Rupert Square

Idaho State Legislator, Senator Kelly AnthonWell, welcome to the Rupert Square. This is the historic Rupert Square in Rupert, Idaho. This is a place that makes us remember where agriculture started in this community and how important it is to our community. This is the place where the first well was drilled in the Minadoka County area and where the city sprung up when people came here to gather to collect water. So if you were to come here shortly after the well was drilled, you would see wagons and families lined up to collect potable water to take back to their homesteads. This was one of the few places that they could come to collect water for their families. Enterprising Americans realized that while people were gathered and collecting water, that they could sell them something. And so commerce and industry sprung up here with with stores that still remain, many of the buildings that are well over, you know, coming up on 100 years old that sold to families that were here collecting water. So in about 1904, 1905, this was nothing but sagebrush. And what was remarkable is within a short span of about 15 years, we got everything from new homes, new businesses, the water tower to the amazing, historic Wilson Theater, which still stands fully renovated today. Mike Brown: Along about 1975. My family bought the a pancake. It was called the Pancake House. It was a restaurant here in Rupert, just off the square. The building that's over there is where we will locate it. And we just became more and more involved with the events because they affected Rupert. Well, as as Rupert tended to die down business, you know, died down with it.