Julia Davis Park, created in 1907 in downtown Boise, was the city’s first park in the Boise River String of Pearls. It grew from land assembled by early settler Thomas Jefferson Davis, who came to the area during the Idaho gold rush, turned from mining to agriculture, and developed a large riverside orchard. After Julia Davis died in 1907, Thomas Davis gave 40 acres to Boise as a memorial, requiring that it remain a public park bearing her name. Expanded over later decades, the park became a major civic and cultural center with gardens, a bandshell, zoo, museums, recreation areas, and riverfront access.