Spectacular fires, historic firefighting equipment, and Boise city streetscapes are among the images preserved in the Doc Roach Fire Digital Collection in Boise State University Library. A Boise city firefighter for more than 50 years, Doc was one of the few firemen who worked from the days of horse-drawn fire engines, witnessed the introduction of motorized equipment in 1912, and also used gasoline pump trucks. Doc Roach was not a photographer himself, but rather a collector of photographs documenting the fire fighters, equipment, major fires, and fire prevention education in Boise from 1911-1965. These photographs also document the growth of Boise from a small town to a city in the first half of the 20th century, including shots taken of the greater downtown area, capturing changes in transportation and buildings.
The Doc Roach Fire Digital Collection features 70 images from 1904 to 1965 and is drawn primarily from Doc Roach's photograph collection and is supplemented by related images from other collections in Boise State University Library Special Collections.