Women of the Greenbelt: Who are Boise’s Ribbon of Jewels riverside parks named after?
The Boise River Greenbelt is one of Boise’s most beloved areas. It connects downtown Boise with the neighborhoods in the southeast and Lucky Peak, goes through Garden City, and stretches into Eagle.
The 25-mile car-free path also connects Treasure Valley residents to over a dozen of 90 parks managed by Boise Parks and Recreation. Many of these parks are connected to the Ribbon of Jewels, a collection of 12 parks named after female civic leaders of Boise’s past who helped make it the city it is today.
So, where are these parks, and who exactly are the women they were named after? Here’s what to know about Boise’s 12 Ribbon of Jewels parks and their namesakes.
Alta Harris Park
If you’ve heard of the Harris Ranch development in Barber Valley, you’ve indirectly heard of Alta and Dallas Harris. The duo moved to Boise in 1950, bringing the Harris Brothers Lumber Company sawmill with them. The sawmill was sited opposite the Boise Natatorium on Warm Springs Avenue before burning down and relocating to the edge of Barber Valley.
While Dallas focused on lumber, ranching and drafting the Warm Springs Village plan in 1976, Alta was busy working in her local community and her church, the Eldorado Church of Christ.
Alta’s obituary following her death in 2012 detailed how she’d hold an annual “pig barbecue” at the ranch and continued to host parties with friends and family many years after Dallas died in 1999.
Alta Harris Park hasn’t been built yet, though.
The park, which will be located northeast of Barber Park off Eckert Road, was dedicated to Alta after her death and will feature sports fields, a playground, restrooms, pickleball courts and bocce courts, according to Boise Parks and Rec. She and her husband were known for their values of stewardship and conservation.
However, pushback from Harris Ranch residents on a special taxing district to help pay for other developments around Harris Ranch has slowed development.
Ann Morrison Park
Ann Morrison Park is Boise’s largest and one of its most beloved parks. According to Boise Parks and Rec, the Harry W. Morrison Foundation developed and deeded the 153-acre park to the city in June 1959.
Harry Morrison was co-founder of the Morrison-Knudsen engineering firm in Boise, where his wife, Ann, worked alongside him for many years. A big part of her work was with the Harry W. Morrison Foundation, helping support employees and their families in crisis before expanding assistance to Boise as a whole.
Ann moved to Boise from Quartzberg when she was 16, according to the park’s website, and worked as a secretary at the Idaho Capitol building. Harry purchased the land in honor of Ann following her death from leukemia in 1957, describing the park as an “enduring expression of a tender and revered memory.”
Bernadine Quinn Riverside Park
Boise residents will know Bernadine Quinn Riverside Park best for its 22-acre Quinn’s Pond and Whitewater Park. The park is directly west of downtown Boise and is often bustling during summer.
The park is aptly named for Bernadine Quinn, who moved to Boise in 1910 and went on to serve as secretary of the Boise Chamber of Commerce. While in Boise, she also worked with the Silver Sage Council of the Girl Scouts, Saint Alphonsus and the Catholic Women’s League.
In 1924, Bernadine married Maurice Quinn, founder of the now-defunct Quinn Robbins construction company. Bernadine Quinn Riverside Park sits on the former site of the company’s gravel operation and was donated to the city in 1997.
Bethine Church River Trail
Bethine Church was the wife of famed Idaho U.S. Sen. Frank Church, who spent most of his life fighting for Idaho’s wilderness. Frank Church was paramount in establishing the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and unsuccessfully pushed for many years for legislation to make it a national park.
For all Frank did, Bethine was equally integral to promoting the conservation of Idaho’s wilderness. Bethine was the founder and former president of the Sawtooth Society, which was established to preserve and protect the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.
She also served as a member of the Idaho Conservation League and on the council of The Wilderness Society.
The 1.6-mile Bethine Church River Trail runs from the Cottonwood Apartments on Parkcenter Boulevard to the East Parkcenter Bridge, according to Boise State, where Bethine received an honorary doctorate degree in 2009.
Dona Larsen Park
Although not technically on the Boise Greenbelt, Dona Larsen Park is well-known by many students and parents involved in high school and college sports.
The 14.5-acre park is just north of the Greenbelt on Broadway Avenue on the old sight of East Junior High School, where Larsen began working as a physical education teacher in 1970. Larsen also coached girls track and volleyball at East Junior High, and ran the girls summer softball and basketball programs for Boise City Recreation.
Boise State University now owns Dona Larsen Park and has made it the home of the school’s softball and track and field teams. The park also has a football field, commonly used for high school football games for Boise schools in the fall.
Esther Simplot Park
Esther Simplot Park is directly attached to Bernadine Quinn Riverside Park on the west side of downtown Boise. Esther Simplot was the wife of J.R. Simplot, founder of the food and agriculture Simplot Company, a name Boiseans know very well. Things all over town have the Simplot name connected to them.
