The Painstaking Search For Idaho’s Greatest Athlete
Two U.S. Senators came out of Payette and I’m sure they influenced some national policy, although. Beyond Idaho, how well known are Herman Welker and James McClure? In contrast, how many people across the country knew and still know the name Harmon Killebrew? You would think there would be more than a road named after the Hall of Fame baseball star.
There isn’t any signage and the road named after Killebrew is on the other end of town.
At the Payette County Museum there is a small Killebrew exhibit. The women working the museum Saturday explained most of the memorabilia remains in Minnesota, where the slugger spent the better part of his career. They offered me some directions to the cemetery where the great man is buried. There isn’t any signage and the road named after Killebrew is on the other end of town. I also discovered there are three cemeteries in the vicinity.
If you were planning to go to the grave, you could map it all out online in advance. And you could use some expensive GPS system or burn up your data with an app. If you’re just driving through the area you’ll need some time for a search. Which allowed me to see much of town.
A recommendation? For many years Parry Sound, Ontario had large pictures of Bobby Orr on billboards at the entrances to town. Drivers could read it was where he grew up before sports stardom. Payette could do the same. Maybe have the art classes at the high school come up with something. And some signs directing visitors to the cemetery. Where you can find the headstone tucked in the back. Nondescript, but for a slugger taking one last swing.