Stop 5: 148 East Jefferson (Conclusion)

Mausoleum in the Morris Hill Cemetary PC: Marisa Hadley

In 1953, at the age of 84, Alice Butterworth Pittenger died after battling a long illness, and eleven
years later, Fred Pittenger died at age 87. According to Morris Hill Cemetery records, Alice Pittenger,
Fred Pittenger, and their daughter Marion Corcoran are all interred, side by side, in the mausoleum at
Morris Hill Cemetery.

Both Pittenger's left a mark on Boise and their legacies continue to live on through organizations
and artifacts alike.

Stop 4: Boise Children's Home

PC: Marisa Hadley

PC: Marisa Hadley

Alice Pittenger’s was active in a number of civic organization within Boise, including the founding of
Children’s Home Finding and Aid Society, which is present days Children's Home Society. While
working with the organization the Pittenger family adopted their daughter Marion, who was orphaned
by the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.

Sadly, little is known of Marion's life outside of the tragedies that plagued it.

Marion married her first husband, Lieutenant Oscar Yates, in the summer of 1917 at the age of 16.
They divorced twelve years later around 1929, and that same year Marion remarried to John
Corcoran, however their marriage was tragically cut short when John died of amebic dysentery while
attending the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.

Only one year later, Marion died in a car accident at the age of 33.

Today, the Children's Home Society continues to serve our community by providing quality mental,
emotional, and behavioral health services to at-risk children and their families. It is one of Idaho’s
oldest, communally operational, non-profit organizations.

http://idahoarchitectureproject.org/s/308/Childrens-Home

Stop 3: The Idaho Capitol

PC: Marisa Hadley

Alice Pittenger was deeply involvement in the Girl Scouts, and on Feb. 14 of 1940 she presented
them with the deed to 9.4 acres of land near Payette Lake, McCall. This land would be used to
establish as permanent campsite for local Idaho troops and was named Camp Alice Pittenger in her
honor. That following summer that camp started to take shape with assistance from the Work
Progress Administration, Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Forest Service, and by 1948 the camp
was officially open.

In the 1990’s, Silver Sage Girl Scout Camps, including Camp Alice Pittenger, were are risk of closure
due to  an increase in the amount of lease payment on this land. In response to this, girl scout troops
from all over Idaho sent letters to Governor Cecil Andrus requesting that something be done to
preserve their camp.

Letters to the Governor written by Girl Scouts in 1990:

Stop 2: Pittenger Sequoia

PC: Marisa Hadley

This next stop on our tour is at the Pittenger Sequoia, which has been recently moved to its
new home here at Fort Boise Park.

In 1912, conservationist and forester Emile Grandjean, gifted Alice and Fred Pittenger with
a tiny cutting of a sequoia, which was reportedly sent to Boise from naturalist John Muir in
California. This tree was originally planted next to the Pittenger home on East Jefferson
Street, where it remained until late 2017.

Today, this giant stands as the tallest tree in the city of Boise, measuring 98 feet tall and
20 feet in circumference, and is a centerpiece of holiday celebrations within the city.

Around the time of this tree being planted, Fred Pittenger was a practicing physician in
the city of Boise and later founded the Pittenger Medical Center, where he was it’s senior
physician until his death. Before marrying Fred, Alice Pittenger was also a practicing
physician for two years in Kansas before working as an assistant to gynecologist Dr. John
Streeter in Chicago, Illinois.

Both Pittengers were centerpieces of the Boise medical community.

One account described Dr. Fred Pittenger as being cowboy-ish-ly aggressive and physical,
prefering to ride his ornery horse to appointments, and as a talented surgeon that was
“friendly enough on the hospital floor”. Another account described Alice as someone
“who didn’t hesitate to spit back at her gruff husband” and as an accomplished hostess,
environmentalist, and something of a feminist.

The Pittenger Sequoia in 1912

Stop 1: 148 East Jefferson Street

The lot the Pittenger Residence once stood is now a part of St. Lukes. PC: Marisa Hadley

This first stop on our tour is at one forty-eight (148) E. Jefferson St., which was the site of the original Pittenger home until 1964 when home was moved to Caldwell after their deaths. Today, this address is used as the Human Resources department on St. Lukes Boise Campus.

Born in Chicago IL. in 1869, Alice Butterworth completed her early education in
Kansas before attending the St. Louis Homeopathic Medical College. In 1902,
Alice married Fred Pittenger, who was also a practicing physician, and soon
after the couple moved to Boise.

Though Alice Pittenger stopped practicing medicine after her marriage, she
become a notable civic leader in early 20th century Boise. She was an advocate
for the Girl Scouts of America, Boise Childrens Home, Idaho Women’s clubs,
and a delegate to the World Women's conference in Europe.

In addition to all this, she was at one time one of Idaho’s most accomplished
horsewomen, and today a pair of her riding boots is apart of the Idaho Historical
Society's collection .

Introducing the Alice Pittenger Walking Tour!

Introducing the Alice Pittenger Walking Tour!

The In Her Shoes project was meant for us to connect these physical objects from history to the women whose lives they were a part of. While some groups only have an idea of the types of women who may have worn their shoes, we know exactly who they belonged to and her contributions to Idaho history. Alice Pittenger was a prominent member of Boise Society from her arrival in Boise near the turn of the century until her death in the 1950s. She is remembered today because of the Girl Scout camp in McCall, Idaho that bears her name. We have decided that the best way to share her life and her continuing contributions to the community by creating a walking tour of several of the most prominent places in her life. The loop is about two and a quarter miles long, beginning and ending at the site of the original Pittenger residence at 148 East Jefferson Street. From there, the path goes to the Pittenger Sequoia in Fort Boise Park, the Capitol Building, and the the Children's Home Society of Idaho before returning to 148 East Jefferson. At these stops there are QR codes that link to a blog page with a slide show and audio information about each site and their relevance to her life.

Alice Pittenger's riding boots from the Idaho State Historical Society