The first Computers in Boise City



The history of computing in Boise began on June 30, 1957 when Remington Rand corporation demonstated a UNIVAC computer in their office at 609 Bannock Street. At this time the world had only 1,100 computer installations. Later that year the Department of Highways installed a UNIVAC 120 from Remington Rand and put it to use on engineering problems for the department.





Marion Whaley
in whose deparment the computer was installed is quoted as saying: "This machine will shake engineers loose from the calculators and slide rules and allow them to get out on the jobs."

The following table lists the organizations which installed the first computers in Boise. The people and the applications they developed are described in articles from the Idaho Statesman.

Year Organization
1957 Idaho Department of Highways
1960 Data Processing Management Association
1961 Boise Cascade Corporation
1961 Mountain States Wholesale
1963 Albertsons Inc
1963 Ore Ida Foods
1963 Idaho Power
1964 Morrison-Knudsen
1964 Idaho State Auditor
1964 Idaho First Security Bank
1965 Bank of Idaho
1965 Intermountain Gas
1965 Idaho State Tax Commission
1965 J. A. Terteling
1966 Idaho First National Bank
1966 Idaho Department of Employment
1966 Trus Joist
1966 Boise College