Idaho Brides

Step back into Idaho's gold country and meet three stubborn sisters who struggle to forgive and rebuild their trust to accept love.

This true story of a concubine and the Gold Rush years “delves deep into the soul of the real old west” (Erik Larson). “Once the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill launched our ‘national madness,’ the population of California exploded. Tens of thousands of Chinese, lured by tales of a ‘golden mountain,’ took passage across the Pacific. Among this massive influx were many young concubines who were expected to serve in the brothels sprouting up near the goldfields. One of them adopted the name of Polly Bemis, after an Idaho saloonkeeper, Charlie Bemis, won her in a poker game and married her. For decades the couple lived on an isolated, self-sufficient farm near the Salmon River in central Idaho. After her husband’s death, Polly came down to a nearby town and gradually spoke of her experiences. Journalist Christopher Corbett movingly recounts Polly’s story, integrating Polly’s personal history into the broader picture of the history of the mass immigration of Chinese. As both a personal and social history, this is an admirable book.” —Booklist “A gorgeously written and brilliantly researched saga of America during the mad flush of its biggest Gold Rush. Christopher Corbett’s genius is to anchor his larger story of Chinese immigration around a poor concubine named Polly. A tremendous achievement.” —Douglas Brinkley “Uses Bemis’s story as a platform for a larger discussion about the hardships of the Chinese experience in the American West.” —The Washington Post

Idaho’s Place is an anthology of the most current and original writing on Gem State history. From the state’s indigenous roots and early environmental battles to recent political and social events, these essays provide much-needed context for understanding Idaho’s important role in the development of the American West. Through a creative approach that combines explorations of concepts such as politics, gender, and race with the oral histories of Idaho residents - the very people who lived and made state history - this unique collection sheds new light on the state’s surprisingly contentious past. Readers, whether they are longtime residents or newcomers, tourists or seasonal dwellers, policy makers or historians, will be treated to a rich narrative in which the many threads of Idaho’s history entwine to produce a complete tapestry of this beautiful and complex Western state.

Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Preface -- Introduction -- 1. Setting the Stage -- 2. Emigration from Japan -- 3. The Frontier Period -- 4. The Settlement and Family Periods -- 5. Cultural Interaction and Ethnic Development -- 6. Early Voluntary Associations -- 7. Later Voluntary Associations -- 8. World War II: Can Community Survive? -- 9. The Evacuees Arrive -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

Idaho's Remarakble Women 2 tells the history of the Gem State through the stories of fifteen pioneering women, all born before 1900, who made a profound impact on Idaho. Meet Sacajawea, Lewis and Clark's Shoshone guide; Jo Monaghan, who lived as a man for nearly forty years; Margaret Cobb Ailshie, who ran Idaho's biggest newspaper; and Nell Shipman, an actress, writer, and early filmmaker. Each woman in her own way displayed remarkable courage, hope, and love during a time when Idaho was still an untamed frontier. Read about their exceptional lives in this collection of absorbing biographies.

Barking dogs, silent birds and a malodorous stench foretell encounters with the ghostly apparitions and strange creatures that stalk Magic Valley. Are these just fanciful notions and figments of the imagination? Not according to eyewitnesses who swear things really do go bump in the night in south central Idaho. Read about the Stricker Ranch caretaker awakened by the phantom of a pioneer woman, the piercing red eyes that frightened visitors at Albion's normal school campus, the couple whose property is haunted by ancient spirits and the woman and her grandson who encountered Bigfoot's foul stench in a local wilderness. Turn on the lights, get cozy and read on as author Andy Weeks investigates the phenomena and local lore of Idaho's Magic Valley.