First: Who wrote the "Doc" Mack article and why?
I am John Parsons and reside in Idaho Falls on what's called "The Numbered Streets." My wife, Susun, and I live in a small 1939 bungalow that retains its original charm. We have visited Island Park many times since we moved to Idaho Falls in 2007. Although there are many sweet spots and attraction sites in Island Park, Mack's Inn has always been one of our favorites, as it has been with countless thousands of visitors since its creation 100 years ago. Describing the allure of the Mack's Inn area would fill a book, as it should someday.
Recently, a large modern hotel was constructed at Mack's Inn. We have heard both positive and negative comments about the new development. We decided to delve deeper into the history of the area in order to frame our own informed perspectives and conclusions about the hotel and related infrastructure. Naturally, no study of Mack's Inn can begin without a detailed look at the founder--William H. "Doc" Mack.
We will soon create another post detailing the timeline of Mack's Inn creation, evolution and changes over the pasty 100 years. Our initial post about "Doc" Mack deals solely with the man himself. Our sources for the "Doc" Mack article are relatively few. Much work remains to ferret out additional primary historical documents. We hope the primary "Doc" Mack article and this discussion of sources will spark collaborative interest in pooling efforts and resources to paint a better picture of The Life & Times of a legendary, colorful character of Island Park.
Second: Our primary source and point-of-beginning for any Island Park historical background is a classic book published in 1974 with a lengthy title: "Idaho's Gateway to Yellowstone The Island Park Story A Pictorial Presentation" by Dean H. Green and James L. Allison. Green was born in Rexburg in 1934 and began summer work at Mack's Inn in 1951 when he was a mere 17 years old. He continued working summers there for 20 years and credits those summers with sparking his interest in Island Park history.
Green went on to become an Ashton educator. Allison was born in Idaho in 1906 and lived alongside many of what we now call "pioneers of Island Park." Both men were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and shared a common interest in both Family History and the people and places if Island Park. The pair pooled their skills and produced an outstanding, timeless piece of work which recorder and preserved Island Park's history before it was lost to the sands of time.
Green & Allison did the best with what they had to work with. Whatever errors are present in their work are simply the product of their informants, sources and limited research abilities. We own a first edition copy of their book and consider the book truly priceless. It is source of both reference and entertainment. We have read and re-read numerous portions of the book and often tell and retell vignettes and stories from the volume.
Most Idaho libraries have or can obtain a copy of the book. It can occasionally be found in the online used books markets. Prices generally range from $30 to $60.
Third: Much of our material comes of the journalism archives of Newspaper Dot Com. Our subscription to this resource costs $150 a year but it well worth the price. Generally, we conduct repeated searches using many variations of words and terms. Although the database is relatively well organized, we've found it necessary to conduct numerous searches on the same topic in order to find material that would have otherwise remained invisible.
Fourth: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maintains a most excellent research resource called "Family Search." The vast amount of primary source material available in and linked from this website is truly staggering. Once again, numerous combinations and permutations of search terms are often needed to pry out needed details. Usage of this website is free with registration and we highly recommend it for any historical project involving a detailed look at individuals.
We scanned in the four pages of "Doc" Mack narrative and saved them as images. We then created a document and saved it as a PDF. We published the PDF to a viewer so you "should" be able to read the pages in their entirety as they appear in the book. The document is located here:
https://www.calameo.com/books/0061620863c4e52cdb1ec
Below is Doc Mack's death certificate found via the Family Search website. The certificate documents both birth and date dates as well as the length of illness which caused his passing.
Here are the Newspapers Dot Com links to Doc Mack's obituaries and the "Post-Register" tribute:
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55715306/short-obit/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55648818/mack-obit-part-1-pr/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55648856/mack-obit-part-2-pr/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55649145/mack-services/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55649574/mack-tribute/
The Blackfoot link:
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55660066/mack-1905-blackfoot-eye-doctor/
South Bend College of Optics discussion is located here:
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/hindsight/article/download/4716/4352/
The Game Warden reference: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55656234/game-warden-mack/
Notice of sale: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/55659685/macks-inn-sold/
Below is the 1910 U.S. Census data showing the Mack Family in Rexburg at the time of the count.
Source: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MLH2-PW8?from=lynx1UIV8&treeref=K24Z-QT4
Google deleted the remainder of this post. It will take me awhile to resurrect it.
Above is the Family Search screen clip the date of marriage. We will eventually obtain an image of the actual certificate. Source:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8P8-PJD
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8P8-PJD
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