Idaho
This Idaho town was founded 56 years ago, and one of its residents became a renowned author – East Idaho News
Editor’s note: This is the ninth in a series highlighting the stories behind local museum artifacts.
MUD LAKE – Trish Petersen gets misty-eyed when she talks about the history of her community and the people who live there.
The 51-year-old Mud Lake woman moved to the town of just over 400 people 28 years ago. Petersen grew up in Teton Valley and swore she’d never live in a place she once described as a “forsaken desert of sagebrush and jackrabbits.” Today, it’s a place she’s proud to call home, mostly because of how tight-knit the community is.
She cites a recent personal tragedy as an example.
Her son-in-law, Wyatt Billman, was killed in December after colliding with a semi on Idaho Highway 33. Billman and his wife had a 15-month-old son at the time, which Petersen’s daughter is now raising on her own.
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Petersen is grateful for the way the community rallied around her and her family during that difficult time. Being surrounded by people who love and care about her is what makes living at “the end of the earth” worth it to Petersen.
Many of the town’s early settlers also felt a reluctance to live in such a remote place in eastern Idaho.
Historical highlights
Mud Lake is about 40 miles northwest of Idaho Falls. It sits between Rexburg and Howe off Highway 33. A 1978 newspaper clipping refers to it as the last “Last Frontier.” Though the first white settlers arrived in the early 1900s, it didn’t officially become a city until 1968.
Osborne Russell was the first trapper to come through the area in 1835. In one of his journal entries Petersen shared with Idaho Magazine earlier this year, Osborne describes a landscape filled with fat buffalo and hundreds of friendly Bannock tribal members.
Mud Lake’s first permanent white settler was Horace Jackett in 1901. Before then, it was a place where horse thieves and outlaws came to hide.
A small shell of a home purchased by Andy and Mary Nelson in 1921, which they filled in with mud and grass bricks they made on their own, is still standing.
The remoteness and sense of loneliness some people experienced in Mud Lake is illustrated in a story told about the couple in 1926. In a museum display, the Nelsons says they “were enthralled and delighted” when they went to a neighbor’s house and listened to a radio for the first time. Read it below.
But it was the contribution of Pete Kuharski and his wife, two immigrants from Poland, that allowed Mud Lake to become a thriving, burgeoning village. The couple are credited with building the Mud Lake Mercantile, which is now occupied by the Mud Lake Museum. The Oasis Bar and Cafe on the west side of the store, which the Khuarskis also owned, was destroyed in a fire in 2016. The museum was also affected.
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Petersen, the museum’s program director, tells EastIdahoNews.com the museum is the activity center of the community and attracts visitors from all over.
One of the museum’s most popular exhibits talks about the bunny bash of 1981. At that time, there was such an overabundance of jackrabbits in Mud Lake. In old news reports on display, locals describe seeing fields crawling with rabbits and crops being destroyed because of it.
In an effort to control the population, community members caught them in cages and clubbed them over the head. The ground was later covered with thousands of dead bunnies and media outlets throughout the country reported on it. Petersen says it was spun in a negative way and attracted outrage from animal rights groups nationwide.
Another significant, though not as widely reported piece of Mud Lake history, is about a local farmer’s connection to a famous author.
They knew him before he was famous
Jimmy Stewart, a sheep rancher from Monteview who played a role in Mud Lake’s founding and passed away in March at age 95, often hired people to come and work for him.
Wilson Rawls, the future author of “Where the Red Fern Grows,” had come to Idaho seeking work for what was then the Atomic Energy Commission on the Arco desert. He lived in Idaho Falls and would take a bus to Arco. He eventually tired of the long bus ride and got a job working for the Stewarts.
Jimmy’s daughter, Karen Stoddart, shares her memories of Rawls and the time he spent on their Monteview farm.
“He came in the summers with the threshing crew,” Stoddart says. “He lived and worked in Arizona part of the year. He was a carpenter by trade. He (helped harvest) our second hay crop and grain and built many of our wooden head gates.”
Rawls worked at the Stewart farm every summer for about six years. The house he lived in during that time still exists.
After several summers, Stoddart’s mom introduced Rawls to Sophie Styczinski, a family friend and AEC budget analyst who eventually became his wife.
