A monument commemorating the settlement of Boise by Europeans was set to be the focal point of a new small park along the Greenbelt. After taking a closer look at the inscription, the plan has been nixed and the monument retired.
The Idaho-shaped stone monument celebrated Col. Pinkney Lugenbeel, the military officer who, in 1863, chose the site of Fort Boise. The tablet stood near the site of Lugenbeel’s 19th century campsite for 84 years.
With the stone set to be a centerpiece of a new small park along the Greenbelt, it was removed for restoration. When people took a closer look at the inscription on the marker, officials decided it won’t be going back on display. The stone described Lugenbeel’s campsite as, "the beginning of civilization in the Boise Valley." City leaders feel that sentiment is no longer appropriate.
The Statesman reports Boise Parks and Rec director Doug Holloway consulted with Mayor Dave Bieter before making the call to keep the monument in storage.
With the Lugenbeel marker now retired, planners are thinking about relocating a monument installed near the Boise Inn on Fairview Avenue by the Daughters of the American Revolution to the riverside site. The DAR stone tablet is also shaped like Idaho; it commemorates an island in the Boise River that was used by early settlers on the Oregon Trail. Local DAR members will vote soon on moving the tablet.
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