Boise in Ada County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)
Jesus Urquides Packs a Mule, 1925
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 22, 2013
1. Jesus Urquides Packs a Mule, 1925 Marker
As an innovative packer, Urquides became well known for managing dangerous and difficult tasks. His reputation grew when he successfully packed an 8,400 foot long, continuous steel cable to the remote Yellow Jacket Mine. Urquides coiled the 4,500-pound cable from one mule to another, spreading the unwieldy load over a train of 35 animals.
Urquides lived a rich and complex life. Rising from working-class immigrant status to respectable, industrious entrepreneur, he exemplified the Mexican heritage of Idahos ethnically diverse pioneers. The photograph above shows Urquides, at age 93, demonstrating the proper cinching of a mule for a profile that appeared in Sunset Magazine in 1925.
Erected 2013 by Boise City Department of Arts and History.
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Location. 43° 36.701′ N, 116° 11.754′ W. Marker is in Boise, Idaho, in Ada County. It is on West Main Street 0.1 miles east of South 2nd Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker is mounted on a pedestal, directly in front of an office building, between the sidewalk and the street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 115 West Main Street, Boise ID 83706, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Idaho’s Snake River Plain. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Jesus Urquides, Circa 1870 (here, next to this marker); Maria Dolores (Lola) Binnard, circa 1910 (here, next to this marker); Urquides Village, Southern Edge, circa 1958 (here, next to this marker); A Close Call (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); A Lasting Legacy
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 22, 2013
2. Marker detail: Jesus Urquides Packs a Mule, 1925
More about this marker. Marker is mounted on a tall metal pedestal adjacent to an attractive metal and wood sculpture of a 19th century camera. Marker text is printed in English (left side) and Spanish (right side)
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . . Jesϊs Urquides: Idahos Premier Muleteer.
The life of Mexican mule packer Jesϊs Urquides is the subject of this work. Urquides was a Mexican-born mule packer who brought the skills of his profession to the American West, where he eventually settled in Boise, Idaho in the 1860s. The focus of the work is to shed light on the activities of mule packers and their work in the American West as it related to the mining activities of the region and to also examine Urquides role in the establishment of Boises Spanish Village. Jesϊs Urquides: Idahos Premier Muleteer is a case study of the profession and its contributions to the mining industry of the late 19th century. (Submitted on November 27, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 18, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 27, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 620 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 27, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
