Eagle Idaho is a desireable, upscale community nestled along the base of the Boise
foothills. Eagle offers high-end, quality-crafted homes, fine dining, boutique shopping
and a friendly community. The Boise river meanders through Eagle and you'll often
find folks walking the greenbelt or enjoying a peaceful picnic along the banks.
Eagle offers convenient access to the entire Treasure Valley and provides direct
routes to northern ski areas, foothills hiking, river rafting and other fun Idaho
outdoor activities. If you prefer newer construction homes in an upscale market
then Eagle is the place for you. Pictured above is Rembrandt’s Coffee House in Eagle’s
quaint downtown area.
June 21, 2022
The city of trees, also known as Boise, Idaho enjoys a beautiful river running through it alongside the ever-popular Greenbelt. This stretch of river is home to cycling, walking, running, fishing and more and it connects to a number of community parks that are all named for women who have a leadership history in this community. A few of our favorite places to enjoy are these four parks located within the city. We encourage you to explore the many others such as Kristen Armstrong Park, Cherie Buckner Webb Park, Ester Simplot Water Park, Bernadine Quinn and Marianne Williams park. We are a city proud of the women who have called this city their home.
Kathryn Albertson Park The public park system running through the middle of Boise has been dubbed “String of Pearls”, and its nine riverside parks are known collectively as the “Ribbon of Jewels.” The acreage comprising all nine existing parks and future park sites found in the Ribbon of Jewels were deeded to the city by families and named for the families’ esteemed matriarchs. Doug Holloway says, “It’s an honor because it shows the proud ownership each of those families have in the city to be able to do that.” Just as the Boise River unites these parks, the women themselves are linked by their love and appreciation of Boise. Each of these women saw their future in this city, and they worked hard for the majority of their lives to be able to give back to the community they grew to hold so dear. In return, their families chose to honor them with a park- a commemoration as great as the women themselves.
Julia Davis Park The history of Boise’s park system really begins with Tom and Julia Davis. Tom was one of Boise’s founding citizens, meeting Julia when she visited from Ontario with a friend’s family. They married in 1871. As Boise grew, so did its need for a park, but the expense to taxpayers was a major obstacle in developing it. Citizens tried to convince city council to establish a park by identifying possible locales for development, one of which was a 40-acre parcel of land on the north side of the Boise River owned by the Davises. In 1899, Tom offered the land to the city free of charge, but the gesture was hardly welcomed with open arms. Critics feared it would be too costly for the young city to convert a swampy patch of land prone to flooding into a stately park. His offer was turned down. Julia did not live to see the Boise City Council finally accept Tom’s land offer. She is rumored to have contracted typhoid fever from a sick traveler, and passed away in September of 1907. Shortly after her death, the city purchased the land from Tom for one dollar under the condition that it would “always and forever be used for public purpose” and henceforth be known as Julia Davis Park.
Anne Morrison Park Following the successful development of Julia Davis, Boise’s flagship park, in the early 1900s, Harry Morrison wanted to create a similar tribute to his wife Ann after she passed away in 1957. R.J. Brown, Jr. said, “He envisioned a living memorial to the woman who shared with him the trials of Morrison-Knudsen’s struggling infancy and the tribulations of its ultimate success.” In only ten months, Harry converted a large stretch of swampy, river-bottom land into a 153-acre tribute to his late wife. When describing the exquisitely landscaped grounds, which include 2,000 trees and shrubs, 30,000 smaller shrubs and perennials, 20,000 flowering annuals, and a magnificent reflecting pool and fountain, local publications said it called to mind the Tuileries Gardens and Taj Mahal. But it was never intended to be a “keep-off-the-grass” park. Strategically placed amidst the impressive landscaping are sports fields, picnic areas, a playground, and a boating and watersports area. The Harry W. Morrison Foundation spent well over a million dollars developing the park before deeding it to the city in June of 1959. The day of the dedication ceremony, 46 flags were flown for every country Ann had visited. Thousands of Boise residents were in attendance, remembering the woman known for her friendliness and generosity. A gilded bronze medallion engraved with Ann Morrison’s likeness was unveiled at the end of the ceremony that read: “She knew the shrines, the people, the cities of far away lands…yet dearest of all was this her home, the place she knew as Boise the Beautiful.”
Kathryn Albertson Park The city has done such an outstanding job maintaining its parks system that it does the Ribbon of Jewels’ namesakes proud. Boise Parks and Recreation director Doug Holloway says, “We have a vision to make Boise the most livable city, and maintaining our parks system keeps us marching toward that goal. Our mayor and city council look to us in the parks department to maintain quality of life for the city and it’s a responsibility we take very seriously.” As federal funding is generally not available to help cities develop and maintain parks, it is interesting to note that Boise continued to develop and improve the parks system during the economic downturn of 2008. “Our mayor said he did not want to go backwards. We had to cut a lot of things, but we knew it was important to maintain and increase the service level with our parks, even during the downturn.” State of the art playground equipment, finely manicured lawns and horticulture, walking paths, benches, game courts, and a generally spotless appearance are typical of all of Boise’s parks. The parks have become a community asset. They bring people and businesses together, and they attract others to the Boise area, not unlike the women behind the Ribbon of Jewels.
Contributions for the article were made by the Boise Parks and Recreation.
Marty Siebertz & Joe Devlin
TeamDevlinSiebertz@Atova.com
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