MAY FETTUCCINE FORUM RECALLS OLD BOISE’S TROLLEY SYSTEM 

 

The past and future of Boise’s streetcar and electric rail system will take center stage at the May Fettuccine Forum, presented by Boise State University. The free event is May 1 in the Rose Room on the historic Union Block, 718 W. Idaho Street. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the presentation begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by questions. Free appetizers will be served and fettuccine will be available for $5.

 

Historian Barbara Perry Bauer, the final speaker for this season, will talk about “Once Upon the Trolley: Boise’s Electric Road.”  Perry Bauer, of TAG Historical Research and Consulting, is an authority on Boise neighborhood history, historical photography and founding of the trolley system. Her research recalls a time when inexpensive Snake River hydropower electrified a trolley loop from Boise to Caldwell, connecting the farm towns of Ustick, Nampa, Middleton, Meridian, Eagle and Star.

 

Following the forum, at 7 p.m., a trolley-bus tour will introduce riders to the current plan to rebuild the trolley system as a smart-growth development tool. The tour will include a discussion of trolleys past, present and future and will approximate one of the proposed future streetcar lines. Tickets for the tour are $20 at the door or $15 if purchased in advance. Ticket price includes a copy of the book “Trolley: Boise Valley’s Electric Road.”  Tickets may be purchased by calling 333-8066 or at www.idahosmartgrowth.org (click on “Support/Join”).

 

The forum also features a companion workshop titled “Boise’s Historic Streetscape,” taught by Bauer. Participants can register for the workshop, offered for graduate and undergraduate credit, through BroncoWeb at broncoweb.boisestate.edu.

 

The forum is co-sponsored by Boise State’s Center for Idaho History and Politics and the Boise City Department of Arts and History. The Fettuccine Forum is an educational forum about the history and cultural life of Boise and the Treasure Valley.

 

Additional sponsors include Boise Trolley Company, erstad Architects, the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs at Boise State, Idaho Smart Growth and Grape Escape.