Basque Community of Idaho
Basque Museum & Cultural Center
The Jacobs/Uberuaga House, built in 1864, is the oldest surviving brick dwelling in Boise. Cyrus Jacobs, a prominent merchant and mayor of Boise, lived there with his family for almost 40 years. Beginning in 1910, it became the residence of Basque families – first the Galdos, then the Bicandis, and finally, in 1917, Jose and Hermenegilda Uberuaga. Here, these families provided a “home away from home” for sheepherders and other boarders until 1969.
In 1983, Adelia Garro Simplot purchased the property from the Uberuagas to preserve the rich tapestry of Idaho Euskaldunak history. This dream became a reality in 1985, when the Basque Museum & Cultural Center acquired the house.
Located at 607 Grove St. in downtown Boise, the Jacobs/Uberuaga House is on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated an Historic Landmark. It remains in its original location, and in 2005 a major endeavor – including restoration, preservation and interpretation – helped to make the house a more integral part of the Museum’s educational and preservation work. Archeological digs, both inside the house and in the surrounding exterior areas, revealed hundreds of artifacts from more than 100 years of history. The home is open regularly for guided tours led by Basque Museum staff and volunteers.
The Jacobs/Uberuaga House stands as a tribute to early pioneer family life in Boise and to Basque boarding house life in America. It is a prize artifact in the Basque Museum’s efforts to preserve, promote and perpetuate Basque history and culture.
Read more about the Boise Basque Community.
Donors:
Jeremy Boyd
Consuelo and Dan Smith
Meghan Mallea
Javier Guerricabetia
Antone and Sharon Chacartegui
Scott Howard
F Phillip and Yvette Davis
Sue Beitia
Janice Mainvil
Robert Dennis
Maria Grimm
Tammie Colburn
Jeremy Malone
Joel and Marianne Hickman
Diane L DeChambeau
Anonymous
George and Iciar Totorica
Lloyd Noe
Rosie Skoro
Ronald and Mary Hughes
Patty Miller
Amy Wray
Patrick Meuleman
Anonymous
Teresa and Joe Paige
John R and Juliana Aldape
Anonymous
Faye Mendiguren Sadowsky
Gordon Colburn
Aiztan Artean
Randy Thomas
Herb Krakau
Cindy Schaffeld
Gina Urquidi- Epi's
Gina Urquidi
Julian Lete
Toni Berria
Jacqueline Hickman
Anonymous
Mary Lou Murelaga
Gene and Joyce Novotny
F William Caldwell
Jude Gary