Twin Falls Library Plans Local History Tour
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – The Twin Falls Public Library is planning a local history tour.
The tour, which the library has hosted for a few years now, takes participants on a walk through Twin Falls’ historic downtown area near the library.
The event begins at 10 a.m. Sept. 10 at the library.
In 2016, when the library first started the history walks, about 40 people turned out for the tour. Not a bad showing for a first-time event and because of the interest the library decided to keep it going.
The library also hosted a history walk this past June.
The walk takes participants through what is called the City Park Historic District, where they learn about how the downtown area was laid out and the many buildings that have become an iconic part of the district.
Many of the city’s old buildings, for instance, including several of its churches, were constructed around or near City Park because it served as the centerpiece of town.
“It was very much planned. The park represented the area,” Jennifer Hills, reference librarian, told News Radio 1310 during that first tour in 2016. She said the nearby courthouse gave Twin Falls its “civic identity.”
The streets that appear to have been built haphazardly at odd angles were purposefully designed to coordinate with irrigation runoff and how the sun would hit buildings at certain times of the day.
“Even as cockeyed as it sounds our crooked streets used to be numbered,” Hills said.
These are just some of the things participants may learn while taking part in the library's occasional family-friendly tours. The history walks are free and open to the public, but the library suggests that those wishing to participate make sure they come prepared.
“Wear sunscreen and sturdy shoes and join us for a fun and informative walk around the Twin Falls City Park Historic District,” the library said.