This "Sliver Horseshoe Bar" sign marks the prior site of an American Falls Historical Building dating from its original 1912 dedication at the old townsite now covered by the reservoir created by the Snake River dam completed in 1925. Although the building is remembered by most as a saloon (1929-2012), some feel it should be remembered for more than that; at the location of this sign it served earlier as a bakery and temporary hospital with upstairs living quarters for nurses (1925-1929). At it new location in the Reclamation Addition the building was joined to the Teen Club Fountain Cafe and the Iris Theater (shown in the photo).
The bright lighted sign now focuses you attention on the early history of the City of American Falls with its role in settling the area as a livestock center, a "boom town" when the dam was being constructed, and subsequently for its impact on regional irrigated agriculture leading to Idaho's "potato state" reputation.
The Silver Horseshoe Bar reverted to City ownership in a settlement after the last owner ran afoul with the law. The deterioration of the building led to its destruction, but through the partnership of many local groups, businesses, and granting organizations the sign was saved, restored, and replaced where it once hung on the front of that historical building.
The "town that
moved" is part of that history and many of those homes and buildings that escaped a watery grave are still serving the city's residents.
Comments 0 comments