Arthur De Wint Foote & Mary Hallock Foote
Submitted by Jenni Lund on Tue, 2017-07-11 00:00
Have you ever heard of these two impactful people who spent time in Idaho and helped shape the Boise River irrigation plan? I got The amazing opportunity to meet Mary Hallock Foote at the Idaho Outdoor School in Idaho City yesterday. Coming in full costume and telling her story of how she and her husband traveled to the west. He was a civil engineer specializing in turbines and she was an artist and writer. His vision was to change the Boise River irrigation plan starting at Arrrowrock Dam. The project was eventually finished by the Bureau of Reclamation. She told a story through pictures and writing that was later published in the 70s. There will be a monument built in their honor. It is amazing how you can live in one place for so long and never know the history of the area. From Arowrock dam, to Lucky Peak, to Diversion dam, the canal system and Boise River irrigation was visualized by this amazing person!
Comments
Connecting to my classroom
Hi Jenni,
What an honor it must have been to meet Mary Hanncok Foote today! I was inspired by your post, pictures, and historical connections for many reasons. As a social studies teacher, I have the opportunity to teach about geography and history. The Foote family story is a perfect lesson for my classroom. In the beginning of the year, I teach my students about the 5 Themes of Geography (Movement, Place, Location, Region, Human-Environment Interaction, and Movement). I am considering using the Foote's family story and legacy here in Boise to tap into both a lesson on history, as well as a lesson on Human-Environment Interaction. What a visionary Arthur Foote was to coordinate the largest "arid-land irrigation scheme" of the time. I had no idea about either of these two individuals and learned so much from your links. Thanks for sharing what you all did and learned today! I'm excited to use the story of these two individuals in my first weeks back at school.
Speakers in your classroom
Emma - what a great idea to use the Foote's story for your 5 themes study! If you're ever interested in bringing 'Mary Hallock Foote' or other historical figures to your class, go to the Idaho Humanities Council web site and apply for a teacher grant. You never know, but maybe Mary will visit your classes!