Show 1 famous idaho potato i has Ro romantic mantie Hist history ciry its just potatoes and gravy on an a million dinner tables the world around but the story of the io russets discovery and development is as romantic as that of a scientific tec invention it was in 1884 when the first settlers entered the egin bench of 0 eastern idaho that farsighted far sighted farmers sought a product for the volcanic soil a pioneer woman related recently in boise the state capital the woman who prefers to be known only as mrs E M W iwas was the daughter of one of the first settlers mrs W told of entering the upper snake river country while indians still roamed the prairies at that time she said we were raising the early rose early ohio and a few goodrich potatoes which although they produced well would not keep faced with an unmarketable product her brother vowed he was going to find something to make a good crop one that would stay without a flaw in the course of events a new family came to the community they were mr and mrs charles R barnes bames and children barnes bames brought a new new potato which he called the english russet the brother heard about the new potato and went to see if he ca could uld buy a few for seed barnes shrugged his shoulders and said he know if there was a peck in the whole pit that would grow but mrs W and her brother sorted through the whole pit when finished they had a peck and a half barnes bames gave them the entire lot for their efforts the next day they planted most of them in part of a 10 acre plot after eating a few the potatoes seemed particularly suited to the volcanic ash soil and the eastern idaho climate within two years the family which had grubbed the seeds from an apparently worthless heap had enough to plant all their land and sell to neighbors it was from this meager beginning mrs E M W 11 said that russet potato industry sprang |