IDAHO COUNTY, ID HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN PREPARED FOR IDAHO COUNTY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION BY PRESERVATION SOLUTIONS LLC 06 DECEMBER 2015 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IDAHO COUNTY COMMISSIONERS James A. Chmelik Skip Brandt Mark Frei IDAHO COUNTY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Cindy Schacher, Chairwoman Penny Casey, Secretary Jamie Edmondson, Treasurer Jim Huntley IDAHO STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE (SHPO) Pete L’Orange, CLG Coordinator/Preservation Planner Tricia Canaday, National Register Coordinator PREPARED BY Preservation Solutions LLC 1011 E Jefferson Street Boise, ID 83712 816.225.5605 www.preservation-solutions.net TABLE OF CONTENTS Purpose ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 2 Benefits of Preservation .............................................................................................................. 4 Historic Resources: Contexts & Property Types .......................................................................... 6 Past Preservation Activities ....................................................................................................... 22 Current Status of Preservation in Idaho County ........................................................................ 25 Recommendations .................................................................................................................... 36 Goal 1:........................................................................................................................... 37 Goal 2:........................................................................................................................... 40 Goal 3:........................................................................................................................... 41 Goal 4:........................................................................................................................... 45 Implementation Tables – Organized by Goal Categories .......................................................... 46 Implementation Tables – Organized by Level of Importance ..................................................... 50 Implementation Tools ................................................................................................................ 53 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................. 55 Appendices A: Federal, State, and Local Preservation Network........................................................ 57 B: Federal Financial Incentives for Historic Preservation ............................................... 61 C: Recommended Resources ........................................................................................ 62 D: Previous Documentation Maps ................................................................................. 63 The preparation of this preservation plan has been financed in part with federal funds from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the Department of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of Interior. Cover photos top to bottom: 1) Camas Prairie barn, August 2014 (PSLLC); 2) Woodland School, October 1918 (courtesy Idaho County Historic Preservation Commission); and 3) First Nez Perce National Forest Ranger Meeting, 1909 (courtesy Nez Perce National Forest, available from www.fs.usda.gov/photogallery/nezperceclearwater/learning/history-culture/gallery. 1 PURPOSE The Historic Preservation Plan outlines the essential components for a viable preservation program as an integral part of Idaho County’s community planning. The Plan is a guiding document that identifies the community’s priorities for the preservation of historic resources and sets forth related goals, policies, and action steps toward their implementation. It will be used by the Idaho County Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) and its preservation partners to guide and monitor preservation efforts in the community. Businesses, property owners, and members of the general public may also use the Plan to learn about the program and the status of preservation efforts. Preservation is a part of many community interests, including housing, sustainability, livability and economic development; therefore, the Plan approaches historic preservation as an integral element of community development. It seeks to balance broader community objectives with its core mission of retaining cultural resources, while presenting specific actions related to the components of a complete and effective preservation program. Across the country, communities turn to historic preservation as an effective means of enhancing their quality of life, fostering economic development, and building community pride. To guide historic preservation efforts, it is accepted best practice to complete a preservation plan to assist policy makers and community leaders with the often interrelated and overlapping programs and procedures regarding historic preservation. The intent of the Idaho County Historic Preservation Plan is to outline goals and related, specific action steps toward those goals to preserve, develop, and maintain historic buildings over the next five years. Based on public input and preservation best practices, the plan includes recommendations for cultivating public awareness and partnerships, increasing heritage tourism efforts, strengthening protection efforts, and encouraging preservation as an economic development tool. INTRODUCTION Idaho County’s native heritage dates back to prehistoric times when the Nez Perce lived and hunted across the entire region. Nonnative history dates to the discovery of gold in the 1860s. Today, Idaho County is the largest county in Idaho, spanning 8,500 square miles (approximately 5,440,000 acres; nearly the size of New Jersey) from the Oregon border to the Montana state line at the base of the state’s panhandle. This vast county comprises a wide variety of landscapes – from evergreen forested mountains, to cultivated prairie, to steep arid canyons. A rural county of approximately 16,446 residents, the county seat and largest city, Grangeville, has a population of just over 3,100 individuals. More than 83 percent of Idaho County’s area is federal land, largely under the management of the Department of Interior (Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and National Park Service) and Department of Agriculture (US Forest Service). As a result, population and development are skewed to the west half of the county; connected by two-lane paved or gravel roadways linking the small communities to one another and to the remote areas beyond. While many Certified Local Governments (CLGs) manage preservation at the town or city level and enjoy the support of a city staff liaison, the Idaho County CLG spans the full limits of Idaho County and operates without government staff and with a minimal budget. The presence of Nez Perce tribal lands and the vast 2 expanses of multiple National Forests (Nez Perce-Clearwater NF, Payette NF, and Bitterroot NF) necessitates that the Idaho County HPC, as an advisory body to the Idaho County Commission, effectively balances its duties with numerous federal actions, as well as new private development. When integrated into the planning process and targeted at identifiable areas, historic preservation provides a level of certainty and permanence that is necessary to attract investment. Preserved commercial business areas and residential neighborhoods create stability of population, a greater tax base, and less drain on municipal services. To aid Idaho County’s development and transformation in the future, the County has chosen to enhance its public policy options of considering historic preservation in local government actions. Buildings and structures from the past – early homesteads, downtown commercial buildings, rural schoolhouses, abandoned mining structures – are tangible links to Idaho County’s rich history for residents and visitors today. Furthermore, they provide opportunities for promoting economic development and heritage tourism. Not only do Idaho County’s citizens value these indications of the past, but County planning code recognizes the importance of these assets as economic anchors in the community. Map courtesy of http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/counties/idaho/idaho.htm 3 BENEFITS OF PRESERVATION Preservation has intrinsic value not only in celebrating a community’s history, but dozens of studies conducted nationwide have demonstrated that historic preservation is an economically sound, fiscally responsible, and cost effective strategy that produces visible and measureable economic benefits to communities. Nationally known real estate professional Donovan D. Rypkema, author of The Economics of Historic Preservation,1 emphasizes that commitment to preservation may be one of the most effective acts of fiscal responsibility governmental entities can undertake. The State of Idaho and the federal government recognize the role rehabilitation of historic buildings can play in strengthening local economies. To encourage sustainable communities and preservation of important