Cascade in Cascade: A Library Rises from the Ashes
A community comes together to save their library from disaster.
On a snowy morning in February 2022, the residents of Cascade, Idaho, gathered outside of the Cascade Public Library. Across the road, a loose skeleton of charred beams, naked bricks, and ash marked the spot where Watkins Pharmacy had stood the day before.
The fire blazed for around two hours before it was reported at 2.45am. Thanks to the fire crews from the Idaho State Fire Marshall’s Office, the flames had been contained without spreading to any of the surrounding buildings. Nobody was hurt, and an investigation later revealed that the fire was caused by a fault in the pharmacy’s ventilation system.
Unfortunately, it took upwards of a thousand gallons of water to quash the flames. Much of this water spilled into the street, over the curb, and under the doors of the Cascade Public Library, causing the building to flood.
So that morning, the community arrived to clear 11,000 books, 2,000 DVDs, and 400 audio materials from the library’s shelves to save the collection from the significant water and smoke damage sustained by the rest of the building.1
The excavation took place via human chain. At one end, people swept rows of books into boxes. At the other, they heaved boxes onto trucks. Between them, neighbors stood side-by-side, carefully passing the items over the grey sludge that was once snow, deformed overnight by blankets of ash and frozen over in the morning. Once the final truck was loaded, the library doors were closed indefinitely.
This account was given to us by Library Clerk Marilyn Griggs and her husband, Forrest, just over three years later, after we asked them the deceptively simple question, “What’s your favorite memory in the library?”
“It was a difficult time,” Forrest told us. “But the community came together, and I was really proud of everyone for showing up for our library.”
An hour earlier, we had the great privilege of watching Forrest, who is a member of the American Legion, present the American flag at the library’s “100 Year Celebration and Grand Re-Opening”. This time, the same group of people gathered under a warm September sun, swapping winter coats for summer t-shirts and quiet consolation for rapturous cheers of support.
“We rose from the ashes after the flood,” Marilyn said. “This is my most cherished memory of the library – opening our doors again after everything.”
The library was officially re-opened by former Library Director Maria Guest and Mayor Judy Nissula. Before she cut the ribbon, Maria expressed her gratitude to the 1,001 residents of the small town for their strength and dedication to the library. She thanked the Idaho Commission for Libraries, whose $500,000 grant had allowed them not only to recover the space but to expand it with a new outdoor area for children, the contractors, and the architect – many of whom were locals, and completed the work for a fraction of the price.
After a round of applause marked the end of the speech, Maria reached down to a large black speaker by the front door. We placed our hands on our hearts as an acoustic guitar struck the opening chords of a country rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner”. Once we had belted out the national anthem, we proceeded inside to give the Pledge of Allegiance.
The space was wonderful. As the crowd filtered in, some people veered off to the newly installed desktops in the corner. A crowd of children ran by to get their first look at the climbing frame in the courtyard, skirting past the adult-only section in the back of the building without so much as a peek.
“Look at all the people that showed up,” said Lisa Leaf, the then-Library Assistant who has since taken over as Director. “Thanks to all of this support the library can offer so many new services. We just finished our first summer school, and we now have a community kitchen where we will host cooking classes. The new space means people can learn so much more here, even if they aren’t reading.”
Cascade celebrated with cake, crafts, and sandwiches. Amidst the laughter and the covert attempts to secure second and third slices of chocolate sponge (I’m looking at you, Carmen), it was hard to imagine what this group of local library-goers, volunteers, and staff had been through, but easy to see how they had endured it.
Later on, the library posted on their social media, thanking their board and their staff before toasting, “Here’s to the next 100 years of learning, connection, and community!” We have no doubt that, whatever tries to take down the Cascade Public Library in the next century, it will rise again.
Oliver Jakes
Idaho Commission for Libraries, Idaho Public Library Statistics (2020), pp. 34, 37, https://libraries.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020MergedStats.pdf [accessed 27 January 2026].
What incredible timing that you managed to be there for the Grand Reopening! And what an amazing display of community spirit
Please keep up the great posts on these stories guys!!