The drive from Pullman to Moscow, Idaho, is 8 miles. When you first cross the border into Idaho, the Appaloosa Museum and Heritage Center is next to Walmart and La Quinta. The museum documents the history of the Appaloosa horse breed in the region.
The Nimíipuu (Nez Perce), an Indigenous people, bred horses on the Columbia River Plateau. European settlers called them “Nez Perce,” which means “pierced nose,” but they were mistaken for the Chinook tribe. Today, the Nez Pierce has a population of 3,500, and many live on the reservation in Idaho, a tiny fraction of their land systematically taken treaty by treaty from the United States. As valuable resources like gold and timber were discovered on their land, the United States reneged.
There is little, if any, proof “Moscow” was named after the Russian Capital, but Russian comedian Yakov Smirnoff, nonetheless, opened his Moscow-to-Moscow world tour in Idaho in 1991.
The Palouse Mall and the University of Idaho, another land grant University, are on West Pullman Road, across from each other. It is “Anywhere, USA,” with box and chain stores. We eat at Jack Jack’s Diner because it reminds us of an East Coast diner with neon and a mirrored stainless steel facade. The friendly waiter directed us to “the next street over” for tourist shopping.
South Main is in historic Downtown Moscow. It has coffee shops, bookstores, vintage clothing boutiques, restaurants, bars, ice cream, antique and kitsch stores, and feels like a college town.
Photo: University of Idaho
A giant grain elevator is a reminder of the agricultural history of Latah County and the Palouse. Hummel Architects conceptualized the structure for modern use to draw visitors.
I pick up a rusty license plate, a book on “cool” from the late seventies at Hello Everything, and a rugby shirt on a sale rack outside Revolver. I am intrigued by a recipe stand, so I flip through someone's antique recipes and find “Mayonaise Cake.” It's a Depression-era recipe without milk, butter, or eggs.
There are two movie theaters: the Nuart and Kenworthy. The Kenworthy shows classic movies, and the Nuart, a former first-run theater, is now a Christian Ministry like the Cordova Theater in Pullman.
A lone RFK Jr. sign is on the side of the four-lane road. I noticed his book The Wuhan Cover-Up in a local bookstore.
1956
The district is quiet and clean. I don't see unhoused shelters against buildings or down alleys. Drug use behavior is unseen. Bike riders are asked to walk their wheels on sidewalks.
We plan to go to the McConnell Mansion Museum, but its website hours and a sign on the old house contradict each other, so it's closed. We get snacks and drinks at the Moscow Food Co-Op, an upscale grocery with a deli and coffee shop. Fake revolution is in the air.
