BOISE, Idaho — As we continue building up to KIVI's 50th anniversary in February 2024, we're looking back at the last 50 years.
Senior Reporter Don Nelson has been with the station for much of that time and he's sharing some of the biggest stories to happen in Idaho since 1974 including:
- Daredevil Evel Knievel jumps the Snake River Canyon.
- Teton Dam breaks killing 11 people
- The search and capture of Claude Dallas
- Ruby Ridge standoff in Northern Idaho grabs national headlines
- Boise Police Officer Mark Stall is shot and killed in the line of duty
- Senator Larry Craig falls from grace
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
We start in 1974 with a man who needs no introduction. Daredevil Evel Knievel made worldwide news when he tried to jump the Snake River Canyon. Knievel launched from the south rim and unfortunately landed on the canyon floor. The entire stunt was broadcast right here on Channel Six on ABC’s Wide World of Sports. We returned in 2016 to watch Hollywood Stuntman Eddie Braun successfully recreate the jump near the Hanson Bridge using a replica of the Skycycle X-2.
Two years later in Eastern Idaho, the unthinkable happened. The Teton Dam broke…and a tsunami-like flood rushed across hundreds of acres of farmland and devasted the towns, of Sugar City and Rexburg. It was determined two small leaks created the larger break. 11 people died and the flood caused over two billion dollars in damages.
The search for Claude Dallas captured national attention during the 1980’s. Dallas was charged with the murder of two state Fish and Game officers in 1981 in remote Owyhee County. Dallas killed officers Bill Rogue and Conley Elms at close range after they confronted him over poaching allegations. Dallas was on the run for over fifteen months, until he was arrested in northern Nevada. Convicted and sentenced to 30 years, Dallas escaped from prison south of Boise in 1986 and eluded law enforcement officials for nearly another year. The F.B.I. put Claude Dallas on their ten most wanted list. In 1987 Dallas was finally apprehended in Southern California. He was released from prison in 2005 and is a free man today.
In 1992, we all learned of a placed called Ruby Ridge in Northern Idaho. Ruby Ridge was the site of an 11-day police standoff in Boundary County. It later inspired anti-government actions including the Oklahoma City bombing. Federal officials tried to arrest Randy Weaver on a bench warrant on firearms charges. Weaver refused to surrender and stayed inside his cabin with his family…when it was all said and done
Weaver’s wife, son and U.S. Marshall were dead.
In 1997, A gunfight in downtown Boise. Boise Police Officer Mark Stall was shot and killed in the line of duty, the first Boise officer known to have been killed in the department’s long history. Brothers Craig and Douglas Broderick were pulled over in downtown Boise on a traffic violation. More officers arrived including Stahl and current Police Chief Ron Winegar. Brodricks opened fire and during the gun battle, Winegar and Stall were both hit. A bullet struck Stall under his arm just above his protective vest. Today, officers are reminded of Stall’s legacy of service as they enter police headquarters.
Senator Larry Craig, and his fall from grace. Once one of the most powerful senators in Washington is now 16 years removed from one of the biggest political scandals to rock the state of Idaho. Who can forget that day in Boise when Craig addressed the nation by apologizing
for the cloud he placed over his family friends and fellow Idahoans. Craig was talking about his arrest at a Minneapolis airport bathroom in 2007 on suspicion of lewd conduct. Craig denied any wrongdoing. He did not run for re-election a year later.
