Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-12-26
POET Of SOUTHERN
IDAHO RECALLS HIS
FIRST NAMPA XMAS

Nampa. Dec. 26.--Indulging in rem
iniscendes Of past holidays in this
city and particularly OF those of It's
more early days, Fred G. Mock. nove-
list of southern Idaho, said this morn
ing:
My first Christmas in Nampa, was
In 1881. spent some time here in
the fall OF 1891. but the year first
given was my first Christmas. Our
coolest weather of the winter came
in December with considerable snow,
something like the present month, but
not 80 cold. There were amusements
just as there We're this year, but
of course on q much smaller scale. A
dance at the Nettleton hall, Christi
mas trees at the various churches,
sleigh rides and skating on Lake
Ethel.
The Falk Mercantile Co., Julius
Steinmeier, manager. was the leading
mercantile firm; DIR. j. II. Murray
and DIR. Kohler. our physicians. and
druggists; d. King was postmaster,
and kept the office in small frame
building on Twelfth avenue, between
Front and First where the Bray build
Ing now stands. The Commercial hotel
that set just across the street from
the o. s. l.. depot, was owned and
conducted by Antoine Hinkley, George
Everitt was Mr.. Hinkley's chief clerk.
j. M. Persinger was our banker, and
come to think of 1t. he paid out coin
when cashing checks, which max es
me wonder II we will ever see gold
coin in circulation again. Harry
Young was our ice man, having erect
ed building at the easterly end Of
the dam across Lake Ethel f. M.
Ruse was the village blacksmith: his
shop stood across the alley from the
present postoffice building, where the
Nampa ID. is now erecting a modern
building. Colonel Stearns was mayor,
and Tom Dryden was marshal There
were seven shade trees in the first
Babbitt &c Mock, were the civil en-
the next planting. These men are
sacred numbers TO all old timers.
Rabbit & Mock. were the civil en-
gineers and abstractors. Jake Horn
was editor of the Leader, and Daniel
Bacon, the editor of the Times. Hon.
M. A. Bates, now editor of the Payette
Lake Star, was principal of our
school-Lakeview. He had one as
sistant and the girl who taught q
class of small children in the room
where the Laland Pressery is, made
three teachers in all. Two through
trains day each way, two trains to
Boise, and the tri-weekly stage to Sill
Yer City and DeLamar furnished
transportation in and out of the town.
And, after all these years, l can feel
the rock of that old Concord stage,
with Old Red. on the box, Daddy
Beggs with his sawed OFF shotgun, be-
beside him, with six Idaho bred
bronks, al standing on end at the
start. hiking away with the payroll
money for the great army of Owyhee
county miners. Yes. sir, dry as it is
now, I can feel the sway of that old
stage yet, for Red was some driver.
He could hold the ribbons on those
six cayuses-and his whip of course,
with his left hand and roll O cigarette
with the right-all without removing
the buckskin gauntlet gloves he al
ways wore when driving. 1t was
this same old Red that won the
worlds championship as stage
driver at the Chicago worlds fair
His one thought was that "A stage
was never known to tip over endwise.
So he always did his fast driving
down the mountain. but closely fol-
lowed the rule he had set up for
himself. And We've rode while
he practiced for the big contest"