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Tom & Julia Davis: "Some Good Place"
Tom Davis and his brother left Illinois in 1861, headed for the mining frontier of the West. Surviving an unusual--and unusually harrowing--journey across Idaho's central mountains, they found themselves looking out for Indians on the banks of the Boise River as they built Boise's first cabin in 1863.
Tom found his life partner when Julia McCrum left her parents' home in Galt, Canada, for her own adventure in the West, demonstrating that the "Wander Lust" could infect women just as readily as men.
Tom and Julia Davis: Some Good Place, the fifth Idaho history written by Boise historian Susan M. Stacy, tells what happened next--the creation of a city sometimes called an "Eden," business successes, the joys and tragedies of family life.
This remarkable couple gave Boise City the land for Julia Davis Park. What were they thinking? Stacy has a pretty good idea, and tells the story of Tom and Julia with compelling detail, sympathy, and insight.
Tom found his life partner when Julia McCrum left her parents' home in Galt, Canada, for her own adventure in the West, demonstrating that the "Wander Lust" could infect women just as readily as men.
Tom and Julia Davis: Some Good Place, the fifth Idaho history written by Boise historian Susan M. Stacy, tells what happened next--the creation of a city sometimes called an "Eden," business successes, the joys and tragedies of family life.
This remarkable couple gave Boise City the land for Julia Davis Park. What were they thinking? Stacy has a pretty good idea, and tells the story of Tom and Julia with compelling detail, sympathy, and insight.
147 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 24, 2023
I am fascinated by the early history of my adopted hometown, Boise, Idaho, but sometimes getting a handle on it feels like assembling the pieces to a puzzle when there are pieces that I don't even know exist. This book is one of those pieces, and it's a crucial one.
Tom Davis and his brother Frank arrived on the scene here just before there even was a Boise. They had heard of the gold strike in the nearby mountains, but rather than try for the mother lode themselves, they had seen from previous experience in other Western mining camps and boom towns--which tended to be in the middle of inaccessible nowhere--that miners would pay top dollar for fresh food. There was no refrigeration in those days, so fresh food couldn't be transported over the distances from their sources to the mines, and the only means of food preservation was to either dry it (for things like fruit) or smoke it (for meat). Therefore the Davis brothers got hold of some seedlings, mostly apple trees, and planted them along the Boise River. Thus started their path to great prosperity.
When the Army arrived in June 1863 with orders to build a fort along the Boise River near the mines, they chose an area directly adjacent to the Davis' orchards. The brothers were among a very select group of settlers who were responsible for platting a new town next to the fort, and became some of the earliest owners of choice riverfront property. Between sales of their produce (which grew to include peaches, plums, prunes, and other delights to the local settlers) and sales of their subdivded land holdings, they became some of the richest men in the new town as well. In this, Tom was assisted by his shrewd and industrious wife Julia, who helped run his businesses, engage in the social life of the new town, and raise five children.
Despite the relative dearth of documentation of the Davis brothers' lives, Susan Stacy did a remarkable job of research to collect enough information to stitch together this narrative. She wasn't content to rely on easy sources like newspaper articles mentioning the Davises, but dove into special collections in various libraries, looked up land transaction records (tedious!), and found descendants of both the Davis and McCrum families (Julia's maiden name) for additional material. The result, at 95 pages, is a relatively short account as general histories go but for a biographical treatment that also serves as a wonderful snapshot of young Boise it's masterful. This one goes on the research shelf and when I wear it out I will order another one.
Tom Davis and his brother Frank arrived on the scene here just before there even was a Boise. They had heard of the gold strike in the nearby mountains, but rather than try for the mother lode themselves, they had seen from previous experience in other Western mining camps and boom towns--which tended to be in the middle of inaccessible nowhere--that miners would pay top dollar for fresh food. There was no refrigeration in those days, so fresh food couldn't be transported over the distances from their sources to the mines, and the only means of food preservation was to either dry it (for things like fruit) or smoke it (for meat). Therefore the Davis brothers got hold of some seedlings, mostly apple trees, and planted them along the Boise River. Thus started their path to great prosperity.
When the Army arrived in June 1863 with orders to build a fort along the Boise River near the mines, they chose an area directly adjacent to the Davis' orchards. The brothers were among a very select group of settlers who were responsible for platting a new town next to the fort, and became some of the earliest owners of choice riverfront property. Between sales of their produce (which grew to include peaches, plums, prunes, and other delights to the local settlers) and sales of their subdivded land holdings, they became some of the richest men in the new town as well. In this, Tom was assisted by his shrewd and industrious wife Julia, who helped run his businesses, engage in the social life of the new town, and raise five children.
Despite the relative dearth of documentation of the Davis brothers' lives, Susan Stacy did a remarkable job of research to collect enough information to stitch together this narrative. She wasn't content to rely on easy sources like newspaper articles mentioning the Davises, but dove into special collections in various libraries, looked up land transaction records (tedious!), and found descendants of both the Davis and McCrum families (Julia's maiden name) for additional material. The result, at 95 pages, is a relatively short account as general histories go but for a biographical treatment that also serves as a wonderful snapshot of young Boise it's masterful. This one goes on the research shelf and when I wear it out I will order another one.
August 19, 2017
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. The reason for the surprise is because everywhere you turn you hear about the history of Tom & Julia Davis, so I felt like I had already heard this story. But when I started reading I was pleasantly surprised how wonderful the story was.
December 17, 2012
Susan Stacy provides a wonderful look at the Davis family and their history in the community. A must read for anyone interested in a retelling of the Julia Davis Park story.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews