As America turns 250 years old this year and many are reflecting on our country’s past, we wanted to take a closer look at Idaho’s history, which reflects the breadth of the American experience. Discovering more about the places we see and touch in our daily lives can create deeper connections with our home and our community. So we’re taking a deep dive into the history of Boise, one small piece at a time with our America 250: Short Histories of Boise Project. Each Monday on Idaho Matters, we’ll bring you a snapshot of a small corner of our Capital City and its unique past.
Today we’ll explore Ustick Road.
Imagine it is a crisp Sunday afternoon in September of 1920, and you are a young veteran of the Great War living in Boise. You’re craving some fresh air – so where will you go? You might hop aboard the valley’s electric streetcar system for a short twenty-minute ride out to the community of Ustick, where you can purchase apples and cider and escape the city’s hubbub for a few hours.
That’s right, in 1920, Ustick wasn’t just a road, it was its own town, complete with a mercantile store, church, school, vinegar and cider distilleries, a women’s civic club known as the Apple Blossoms, and acres upon acres of orchards. It even had its own bank for a few short years around 1910.
The seeds of a town called Ustick first sprouted in the mind of a man who shared its name. Dr. Harlan P. Ustick left Ohio and arrived in Boise around 1892, where he established a medical practice and quickly became a prominent businessman. He operated one of the largest orchards in the Boise Valley while also investing in a wide range of enterprises.
He initiated or participated in a number of ventures, including the Boise Gas Company and the Idaho State Horticultural Society, but most importantly for the future townsite of Ustick, he invested in the Boise Valley Railway Company. Dr. Ustick ensured that the electric streetcars running on the new interurban railway connecting Boise to Caldwell were routed to run along what is now Ustick Road – passing directly by his orchards.
With the rails in place, he plotted out a town and sold parcels to hopeful buyers who expected great things for this new community. Harlan Ustick passed away in 1917 depriving the community of its original namesake. The town’s school and market remained in use well into the mid-twentieth century, but widespread adoption of the automobile worked against the town’s long-term success. In 1928, streetcar service ended. As automobiles became more affordable for American families, many chose to live farther from city centers. Boise was no exception, and Ustick slowly became engulfed in suburban development. It was finally annexed by Boise in 1995 as the city expanded around it.
Ustick Village and the interurban railway may be gone, but their memory is far from lost. In recent years, the West Valley Neighborhood Association has undertaken efforts to bring the former townsite back into the public consciousness. Each June for the past six years, a festival called Ustick in Bloom has gathered neighbors to celebrate the history of this place, while residents have long advocated for beautification and historic preservation along Ustick Road.
There is still much worth protecting here. At the intersection of Ustick Road and Mumbarto Avenue, the former First Bank of Ustick still stands across from the mercantile building. Just down from Mumbarto, the Ustick School, now a private residence, has stood for nearly a century, long after the railway that built the town stopped running.
The America 250: Short Histories of Boise Project is brought to you in collaboration with the City of Boise’s Department of Arts & History; with support from Boise State University’s History 502 class; and music provided by the City of Boise’s Cultural Ambassador, the Boise Philharmonic. The music, John Williams' "Liberty Fanfare," was recorded by the Boise Phil in 2025.
For a full schedule of city-sponsored America 250 events, visit City of Boise America 250 and for events and programs across the state, visit America 250 in Idaho.
References:
Bauer, Barbara Perry and Elizabeth Jacox, TAG Historical Research & Consulting. “Shaping Boise: A Selection of Boise’s Landmark Buildings.” City of Boise, Department of Planning & Development Services, 2010. Accessed January 22, 2026. https://www.cityofboise.org/media/7053/shaping-boise-landmarks.pdf.
Dr. H.P. Ustick Suddenly Dies.” Idaho Statesman, (Boise, ID), September 28, 1917: 2. NewsBank.
Idaho State Historical Society. “Boise Valley Electric Railroads, Number 220.” Idaho State Historical Society Reference Series, Revised September 1982. Accessed December 14, 2025. https://history.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/0220.pdf.
Preservation Solutions, LLC. “Cultural Resource Survey: Ustick Townsite Boise, Idaho.” Prepared for The City of Boise Department of Arts & History, September 2019. Accessed January 30, 2026. https://www.idahoarchitectureproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Ustick-Survey_Report_PSLLC_30Sep19.pdf.
United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form. “Idaho SP Ustick School.” National Archives. Accessed January 30, 2026. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/84248802.
Vanegas, Edward. “On the Bring of Place: The American Dream’s Attack on Community and a Case Study of the Ustick Neighborhood in Boise, Idaho.” Masters thesis, Boise State University, May 2006.
Vanegas, Ted. “Ustick: A Community on the Brink of Place.” Accessed December 15, 2025. https://adacounty.id.gov/historicpreservation/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/UstickTownsitebyTedVanegas.pdf.
West Valley Neighborhood Association. “Ustick Townsite Beautification Project.” West Valley Neighborhood Association. Accessed December 6, 2025. http://www.usticktownsite.org/.
