Historic Boise Trolley Line

The tracks ran on the east side of Broadway. The line to South Boise was initiated in 1905 by the Boise Valley Railway Company. The tracks diverted from the intersection of Warm Springs and Broadway and went south to Richmond Street. In 1913, after Idaho Power consolidated the different streetcar companies under the Idaho Traction Company, an additional track was added at Chamberlain Street. The route turned west to Manitou and then the tracks were laid down Chamberlain, over the Ridenbaugh Canal to present-day Federal Way, and then made a small jig to Nez Perce, down Nez Perce to a connection at Roosevelt. Road widening, house construction, and other changes make it hard to imagine today, but the route called the “Hillcrest Line” was a welcome transportation link to Bench residents when it arrived.  The Boise Valley Railway Company even had a funeral trolley car, which provided transportation for family members and others to the Morris Hill Cemetery.