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A local legend is brought back to life in 'Dennis the Cat Was Here'

Dennis the Cat has the only marked grave inside the walls of the Old Idaho Penitentiary.
Idaho State Historical Society
Dennis the Cat has the only marked grave inside the walls of the Old Idaho Penitentiary.

In 1952 a secret was snuck behind the walls of the Old Idaho Penitentiary.

This was no normal secret, though it couldn’t be well hidden or traded because it was a cat that would later come to be known as Dennis. And now his story is being told in the new book "Dennis the Cat Was Here."

Susan Lasater and Veiko Valencia, the two illustrators, along with Samuel Anderson, research and education coordinator at the Old Idaho Penitentiary, joined Idaho Matters to talk more about this story.

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Hi, my name is Hannah and I’m the assistant producer for the Idaho Matters show here at BSPR. If you have a suggestion for an Idaho Matters segment, please email idahomatters@boisestate.edu.

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