Donna Montran stayed at the Owyhee Hotel in Boise, Idaho December 4-8, 1919.
Don Taylor
Sometimes I just come across cool things. Recently I found an article on Chronicling America that spoke of “Hotel Arrivals” in Boise, ID, Dec 5, 1919. I have long known that Donna and the cast of “Chin Chin” were in Boise for four days, from the 4th to the 7th performing at the Pinney Theatre. This article might be the first time I’ve known exactly where Donna stayed during her many nights on the road – the Owyhee Hotel. The Owyhee is still standing; no longer a hotel, it was completely renovated and made into luxury apartments with office space – Hwyhee Place.
The other thing the article does, which is really cool, is that it tells where many of the cast are from. Of course, I knew that Donna hailed from New York at that time, but not Ethel Lawrence. If I decide to follow some of Donna’s fellow performers, a listing of names and their hometowns, or 1919 residences could be invaluable. Also, if I can find another such list I might be able to determine much of the cast’s names. A great find; I will definitely look for Hotel Arrivals in other newspapers in the future.
Owyhee Hotel c. 1914.
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Sources
Library of Congress – Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, 1836-1922 – Evening Capital News – (Boise, ID) December 5, 1919, Page 6.
