The historic North Star House of Grass Valley invites you to join us on Wednesday, June 14th at 4pm to welcome Stacey Guill, PhD, author of “The Stone House in the Cañon”. This book details the Boise home of Arthur and Mary Hallock Foote, the first residents of The North Star House. Her beautifully crafted and uniquely designed book tells of the Footes’ life in Boise, Idaho, where Arthur had a vision of creating a canal system that would one day serve to irrigate the entire Boise Valley. From 1885 to 1889, the couple built and lived in the house overlooking the Boise River, 10 miles outside of town.
Guill spent 20 years researching the Footes and their remarkable home. Arthur’s design of the floor plan and the building’s structure were not a typical style of the period. Her research became a key element in developing The Foote Park Interpretation Center near the site of the original home.
In 1895, the Footes moved their family to Grass Valley when Arthur became the superintendent of The North Star Mine. Mary continued her career as an illustrator and author. In 1905, the family moved into the newly constructed North Star House, which was designed and built by the then young architect, Julia Morgan. Morgan was a very talented architect who gained recognition for the Hearst Castle, Asilomar, and hundreds of other buildings. The Footes lived in Grass Valley for almost 40 years.
Stacey Guill earned her Master’s Degree in English from Boise State and her Ph.D. in Literature and Criticism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She and her husband Ron are long-time residents of Boise. The possibility of discovering new information about the Footes and their Idaho home inspires Guill to continue digging through library archives, pouring over old letters, photos, and newspaper clippings. She believes there is more to tell! Ron Guill is a mining engineer and retired mining contractor will add his thoughts about mining in the past and mining today during the presentation.
Purchase of “The Stone House in the Cañon” and book signing will follow the presentation. Please join us in welcoming the Guills June 14th at 4pm at the historic North Star House, 12075 Auburn Road, Grass Valley.
Docents will be present after the talk for tours of the house, including a permanent display of Julia Morgan’s Life and Legacy. This event is part of the historic North Star House Speakers series.
