Catlin was one of those farsighted settlers who quickly realized that his real gold was to be found in farming. An Illinois native, Catlin used a preemption claim to acquire acres on Eagle Island during the last half of Originally naming his island home after his native state, Catlin was soon persuaded to rename the island to reflect the large number of bald eagles that made it their home as well.
Together with his neighbor, Polete Mace, Catlin also built the first irrigation ditch in the area in This original attempt at irrigation diverted enough water from the Boise River to irrigate acres on the island and initiated a year effort by local settlers to bring water and crops to ever higher elevations. Despite these early efforts of Catlin and Mace, the development of Eagle as a settlement owes its place in history to a Nova Scotian surveyor by the name of Thomas Hugh Aikens.
Although the year of Aikens's arrival in the area cannot be neatly pinned down, his first water right to the Boise River involving property on Eagle Island can be dated to mid Conway, a founder of Boise who had a home and stage station east of Eagle's present downtown, and moved with his new bride to a homestead on the island. In the early s Aikens began to purchase property on the north bank of the Boise River, directly across the channel from his Eagle Island holdings.
This property made him the proud owner of frontage on the south side of Valley Road now State Street , at that time the main highway between Boise and the small towns to the west. Moving his family from the island to his new development, Aikens began a lengthy campaign to have the county build a bridge across the Boise River that would anchor his two properties. His sparring partner in this effort was the settlement of Star, six miles to the west.
When Star questioned the need of a largely empty town site to have a bridge, the county commissioners decided to take the issue to the voters. Aikens responded with a little act of theatre that definitely proved to his advantage. Without hesitation he hired a fancy touring carriage and proceeded to transport residents of the Old Soldiers Home on what is now Veterans Parkway to the polls, offering them a complimentary picnic as a bonus.
In the summer time, this place is a favorite to take my kids. They love playing in the water fountains, climbing the trees and eating snow cones on the gazebo steps. This is where local vendors come to sell their home crafted goods, artwork and delicious street food. There is also tons of local musicians and dance groups that come and perform.
The top floor was used for their meetings while the bottom floor was used as a recreational space. Soon the order gave up their space on the top floor to house children needing a place to stay while attending school. From there the space has been a valley market and a grocery store. If you are looking for some of the best barbecue in Eagle, this is the place to be.
My favorite appetizer is the pulled pork nachos. Careful though, you may just get hooked! As previously mentioned, Smokey Mountain Pizza has moved around a couple times, finally landing next to Heritage Park. Originally, the building that housed this pizzeria was the land for a general store at the turn of the century.
More recently, it was a paint store supplying paint to the valley and recently became Smokey Mountain within the past 10 years. In , the Boise Valley Packing Company introduced custom meat cutting. In , the Boise Valley Loop trolley line fully connected Eagle to the other towns in the valley. In , the drug store was moved to the commercial block, making it a popular stop for trolley line passengers.
This made the drug store gain regional fame. During the s, Orville Jackson renovated and expanded the drug store. The building still retains his name and signage. In March of , the State of Idaho opened the Eagle Island Prison Farm, which allowed low-risk prisoners to work off their debt to society while also giving back to the community. The farm operated until the s. In October , a committee was formed to declare Eagle as an incorporated city. The Eagle Public Library was founded in What started out as a volunteer effort now has a collection of over 98, volumes and circulates more than , items yearly.
From to , the population of Eagle grew slightly from 2, to 3, In , the site of the Eagle Island Prison Farm became Eagle Island State Park, a popular recreation area for swimming, horseback riding, and walking. Between and , the population boomed to 11, a Approximately 26 acres developed with waterslide, picnic areas, restrooms, concession building and swimming area.
Exciting changes will be taking place at Eagle Island State Park. Throughout each construction phase the park will continue to be accessible to the public, although the trail system will change with each phase. Day-use hours may change based on park manager discretion. See All Events. Skip to main content Keep COVID on the run: wash hands frequently, practice social distancing when possible, and respect the needs of others.
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