (both shown below). On April 14, 1905, the new Carnegie Library was dedicated, one of only 10 built in Idaho. A $10,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie allowed for the construction of the edifice. (The library closed in 1999 and has been used by various local groups as a school and day care center.) The Supreme Court Building housed a 4,000-volume library and was the seat, until 1956, for the Idaho Court when it convened for sessions in northern Idaho, as prescribed by the Idaho Constitution, which requires the Court to meet in various areas of the state. The building now serves as a local church. In 1907 a band shell was erected in the new park, which was becoming a popular gathering place as the surrounding neighborhoods continued to expand. The original band shell (shown here in 1910 with the city's band in concert) no longer exists and was replaced as part of the Idaho Centenary in 1990. A second photograph from this period before 1911 shows the sparsity of large vegetation. Surprisingly, early in the century, the city council debated repeatedly over whether trees should be purchased for the park. Various members objected to public funds being used for such a "frivolous" project. This roadblock spurred public support for the area, and most of the original trees found in the park today were purchased and planted by private donations. As part of the Centenary, the University of Idaho inaugurated an arboretum of species found throughout Idaho. The circle of trees in the left-center of the photograph was planted in anticipation of the Sacajawea fountain. (See below)
It was at this site that President William Howard Taft spoke to one of the largest crowds ever assembled in Lewiston on October 7, 1911, while making a short visit to the area during his train tour of the West. He remains the only President to visit Lewiston while in office. In 1911 Professor Karl Baumgaertl, leader of the city's band, and the women's organizations of Lewiston raised $1,200 for the creation and construction of a fountain in the park. Designed by Pierre Cheriot, the fountain portrayed Sacajawea. The fountain was refurbished for the Idaho Centenary. The original statue of Sacajawea is now in the collection of the Nez Perce County Historical Society.
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