BOVILL -- This community's history is linked to a regal beginning.
My visits to Bovill have always been to enjoy the scenery of the area. There are few things as beautiful as the sunrise seen from the wooded hills above town.
This same untouched beauty reportedly drew Lord Hugh Bovill to Idaho in 1899.
I discovered some wonderful information about Bovill written by Mary Reed in 1988 for the Idahonian.
In her writings, Reed relayed that Bovill was like many Europeans of his day -- in search of greater opportunities and adventures in the American West.
After working on the family tea plantation, Bovill developed a 7,500 acre horse ranch with another countryman in Colorado.
Looking for yet more adventures, Bovill traveled to Nebraska where he started a ranch next to the Sioux Indian reservation.
He met his wife, Charlotte Robinson, in Nebraska and the couple married in 1894.
Apparently Nebraska in the late 1800s was becoming too crowded for Bovill, who took a train trip to Idaho in search of uncharted lands.
He traveled to Moscow, and continued on horseback to an area near Bovill. He quickly fell in love with the area and purchased 580 acres. He traveled as quickly as the train would take him back to Nebraska and packed his family up for their new adventure west.
Bringing horses and cattle with them, they established a ranch but quickly discovered a more lucrative endeavor.
Sportsmen had also discovered the wooded lands surrounding Bovill's ranch and were in need of lodging.
A growing number of homesteaders and those in the timber industry also sought out temporary lodging.
The Bovills seized the opportunity and added onto their home and created a hotel.
Times changed quickly for the Bovills and the town soon became named in their honor.
Logging companies and the railroad moved in and the once virgin timber paid the price. The Bovills cooperated with the likes of Potlatch Lumber Co. and Weyerhaeuser, recognizing that change was inevitable.
Saloons and similar night-life establishments came in to serve the needs of the loggers and rail workers.
Hugh Bovill became the official postmaster in 1907, but the couple soon decided too much had changed for their liking. According to Reed's account, the Bovills felt somewhat betrayed and moved from the area. They lived for a time in Coeur d'Alene, Montana, Oregon and finally ended up calling California home.
I'm sure the early beauty of Bovill was an amazing sight for the Lord and his Lady. It may be somewhat tarnished from those days, but the scenic beauty as seen from the hills above Bovill helped this wanna-be adventurer and his family decide the Palouse would be a good place to call home.
Craig Clohessy is the city editor of the Daily News. He can be reached at (208) 882-5561, ext. 233, or by e-mail at .