Esther Simplot was a cornerstone figure of Boise’s arts and culture scene. She co-founded the Boise Opera Company and was pivotal in the construction of the Esther Simplot Performing Arts Academy in 1992 and the accompanying Academy Annex in 1996.
J.R. and Esther Simplot donated $1 million to Boise in 2003, according to Boise Parks and Recreation, allowing the city to purchase the land that Esther Simplot Park now sits on.
Golda Harris Nature Preserve
The Golda Harris Nature Preserve is a 3-acre plot of land north of the East Parkcenter bridge. It features walking paths, seating and interpretive signage for enjoying the local wildlife.
Golda Harris moved to Boise from Arkansas in 1934 with her husband, Ivan. Ivan was the brother of Dallas Harris — the husband of the aforementioned Alta Harris — and co-owner of the Harris Brothers Lumber Company sawmill in the Harris Ranch area. Golda worked diligently alongside Ivan and Dallas as they built up their lumber company, according to Boise Parks and Recreation.
The park was dedicated in 2015 after the land was donated to the city by the Harris Family and The Thelma B. Lee Trust. Thelma was one of Golda and Ivan’s two children.
Julia Davis Park
Julia Davis Park is arguably one of Boise’s prettiest parks, and certainly one of its most bustling.
The 89-acre park is directly accessible from downtown Boise and is home to Zoo Boise, the Boise Art Museum, the Idaho State Historical Museum, the Discovery Center of Idaho and the Idaho Black History Museum. The park also features the Boise Rose Garden and the Gene Harris Bandshell, and is the site for highly popular annual Boise events, such as the Soul Food Festival and most recently Treefort Music Fest.
Julia arrived in Boise from Ontario, Canada, in 1869 and remained in the City of Trees for the rest of her life. According to Boise Parks and Recreation, she spent her life welcoming and assisting travelers along the Oregon Trail, allowing them to rest before continuing on westward.
She died in 1907 at the age of 60 after assisting a traveler who may have had typhoid fever.
Her husband, Tom Davis, owned and developed agricultural land in Boise and donated it to the city following her death. He required that the land be forever used for public park purposes.
Kathryn Albertson Park
Kathryn Albertson Park is part of the same park system as Ann Morrison Park, with the former separated from the latter by Americana Boulevard.
Kathryn Albertson was born in Boise and met her future husband, Joe Albertson, founder of Albertsons Inc., at The College of Idaho, according to Boise Parks and Recreation. The pair married on New Year’s Day in 1930.
Kathryn and Joe donated the 41-acre park to Boise in October 1989 to make it a wildlife sanctuary. One gazebo in the park, called The Rookery, features a red tile roof that formerly topped the first Albertsons supermarket to open in Boise in 1939.
Kristin Armstrong Municipal Park
Kristin Armstrong is one of the most successful athletes Boise has ever known. The University of Idaho graduate is the most decorated U.S. women’s cyclist and one of the best at cycling time trialis in history.
She won Olympic gold three straight times in the cycling time trial event — Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 — with the last coming a day before her 43rd birthday, making her the oldest female cyclist to win an Olympic gold medal. Armstrong also has won two World Time Trial championships, in 2006 and 2009, and five national time trial championships.
All of this success came after a diagnosis of osteoarthritis that ended her initial career choice of swimming and competing in triathlons, according to Boise Parks and Recreation and previous Statesman reporting.
Boise has owned the East End park along Walnut Street since 1927 and renamed it in honor of Armstrong in August 2016.
Marianne Williams Park
Marianne Williams moved with her family to Boise from Midvale in 1966. Marianne and her husband, Larry, still live in the area and own various businesses around the Treasure Valley, such as Tree Top Ranches and Idaho Timber Corporation.
The pair recently listed a $22.5 million ranch in Parma for sale. Trent Jones, the broker representing the sale, told the Statesman that they are selling the property to reduce their holdings.
Since moving to Boise, Marianne has volunteered at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, managed a senior living complex and served on the Bronco Athletic Association Board of Directors at Boise State, according to Boise Parks and Rec.
Larry donated the 72-acre park in East Boise’s Barber Valley to the city in November 2005 in honor of his wife.
Sue Howell Park
Sue Howell Park is the other of two Ribbon of Jewel parks yet to be constructed. The 16-acre park will be built on an undeveloped section of land near the intersection of Warm Springs Avenue and Idaho 21 in East Boise, just down the road from Lucky Peak State Park, according to previous Statesman reporting.
Sue’s husband, Aaron, purchased the land in 2017 and told the city that he wanted to build a park and dedicate it to his wife.
According to Parks and Rec, Sue spent almost 30 years teaching junior high science and volunteering in grade schools. She and her husband founded Northwest Lineman College in 1993 and oversaw the college’s education philosophies and curriculum.
