First put into service in 1925 (click HERE to see the front page of the newspaper from that day), the station in Boise now sits quietly, non-operational, as a former hub of traveling passenger activity. With the advent of the highway age, and the end of the contract with the U.S. Postal Service to carry mail on the Portland Rose line, passenger trains were no longer a necessary means of travel to and through this high desert oasis. Union Pacific stopped operating out of the depot in May of 1977. Almost to the day twenty years later, the last Amtrak passenger train pulled away from the station, leaving the beautiful Spanish-style depot in the loving arms of the City of Boise, which, to this day, has maintained the depot as an event center and museum.
While I cannot attest to the attractions inside the Depot (we have yet to get there when it is open), I can tell you that there are some very cool things on the outside of the building. Most striking to me is how much the Boise Depot looks like a California Mission building...
...complete with a bell tower, too!
And, what would be a station without tracks and a train?
In front of the building separating the station from the bench ridge is a spectacular park with a view to downtown and the nearby foothills. While we saw the acclaimed gazebo, being used by a couple meeting on their lunch break to grab a bite to eat, we did not explore enough and missed the Koi pond and other unique park features. Needless to say, we are planning a return trip, during business hours, so we can check out the many things this historical landmark has to offer. Maybe I'll even get a few more pictures to share.
Check back soon for Part II! (<---- sorry that looks like a Roman numeral 3, but it does say Part 2, I mean it, I really, really do!)
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