Vardis Fisher Home Site

Vardis Fisher is considered by many to be Idaho’s greatest writer.  He is best known for his historical novels depicting the old West and 12-volume series of novels, Testament of Man, depicting the history of humans from cave life to civilization.  Vardis Fisher’s novel, Mountain Man was the inspiration for Sydney Pollack’s film, Jeremiah Johnson.    

One of Vardis Fisher’s hobbies was house construction.  He built his home in the Hagerman Valley, now part of Thousand Springs State Park, in its entirety; he did the wiring, masonry, carpentry, and plumbing. 

Sadly, Vardis Fisher’s house fell into disarray after his death.  The condemned building was burned down because of the overall risk it posed for visits.  While only vestiges remain of Vardis Fisher’s house, it remains a landmark of the life of an Idaho Writer.

Walking through the remains, visitors can recreate the modest house in their mind’s eye.  It is not hard to imagine Vardis Fisher sitting at his table, in front of the fireplace, looking through the window that looked over a small pond.  A lot of creative inspiration could have been found at Vardis Fisher’s home site.    

• Vardis Fisher Year Round Trail Map