In the heart of Boise lays a historical downtown area that displays vintage steam engines as well as modern steam boilers for all to see. Steam has been such an important component to so many systems in numerous industries, including potato processing, health care, and many others. State-of-the-art technologies to reduce emissions, increase efficiencies, and operate quietly are now utilized; however, it’s easy to see the similarities from the humble vintage designs to the modern boiler.
At the end of the 1990s, J.R. Simplot — a local businessman — purchased 110 vintage and rare steam engines, which he envisioned would be showcased in a Boise Museum someday. After his death, the family ultimately provided many of these historical treasures to be on full display in downtown Boise as part of the Jacks Urban Meeting Place (JUMP) project, a $70 million, five-story complex housed on 7.5 acres in the Boise Downtown District. Many of these wonderful vintage steam tractors and engines are encased in glass enclosures and on display.