By Kate Matthews
Not too long ago there used to be a saying around the community of Eagle,
“Don’t gossip about a Fisher, because if you aren’t related, you will be.”
Of course at that time there were only 500 or so people living in Eagle (or fewer), so the odds were certainly in favor of the Fisher’s.
This pioneering family of the Eagle community set down roots on Beacon Light Road in 1900 after coming west from Iowa in 1889. By 1901 George and Ella Fisher had bore the last of their 15 children into the Fisher clan and, not surprisingly, the family grew to be a mainstay of the Eagle community in the years to come.
I am George and Ella’s great-great-Granddaughter. My mother’s father’s father was born to the couple prior to George hearing the call of “Westward-Ho!” My legacy is rooted on Beacon Light Rd., and while I grew up in Boise, my childhood is filled with memories of the Fisher Farm and, at times, haunted by the memories of those who have lived, loved and lost on that land.
I remember when a drive out to the Fisher Farm seemed to be long trip of nothing but farmland. Once you passed the yellow spiral-staircase to nowhere that used to rise from the empty fields on the east side of State Street there was a whole lot of empty. And if the drive was done at night the roads were blacker than black, with only scattered dots of warm kitchen windows peeking through the dark from the farm houses set out against the night.
Like any family, mine has a story to tell. Many stories, in fact; too many, when it comes right down to it—and I’m certain, dear Reader, that you will hear one or two in this section of EM in issues to come. But we want to tell your stories as well. Maybe your family hasn’t been settled in Eagle as long as mine, but honestly, whose has? I know there are a few remaining Eagle pioneers, but their numbers are falling off fast.
My grandfather, Weldon Fisher, Sr., was instrumental in creating the Eagle Historical Museum. He was passionate about preserving Eagle’s past and passing it on to the future generations that will someday call Eagle home. So it is in his honor that I am re-christening Community Note into a true notebook intended to capture the stories of the Eagle community.
And so I call the Eagle community to action. Do you or your loved ones have a story to tell? What are the magic moments of Eagle’s past that you want preserved for generations to come? Whether it’s a story of your grandparents canoodling under the old beacon light of Beacon Light Rd. or something more recent that is destined for the history books, we are looking for your stories.
If you are interested, please email your story idea, contact info and a brief explanation of why you believe your story is worthy of the annals of Eagle’s history to editor@eaglemagazine.com with Community Note in the subject line.
