Looking back Moscow, Idaho, in 1945

Tue., Sept. 21, 2004

The Spokesman-Review

Many monikers

This photo shows a growing Moscow, Idaho, in 1945. The town had several names during its history, starting with Tatkimmah, an Indian name meaning “the place of the young or spotted deer.” Later homesteaders dubbed their community Hog Heaven because their pigs thrived on the camas bulbs they rooted out of area hillsides. Later settlers called it Paradise Valley, and finally S.M. Neff, while completing the application for a post office, wrote the name Moscow on the line that required a name for the town. Neff penned the name in honor of two previous places he had lived — Moscow, Pa., and Moscow, Iowa.

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