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Rawls had previously written the story that became “Where the Red Fern Grows” before coming to Idaho. It had been Rawls’ dream to be a writer since reading “Call of the Wild” as a kid, but he had a limited education. At 16, Rawls left home to find work to support his family during the Great Depression.
Rawls worked all over the country and returned home “each fall to hunt and work with his family,” a written history about Rawls says. “He took the stories he had written and locked them in an old trunk.”
As Rawls worked on the Stewart farm, Stoddart’s mom heard of his manuscript, which had numerous grammatical and other errors. Stoddart recalls her mom reading it and providing corrections.
Rawls and Styczinski were married at the First Presbyterian Church in Idaho Falls. Stewart was Rawls’ best man, according to Stoddart. Rawls and his wife lived in Idaho Falls for a short time before moving to Wisconsin.
Embarassed by his lack of education, Rawls had burned his manuscript days before the wedding and given up on his dream. When he confided in Sophie about it, she helped him rewrite it, edit it and get it published.
Rawls’ second and last book, “Summer of the Monkeys,” was also written in Idaho Falls.
The Mud Lake Museum doesn’t currently have an exhibit about Rawls, which Petersen is hoping to remedy in the near future.
Despite Mud Lake’s remote location, Petersen is in awe of those who came before her to carve out a life and make something out of a “forsaken” sagebrush landscape.
She’s enjoyed being a volunteer at the museum for the last decade and says the historical knowledge she’s gained is “priceless.”
“Only the people who have experienced life in Mud Lake … understand (why we love it),” she says. “I’ve learned that the community I once thought had nothing to offer is filled with the love and sacrifices of those who came before us.”
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BOISE, Idaho — A Boise neighbor said she trapped the largest rat she has ever seen in her backyard, and a local pest control expert said he has already responded to multiple Treasure Valley homes this year to remove the rodents. As sightings increase, Idaho lawmakers are also taking action.
Britni Killeen, who grew up on a farm in East Idaho, said nothing could have prepared her for what she found in her West Boise backyard.
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“I’m a 5th-generation Idahoan, and I’ve never seen something that big,” Killeen said.
Killeen believes the rats may be swimming through the Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve and making their way into nearby neighborhoods.
“We live next door to the refuge, and if you have a gap between your fence, which we do, it’s about 3 ft, they come into your yard, and they can go under fences,” explained Killeen.
Alpha Home Pest Control has served the Treasure Valley for over 10 years. Owner Mike Hill said he has been receiving weekly calls about rat sightings. While some turn out to be false alarms, he has already visited seven Treasure Valley homes this year to remove rats. Hill said many of them may be arriving from out of state and staying because of the mild weather conditions.
“Washington, California, the shipping, the freight coming back and forth, they’re kind of stowaways,” Hill said. “Then with the mild winters that we’ve been having, [it] hasn’t really been killing them off.”
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Hill said Norway and Roof rats can pose serious risks to both health and property.
“They carry disease, they carry fleas, ticks, they can chew through your wiring in your home,” Hill said. “Their teeth grow very rapidly, so there have been cases where they’re up there chewing on wires, [and] the house burns down.”
If you spot a rat, Hill recommends calling a professional to ensure there are not more hiding nearby. He also offered several prevention tips.
“The droppings of the fruit, excess fruit, keep that stuff picked up. Make sure that your trash is enclosed in either a hard plastic or metal container,” Hill said.
RELATED| Rodents of Unusual Size Act advances to House after 28-3 Senate vote
As rat sightings increase across the Treasure Valley, lawmakers are taking notice. On Thursday, the Idaho Senate passed the Rodents of Unusual Size Act, which would declare Norway and roof rats a public health and safety nuisance and requires the state to take action to control and remove them. That bill now heads to the House.
Killeen said the legislation is a step in the right direction.
“Considering how big that rat is, I would definitely say so,” Killeen said. “I didn’t even know that big of rats could exist in Idaho, but maybe I’m just rural.”
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
BOISE, Idaho — Idaho lawmakers have introduced legislation that would phase out state funding for the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs while keeping the commission in place.
The proposal, introduced by Rep. Jeff Ehlers, would gradually eliminate general fund support for the commission by July 1, 2028. The commission would continue to operate but would need to rely on private funding.
