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 Spaulding Ranch.
Have you ever been to Spaulding Ranch on Boise’s West Bench? Maybe you’ve attended the annual fall festival and pumpkin patch or just driven past and wondered what stories live behind that fence on Cole Road.
The 20-acre stretch, not far from Capital High School, connects us to the Treasure Valley’s agricultural roots. Long before the surrounding neighborhoods took shape, this land belonged to the Spaulding family. Its wide-open space recalls a time when farms dotted the Bench.
At the turn of the 20th century, Mary and Almon Spaulding owned a much larger farmstead here. They came from Wisconsin and moved to Idaho in 1890 where they made Boise home.
Mary Spaulding stood out as one of the city’s first female doctors. She ran a practice in downtown Boise, and she advertised her services in local newspapers as a physician and surgeon willing to make house calls. She also showed up for her community, as a member of the Columbian Club and supporter of women’s suffrage. Her husband, Almon, worked as a conductor on the city’s early electric streetcar system.
The Spauldings purchased the Cole Road property in the 1890s. Over the years, they built and remodeled their home and added a barn and silo, structures that still stand today. A tenant farmer worked the land, raising crops and tending a small dairy herd.
Dr. Mary Spaulding passed away in 1919, and Almon a few years later. The Spaulding heirs eventually sold the property, and future development claimed much of the original acreage. What remains of the Spaulding Ranch as we know it today, offers a rare glimpse of the Bench’s rural past and keeps the Spaulding name firmly rooted in Boise history.
To learn more about the Spaulding Ranch, visit the City of Boise’s website.
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:
“A Free Kindergarten.: An Association Formed to Establish One in This City.” Idaho Statesman, (Boise, ID), January 15, 1893: [8]. NewsBank.
[Advertisement – Mars. M. E. Spaulding, Physician and Surgeon]. Idaho Statesman, (Boise, ID), June 10, 1892: [2]. NewsBank.
“Births, Deaths, Marriages.” Idaho Statesman, (Boise, ID), November 13, 1919: 7. NewsBank.
City of Boise: Abby Fackler, Communications Specialist for Boise Parks and Recreation (2024). “Celebrating the Past and Cultivating the Future at Boise’s Spaulding Ranch.” City of Boise. Accessed January 13, 2026. https://www.cityofboise.org/departments/parks-and-recreation/celebrating-the-past-and-cultivating-the-future-at-boise-s-spaulding-ranch/.
City of Boise. “Spaulding Ranch Historic District.” City of Boise. Accessed January 13, 2026. https://www.cityofboise.org/departments/planning-and-development-services/planning/planning-a-project/planning-process-overview/historic-preservation/historic-districts/spaulding-ranch-historic-district/.
City of Boise. “Spaulding Ranch Site.” City of Boise. Accessed January 13, 2026. https://www.cityofboise.org/spaulding-ranch.
“Many Attend Funeral: Last Rites Over Remains of Dr. Mary Spaulding Held Saturday.” Idaho Statesman, (Boise, ID), November 16, 1919: 13. NewsBank.
“News of Record: Death.” Idaho Statesman, (Boise, ID), January 28, 1928: 5. NewsBank.
“Porter Pride, Valley Native, Dies at Kuna.” Idaho Statesman, (Boise, ID), February 5, 1961: 25. NewsBank.
Reuter, Mary Ann. “Farms preserve history – in middle of the city: Spaulding Ranch listed on national historic register.” Idaho Statesman, (Boise, ID), August 5, 1998: 14. NewsBank.
United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form. “Idaho SP Spaulding, Almon W. and Dr. Mary E., Ranch.” October 1994. National Archives. Accessed January 13, 2026. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/84248918.
