In 1908,
The Taylor family returned to Idaho and settled on a homestead on the Middlefork of the
Clearwater River.
Lena Corinne Taylor was just 11 years old when she arrived in Kooskia (then known
as Stuart) for the first time -having been born in Portland, Oregon in 1897.
My search started from Moscow, Idaho...
Friday, October 10th, 2003:
On the trail
After renting a car in
Spokane, I drove down to Moscow, Idaho and found hotel accommodations near The University
of Idaho. I then proceeded down through the passages of the Clearwater River Canyon which
follow the historic Lewis and Clark trail on Highway 12. This is one of the most
beautifully scenic drives I have ever taken!
Getting closer!
Kooskia is located at the
fork of the Clearwater River. To get to the original Taylor homestead location, you must
continue on Highway 12 (towards Missoula). At the Highway 13 junction (which leads to
Kooskia's city center), check your odometer. Maggie Creek is located almost exactly three
miles east of this point on Highway 12.
Her first home site: Maggie Creek 1908-?
By several accounts, this is
most likely the general location where the Taylor family settled when they
returned to Idaho in 1908. "They lived up on the hill in a little old white
house" three miles east of Kooskia where the Middle Fork of the
Clearwater River meets with Maggie Creek.
Lee's playground
When Lena Taylor was a young
girl, she would enjoy hunting and swimming with her father and youngest brother, Paul.
During my visit to the Clearwater Canyon, I let my imagination conjure up
images of Lena traipsing around in these hills, hunting for quail and walking to
school. I listened carefully for her voice "echoing out in the canyon" as
she sang her way to school each morning.
Entering Kooskia
pronounced:
"Koos-kee"
Native American pronunciation: "Koos-kye-ya"
The 1905 view shown here on
the left would have been the Kooskia of Lee Morse's childhood. Just out of
sight in this photograph is the single room schoolhouse where she first attended school
in town. Today, the original structure has long since disappeared and has been replaced
with an I.O.O.F building.(see below)
Her first school site: 1908-19??
I was told that Lena's first
schoolhouse in Kooskia was located where this I.O.O.F. Temple building stands today, on
the northwest corner of "B" Avenue and Highway 13.
Her second home site: 19??-1915
Somewhere between First and
Second Avenues on the unnamed street directly behind the Sunset Market (and
service station) is the general location of the Taylors' second home in Kooskia. The
house, no longer there, "just simply fell into wrack and ruin".
Her third home site: 1915-1920
Here are two views of the
Fenn(sp?) building where Lee lived during her marriage to Elmer Morse.
Unlike the other "home site" photos in this diary, these photos show the
actual structure (still in use today as the "Western Bar"). Their
actual apartment, located somewhere on the right side of the second floor, is
not known to me as yet. Today, these rooms are used as cheap hotel rooms.
When the Morses lived here, this building was used in several different capacities:
The second floor rooms on the right side were used as apartments which
shared a single "community" bathroom facility. The rooms on the left side
of the building (seen here on the right side of these photos) were used as
a brothel. Beneath the brothel was a saloon (still in use today) and a
movie theatre (no longer there). It is not clear when this theatre was
first established. A conflicting report from a reliable source indicates that there was a
movie theatre located directly across the street beside the "Old Opera House"
occupying the space of the present day Napa Auto Parts shop. On the right
side of the first floor of the Fenn building, there was a blacksmith's shop
and a milk bottling facility...all in the same building!
I was given a grand tour of the building by its
owner...
Just a little room or two...
Could this have been Lee's
apartment in 1915?!! It's possible! ... If not this one, then one just
like it a few feet away. Apparently, many of the Taylors rented apartments in the Fenn
building.
Kooskia, from above
A kind hearted junk dealer
gave me a tour of the Kooskia hills in his pickup truck. This view, looking
down on the town, shows the main buildings on either side of Highway 13
(locally referred to as "Main Street") The blue rooftop in
this photo belongs to the City Hall building.
A son of Kooskia, "The Singing Senator"
In front of Kooskia's City
Hall building is this plaque bearing the signature of Glen Hearst Taylor, Lee's
younger brother.
Glen, who was a senator from Idaho (1944-1950), is fondly remembered by the
local population who recall his musical visits to Kooskia.
Untouched by time
A visit to Kooskia is like
stepping back in time! This mountain road has never been properly paved and still
resembles the type of road that would have been common a hundred years ago.
A fond farewell
I would like
to sincerely thank all my new friends in Kooskia: Evelyn Yenney, Cecil
Boller, Jim and Steve Pankey, Orvis and June Corbit, and the folks at the Rivers
Cafe and the Western Bar for their invaluable assistance during my visit.
I would also like to thank
Archivist, Michael Tarabulski and his assistant, David Morse, at the University of Idaho's
International Jazz
Collections for graciously allowing me to view their extensive
collection of Lee Morse articles.
