Archives West Finding Aid

Ragged Ridge, located in the Thompson Creek drainage of the main watershed for Newman Lake, Idaho, is abundant with wildlife and was used by the Indians as a hunting ground. A meadow was cleared and a house built on the site by a homesteader in about 1915. A fire in 1910 burned part of the property which resulted in natural recovery with a growth of a thick stand of lodgepole pine. Jack Warner, a retired local CPA began purchasing property in the area in about 1936. In 1973 he donate 720 acres to Whitworth College as a deferred gift. The Whitworth Foundation, administration and faculty representatives agreed to develop the site for educational purposes. The intent was that the property should serve as a real-life training area for students who were planning teaching careers in environmental education. The property was also of value to Whitworth science classes since it included a myriad if interactive life forms and interesting geological formations. A highly structured educational program was conducted on Ragged Ridge from 1974 until 1977. Most of the monetary support came from grants. In 1977, Whitworth financial fortunes took a downturn and its trustees sold the property to the Inland Paper Company, since the college was not able to absorb the costs into its regular operating budget. According to its director, Dr. Merle Prater, “It has been a wonderful experience!”