The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-06-04
TEN FOREMOST IN
IDAHO HISTORY
HISTORY STUDENTS PLACE MERI-
WETHER LEWIS IN LEAD;
THOMPSON SECOND

Sixty students of Idaho history have
made their choice of the ten foremost
men in Idaho history Excluding men
4 still living) and have headed the list
with the name of Meriwether Lewis,
Header of the famous Lewis and Clark
expedition. William Clark, his COM
panion on this expedition, came third.
David Thompson, who has been styled
" the greatest land geographer," re-
ceived one more vote than Clark, and
so won second place.
Votes received by the winning 10
were as follows: Meriwether Lewis,
so; David Thompson, 46; William
Clark, As; Chief Joseph, 44 Peter J.
DeSmet, Al; Daniel S. Tuttle, 81;
Elias D. Pierce, Sc; Peter Skene Og-
den, 80; Nathaniel j. Wyeth, 2S; John
Haley, 27.
With only one or two exceptions, all
these characters, with many others,
appear in the pageant of Idaho his
tory, The Light on the Mountains"
that is to be presented here the night
of Saturday, June 9, as part of the
university commencement exercises.
This is undoubtedly the most care
full appraisal of the leading Idahoans
that ever has been made" said Prof.
G. J. Brosnan, who has charge of the
classes in Idaho history "I believe
the group judgment of the go students
in the two classes has produced a re-
suit that authorities on history will
find little fault with
First the classes chose 20 candi-
dates. By voting, they reduced the
number to Is and then they made their
choice of 10 from those that were left.
They spent month in making the
appraisal.
There is now sweeping over the
country renaissance of interest in
regional and local history. The page
ant of Idaho history which is to be
given here June 9 is only another as
pect of that same renaissance"
Meriwether Lewis was selected, ac-
cording to one student, because he
/" put Idaho under Americas flag" He
F" opened the gates of mystery that had
secluded the northwest, and humanity
entered"
. David Thompson started the fur
trade in Idaho and built the first
trading post. He was an intrepid
pathfinder, surveyor, geographer, and
Il HAL DIS W0ll.
William Clark shared equally in
all the exigencies of the Lewis and
Clark expedition and should share in
it's fame. The two leaders made the
people Of the United States realize for
the first time what a wonderful op-
portunity was knocking at their doors.
Chief Joseph represented the last
stand of a weaker nation against a
stronger and under favorable cir
would have been enrolled
among the great military leaders of
the world"
Father DeSmet was a great Indian
pacifier and evangelist and later be-
came of international fame"
Bishop Tuttle was a member of
he brotherhood of man" who
helped to develop the nice sense of
'airness and citizenship of the early
Captain Pierce's discovery Of gold
started the great immigration move
nent which was to make Idaho a ter
'itory within three years"
Peter Skene Ogden, chief factor of
he Hudsons Bay company, was
dominant figure in the early fur trade
II Idaho.
Nathaniel J. Wyeth erected Fort
Hall, which was "a message of well
ome to the traveller being the most
outfitting camp on the wes-
ern end Of the Oregon trail.
John HALEY developed the stage
BUSINESS in Idaho between Boise and
Walla Walla. He lived through
nuch of Idaho history and later wrote
t as he saw it."