Bonneville County officials inviting community to celebrate courthouse centennial

IDAHO FALLS – It’s been much than 100 years since nan Bonneville County Courthouse was built, and officials are inviting nan organization to a centennial celebration.

It’s happening Saturday, May 18 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. astatine 605 North Capital Avenue successful Idaho Falls. The Idaho Falls Symphony Quartet will execute connected nan main floor, on pinch nan Bonneville High School Ballroom Dance Team.

There will beryllium a programme successful nan precocious rotunda astatine 2 p.m. pinch respective speakers, including respective region commissioners and keynote speaker Linden Bateman, erstwhile authorities legislator and charter personnel of nan Bonneville County Historical Society.

“It’s going to beryllium a expansive event. We person a really unsocial courthouse. That skylight successful location and each that stained solid is truthful beautiful, but very fewer cognize that it’s moreover there,” Bateman tells EastIdahoNews.com.

A stained solid model connected nan ceiling wrong nan basement is nan largest successful nan state, Bateman says, though he doesn’t cognize nan nonstop measurements. It hasn’t been cleaned successful decades and Commissioner Bryon Reed was hoping to get it cleaned and lit up anterior to nan event, but it’s not going to hap until June.

Stained solid model wrong nan courthouse | Courtesy Bryon Reed

“Years agone erstwhile it was cleaner, you’d spot nan sun travel done this golden and yellowish (window) and location was a wistful, beautiful effect it created. One wouldn’t expect to spot that successful specified a plain region building. When you get wrong and spot that skylight and each nan beautiful tile, it’s really remarkable,” Bateman says.

Though nan existent centennial was successful 2021, Reed says they weren’t prepared for a large ceremony astatine that time. Since then, nan region has put together a video montage of aged photos that will beryllium playing connected a wall wrong nan courthouse. They’re readying to make it disposable online erstwhile nan ceremony is over.

Historic photograph of nan Bonneville County Courthouse | Taken from “Beautiful Bonneville, County of Contrasts”

Courthouse history

Courthouse building began connected Dec. 1, 1919, according to a written history provided by nan county. The neo-classical architecture was designed by Fisher & Aitkins.

The costs of nan building was $268,880, which voters funded by passing a bond. It was completed connected March 16, 1921 — 10 years aft nan creation of Bonneville County.

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“After it was completed, they had a fabulous celebration. At that time, nan organization of nan region was astir 8,000 group and astir group showed up,” Bateman says.

A set played connected nan main level and group danced. Locals lined up to circuit nan building. A historical photograph supra shows group opinionated connected nan courthouse steps connected nan time of nan dedication.

Before nan building’s completion, Bateman says nan original courthouse was successful a building connected nan southeast area of Broadway and Capital. The building nary longer exists but nan Idaho Falls Public Library occupies nan abstraction wherever it was located.

Eventually, nan abstraction became inadequate for nan increasing organization and nan region bought nan spot for nan existent courthouse successful 1912.

“There was thing retired location (at nan time). C Street was vacant, it was conscionable a countryside,” Bateman says.

It’s not clear why that spot was selected but nan truth that it was adjacent nan eastbound slope of nan Snake River whitethorn person had thing to do pinch it.

Linden Bateman successful his younger days arsenic a authorities legislator. | Courtesy Idaho Legislature

Bateman, 84, was calved successful Idaho Falls successful 1940. He has puerility memories of nan courthouse being a “hub of activity” successful those early days. He remembers participating successful a Halloween costume title astatine nan courthouse arsenic a 9-year-old boy and desperately trying to get nan judges to announcement him.

“My mom made maine a devil’s costume and she dyed my look pinch agleam reddish hit juice. I had reddish horns to spell pinch it and it was scary,” Bateman recalls. “I followed nan judges, kept connected their tail and I could ne'er get 1 to look astatine me.”

Bateman besides remembers erstwhile nan sheriff’s agency and jailhouse were primitively successful nan basement of nan building. He was friends pinch Fred Keefer, who was a Bonneville County lawman for much than 20 years. Keefer gave him a circuit of nan cells.

“One of his main responsibilities was to provender nan prisoners successful nan jail. He enjoyed that. There were a mates of captive escapes nether (his watch),” says Bateman.

It was erstwhile a misdemeanor for nan nationalist to person immoderate connection pinch jailhouse inmates. This aged motion explained that it was punishable by up to six months successful jailhouse and a $300 fine. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

RELATED | Iconic Idaho Falls national who served arsenic a lawman for complete 20 years grew up successful nan city’s Wild West infancy

A awesome resembling a swastika connected nan courthouse’s main level tile has raised immoderate eyebrows complete nan years. Reed says nan awesome that yet became nan logo of nan Nazi statement was primitively a awesome for prosperity. That’s nan logic it was included successful nan courthouse.

A awesome resembling a swastika connected nan main level of nan courthouse. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

At nan dedication of nan courthouse, region commissioners projected nan building “should beryllium bully for 50 years.” It proved to beryllium prophetic because nan Law Enforcement Building was added 57 years later successful 1978.

“While nan annex much than doubled nan usable space, nary effort was made to harmonize nan architectural styles of aged and new,” a written history of nan courthouse says.

RELATED | Idaho Falls Police unveils caller complex

With nan caller completion of nan Idaho Falls Police Department Complex connected Northgate Mile, judges will usage nan other abstraction astatine nan courthouse to believe law. That modulation will hap gradually complete nan adjacent respective months.

Bateman is excited to observe nan courthouse centennial pinch nan organization and he’s inviting everyone to travel and participate.

“I presume they’ll put up ribbons and flags conscionable for illustration they did successful 1921,” says Bateman. “It’s our history and we should return pridefulness successful our county. I dream we get a bully turnout.”

The Bonneville County Courthouse astatine 605 North Capital successful Idaho Falls | Courtesy Paul Manning