Rep. Ehlers told the House Revenue and Taxation Committee on Thursday that the proposal came from recommendations by Idaho’s DOGE Task Force, which reviewed government programs and spending.
READ MORE | Idaho DOGE Task Force recommends defunding Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs
The bill would also eliminate the commission from a list of organizations eligible for a state income tax charitable contribution credit.
Rep. Steve Berch questioned why the legislation would remove both state funding and the tax credit option, saying it could make it more difficult for the commission to raise money.
“I hate to use this word, but I’m really offended by this specific effort to make it that much more difficult for private citizens to be able to contribute to the Hispanic commission,” Rep. Berch said in committee. “I don’t think this can be justified from a financial point of view, and quite frankly, I don’t think it can be justified from a moral point of view.”
In response, Rep. Jason Monks said that it would be more “offensive” to not allow further discussion of the bill before a final decision is made.
The proposal comes after an earlier attempt this session to eliminate the commission entirely. In January, Rep. Heather Scott presented a draft bill that would have removed all references to the commission from Idaho law and dissolved it by July 1, but that measure failed to advance out of committee.
The committee ultimately voted on Thursday to introduce the legislation, allowing it to be printed and advanced for further debate.
This story has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Shanea Fulks is the owner of Seven Sisters Closet Revival, a new consignment store at 260 South Woodruff in Idaho Falls. Take a look inside in the video above. | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com
Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.
BIZ BUZZ
IDAHO FALLS
New consignment shop in Idaho Falls offers vintage clothes for customers and booth space for sellers
IDAHO FALLS – Curating vintage clothing is Shanea Fulks’s passion, and she’s sharing it with the community through a new business venture.
Seven Sisters Closet Revival opens Saturday at 260 South Woodruff inside Parkwood Plaza in Idaho Falls. It offers racks of vintage clothes for customers and booth space for others to sell their items.
“You get a rack with shelves, and you can come in throughout the week and sell things,” Fulks tells EastIdahoNews.com. “The things you’ll see in the middle of the store are pieces that I have curated. I hand-pick all the things I bring to the store.”
See some of the items in the video above.
Fulks says she’s had multiple people walk in already who are excited about the shop.
The store will have a grand opening this weekend. Fulks is partnering with the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce for a ribbon-cutting and open house at noon on Friday. A local band will be performing during the event.
Then on Saturday, a grand opening celebration will begin at 2 p.m. Several vendors and live entertainment will be available. Fulks says she’s looking forward to interacting with the community.
Fulks has been selling items from her personal collection online for years. After helping a mother and daughter find a formal dress during an interaction at another shop in town several years ago, Fulks says she realized there was a need for a store like this.
After about a year of working with real estate agents, Fulks says the Parkwood Plaza space formerly occupied by a beauty salon called Blush became available, and it was an ideal fit.
“It’s just been a whirlwind and we’re just trying to get it going,” says Fulks.
Fulks’ interest in fashion stems back to childhood. She lost her dad and stepdad to suicide at a young age and grew up in a household that struggled to make ends meet. As a result, she says they bought clothes at Goodwill and other secondhand stores.
She remembers being made fun of because of the clothes she wore. In time, she learned to embrace her uniqueness and developed an interest in vintage clothes.
“I’ve just always been attracted to old sweaters, military jackets (her dad served in Vietnam),” Fulks says. “I like to help people feel confident wearing something unique, even if it’s not trendy. Be bold and wear whatever you want.”
The idea of making the most of your circumstances and embracing who you are is inspired by her experience with suicide, and it’s reflected in the art that’s on display in her store.
“Part of the theme in my store is ‘Stay. We need you,’” she says.
The business name refers to her family. She comes from a blended family of six girls and four boys. When she and her husband were married, they had a daughter — the seventh sister.
Fulks says she’s looking forward to offering great deals to customers. She has two sons with autism who love art, and she wants to host art-themed events for people with special needs. She’d also like to host tea parties and other events in the future.
“I want people to come and feel like they belong,” she says. “I’m going to allow people to do karaoke. When you’re here, I want you to feel like you can have fun.”
Seven Sisters Closet Revival will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
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