My mother, Lillian Clark Canzler, grew up in Twin Falls,
Idaho. Both of her parents, Earl and Esther Clark also grew up there. My
grandfather was a meat cutter and a talented storyteller. Earl and his brother Wayne were raised
by Aunt Caroline, their mother's sister, as their mother died when they were
quite young. Grandpa would tell us stories about Caroline and her sister Laura
and how they came out West in covered wagons from Kansas and homesteaded near
Twin Falls. There were dozens of Aunt Laura and Aunt Caroline stories and he
always got big laughs whenever he told them.
Caroline Starr
Atnip was a farmer and married to Uncle Maird, but she also had a close friend,
Clarence Bisbee, the husband of her late best friend whom she had promised to
care for. Mr. Bisbee was a photographer and documented life in the early 20th
century around the Twin Falls area. He was quite successful and built a large
brick studio in town with an inscription above the front door that read,
life and art are one.
Front view of Notus pendant
Last fall, Stuart Grover commissioned me to make a necklace
for his partner Pam. He wanted the necklace to include an old photograph of her
family's cabin in Notus, Idaho, where Pam had happy childhood memories. After
some discussion we decided that the front of the necklace would have the cabin
picture and I would look for a photo of the Sawtooth Mountains for the back of
the necklace.
Back view of sterling silver Notus pendant
Searching for a black-and-white photo of the Sawtooth
Mountains, I went to eBay and typed in “vintage Idaho postcards”. Up popped 3
postcards: one was a beautiful, sharp photograph of Stanley Lake with the
Sawtooth Mountains in the background and the other two were photographs of the
Twin Falls on the Snake River for which the city of Twin Falls was named. Some
time in the early 20th century one of the falls was dammed but these two
postcards were taken before the ugly dam was built. Both postcards were signed,
Bisbee, in the lower right-hand corner. I immediately ordered all 3 postcards
and when they came, Mr. Bisbee's postcards were in mint condition and
postmarked 1913 on the back, making them 100 years old. My mother had searched
for photographs by Mr. Bisbee and found a book about early Idaho photographers
that contained some of his early photographs and a chapter about him, written by Arthur A. Hart;
Camera Eye On Idaho: Pioneer Photography
1863–1913
Twin Falls, Idaho, 1913
I was so mad I couldn't call Lillian and tell her about my
discovery! However I called her siblings and they shared my amazement. I
scanned the original prints to share with them and with all of you here. It
just goes to show you that Mr. Bisbee was right; life and art are one.
Twin Falls, on the Snake River, 1913
