POCATELLO — Longtime educator Rulon Ellis will share memories from his childhood at a free presentation titled “Tales of Tyhee” on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at the Bannock County Historical Museum.

    Refreshments will be served after the talk, which begins at 7 p.m.

    Ellis grew up in the Tyhee area of Bannock County before he enlisted in the United State Navy.

    In a question and answer session the 87-year-old had this to say:    

    Q. I understand that you played an imperative role in education at your prime?

    A. “I started out as a teacher, went on to be a principal and served as superintendent of School District 25 for a total of 23 years. Just after I retired, members of the Board of Trustees at the time decided to name the newest elementary after me.”

    Q. What is your involvement with the Bannock County Historical Society?

    A. “I am a member of the museum board and have been a part of the group for five years now. I had told them about my connection to this part of the area’s history, and they suggested I be a presenter at one of our monthly programs. Ruth Johnson will provide an introduction for the “Tales of Tyhee” presentation. She is a longtime Tyhee resident. We knew each other back then. Her brother was my age, and we all went to school together.”

    Q. Is your talk on what it was like growing up in the Tyhee area connected with the grand opening of the Fred Cuoio exhibit, which is taking place the same night?

    A. “They are separate pieces of Pocatello history that are being held in conjunction with one another. This will be the first meeting to kick off the fall season after the summer break. Fred Cuoio’s Photo Service exhibit is new and includes items donated by the Cuoio family from Fred’s shop that used to be housed on Center Street. The shop first opened in 1935.”

    Q. What stories will you be sharing with the audience exactly?

    A. “Well, I don’t want to give too much away ... but my family moved to Tyhee when I was 5-years-old. So, I will talk about some remembrances from growing up in that area. Ruth and I presented this talk for the Idaho Museum of Natural History at Idaho State University in the past. We had to condense a two hour presentation into 40 minutes. Basically, there was a land rush for the area since all of the land in the Bannock County area was owned by the Fort Hall reservation up until the government bought it from the Indians in 1898.”

    Q. Overall, what is the draw for you to be a part of the Bannock County Historical Society?

    A. “This place is a repository of history, and the artifacts and pictures here are something that young people can come and see so they know what went on before them. We have people who come through the museum from different states and even from foreign countries. They get an idea of what went on here in the past by visiting the museum. School groups visit the museum as well. We wouldn’t be living here if the acquisition hadn’t taken place. Pocatello would have just been a narrow couple thousand of acres.”