Rick Just
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Author
  • Speaker
  • Contact

White Spring Ranch

8/13/2020

Comments

 
John Lorang didn’t set out to create a museum when he built his home on the Palouse in 1884, 13 miles south of Moscow, near Genesee, Idaho. He was a farmer raising a large family with his wife; Mary, struggling some years and reaping exceptional harvests others.
 
The fertile soils of the Palouse helped him succeed in his endeavors at the place he called the White Spring Ranch. He began to retire from farming in 1910, transitioning to his other interests which included taxidermy, photography, coin collecting, and collecting natural specimens, particularly eggs and seashells. Sometime after 1914 his collections began taking up too much room in the family home, even though it had been significantly expanded over the years. He disassembled a nearby cabin and moved it onto his property to become his “curio cabin.” He built a second “curio house” close by and began filling the buildings with items of interest to him.
 
Not all of the items representing Lorang’s interest in the natural world could be kept indoors. He planted an extensive grove of trees on the property: oak, hickory, ash, sycamore, basswood or linden, elms, nut trees, haws, persimmon, and sassafras to name a few.
 
John passed away in 1926, but the White Spring Ranch has always remained in the family. What started as a curio collection has worked its way from the outbuildings meant to hold the artifacts, back into the house, which today is a museum packed with family and community memorabilia and items from John Lorang’s collection.
 
The White Spring Ranch is open to the public on Sunday and Tuesday afternoons, as well as by appointment. Each year the community looks forward to visiting the ranch for their annual ice cream social.
 
In July, 2020, the White Spring Ranch received the Sister Alfreda Elsensohn Award, the highest honor given to an Idaho Museum, by the Idaho State Historical Society and the Idaho Humanities Council.
 
Picture
The original White Spring Ranch house was built in 1884. It more than doubled in size over the years with extensive additions.
Picture
Every room of the original house is packed with artifacts.
Picture
One of the “curio” buildings.
Speaking of Idaho history posts are copyright © 2020 by Rick Just. Sharing is encouraged. If you don’t find a button that lets you do that, find the post on Speaking of Idaho. If you’re missing my daily posts, select the RSS button, or select See it First under the Facebook Following tab.
Comments
    Like and follow Speaking of Idaho on Facebook and Twitter.

    Subscribe to the Speaking of Idaho newsletter

    * indicates required
    Email Format
    Picture
    The first book in the Speaking of Idaho series is out. Ask for it at your local Idaho bookstore, find it on Amazon, or, if you want a signed copy, click the button.
    Picture
    Rick's book about Fearless Farris is available on Amazon! Click the picture above to be taken to Amazon. If you'd like an autographed copy, click the button below.

    Author, Speaker

    Rick Just has been writing about Idaho history since 1989 when he wrote and recorded scripts for the Idaho Centennial Commission’s daily radio program, Idaho Snapshots. His latest book on Idaho history is Images of America, Idaho State Parks. Rick also writes a regular column for the Idaho Press.

    Rick does public presentations on Idaho's state park history and the history of the Morrisite war for the Idaho Humanities Council's Speakers Bureau.
    ​


    Check out Rick's history of Idaho State Parks.

    The audio link below is to Rick's Story Story Night set called "Someplace Not Firth"

    RSS Feed

Speaking of Idaho history posts are copyright © 2023 by Rick Just. Sharing is encouraged. If you’re missing my daily posts, select the RSS button, or select See it First under the Facebook Following tab.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you follow a link (generally to a book) from my page to an Amazon page, I get a tiny percentage of any purchase you may make.