Trip to Pocatello

The Trip to Pocatello

A Journey Back to Where it All Began 
  

                As a little girl, I remember listening to Grandma Bagley at family gatherings try to decipher the relations of various ancestors. She would lean way back and draw the family tree in the air with her finger, “Now, so-and-so was your father’s great-great-grandfather through the first wife on my mother’s side.” I was always amazed at how she could keep so many family names and lines straight. I have always admired Grandma’s passion for family history. In fact, I think a lot of my own intrigue and love for history stems from Grandma’s example. You can’t help but share Grandma’s excitement as you listen to her tell stories about pioneer ancestors and the rich heritage they left behind. This love of history is one of the main reasons why I wanted to travel to Pocatello, Idaho. I guess you can say that I wanted to turn the spotlight onto the spotlighter (I know I made up that word, but bear with me). I thought that one of the best ways to honor someone who is so involved in historical research was to reach into that person’s own past and try to see and experience the place of origin of such a wonderful person.

On March 15^th, 2014 we took a day trip with Grandma Bagley to visit some of the most memorable sites in her hometown of Pocatello, Idaho. Kam and I had our kids with us. My parents had enough room to spare so they had Grandma and Grandpa ride with them in their car. Charles and Lori and three of their kids also came along. We rendezvoused at Charles and Lori’s house and then departed at 10:00 am. The drive was pleasantly scenic. We arrived in Pocatello in the early afternoon. Although, I’d been to Idaho many times before, this was the first time I can remember actually stopping in Pocatello. The first item of business was to find some grub, because we couldn’t take a trip down memory lane on empty stomachs. So we scoped out the local cuisine and found ourselves at a humble yet very tasty Thai restaurant called Thai Kitchen. I highly recommend the house curry, although I wouldn’t ask for a spice level above a 2 unless you enjoy making your eyelids sweat like my dad does.

        

  The first site we visited was Grandma Bagley’s first house. We had to meander around a few blocks before we found the right street, but when we found it we all jumped out to take a closer look at the little white house. There was a chain link fence and a couple of giant tree stumps that looked like ancient Cottonwoods. If I remember correctly, Grandma said that she lived in that house until she was 12-years-old. The outside of the house has been updated and so doesn’t look much like it did when Grandma lived there, but she had brought some black and white pictures from back in the day so that we had a better glimpse of her childhood home. This house is located right next to another tiny house that Grandma’s grandmother used to live in. 

                After driving past a red brick church we arrived at the second stop, Washington Elementary School where Grandma attended grade school. She didn’t know if the school was still standing prior to our trip, so we were all pleasantly surprised to find the two-story brick building alive and well. Grandma said the outward appearance was familiar, although it seemed bigger now which is highly likely that they would have added onto the building over the years. The kids were thrilled to get out of the car and romp around in the sunshine on the playground for a while. Grandma recounted how she used to have to walk to school and back home twice each day because she lived too close to be bused or have lunch at school. Kids really have it so easy these days.

                After the school, we travelled to the other side of town to visit the site where Grandma’s second home and Great Grandpa Randall’s store used to be. The site is just beyond the viaduct that goes over the railroad tracks and is now filled with a dozen or more dilapidated cars. Although, the structures were no longer still standing there was a lot of reminiscing that went on at this site as my Dad and Charles tried to pace off the dimensions of the former buildings. Eventually, the house was sold, put on a trailer and moved to Blackfoot, Idaho. The store was turned into apartments for a while, but those were later torn down to make room for the expansion of the viaduct.

                We then drove past Grandma’s high school and through historic downtown Pocatello making our way to the Deleta skating rink, which apparently is still a popular hangout for teenage Pocatellans. Our next actual stop was an ice cream joint that I’m sure wasn’t around in Grandma’s early days, but I was able to flip through Grandma’s high school year book as I enjoyed my scoop of German Chocolate cake ice cream.

                After driving past the Idaho State Campus we ended up at upper Ross Park. Our timing was unfortunate, because the gates to the Fort Hall Replica were already closed. We could see the buildings in the distance and there was a playground so the kids weren’t disappointed because we let them play for a while before calling it a day. I guess we’ll have to plan another trip to Pocatello so that we can explore the old fort.

All in all, it was a short trip packed with many memories. I’m sure we could’ve spent more time seeing many more places, but I was just happy to have gained a little more insight into the origin and upbringing of a wonderful lady whose love of history has inspired me to dig a little deeper into my own history. And although they may not remember it, I am glad to have shared this experience with my children because I hope to instill in them a love for their family and heritage. It is nearly impossible to be grateful for who you are and where you are in life without turning an eye to the past and thinking about your family roots and the legacy they have left for you to learn from. Thank you, Grandma, for all of the family history work you have done. Thanks for taking the time to show us around your hometown and for sharing some fun memories from your past.

Happy 80^th Birthday!
Ashley