House History & Traditions

This page explains some of the history of the Gamma Theta chapter of Kappa Sigma, and the Sigma Delta Alpha society that formed it. At the end of this page, we have a section explaining some of the house traditions that have developed over the years.

House History

Early Chapter History

Condition of the University of Idaho in 1905

In 1905, the University of Idaho was the only collegiate institution in the state. The enrollment at this time was a modest 255, as the University had been founded only thirteen years before. The campus consisted of the Administration Building, a gymnasium, a horticulture building, a school of mining building, and a girls' dormitory. There were no national fraternities or sororities on campus, but rather two local societies, one of which was the Sigma Delta Alpha Society.

Formation of the Sigma Delta Alpha Society

The Sigma Delta Alpha Society was established in the fall of 1903 by a small number of University of Idaho students. The objectives the students hoped to gain through the society were mutual benefit to all the members from a congenial association and the intention of applying to a national fraternity for a charter. The primary organizer of the society was Carroll Smith, an alumnus of the University of Idaho and a student at Northwestern Medical College. With his help, the society secured rooms for meeting purposes, and adopted a constitution and ritual. Membership was increased to 18 during the first year.

The membership consisted of graduates, and included a professor, a doctor, a lawyer, and the University’s Military Officer. Most of the undergraduates were on the Idaho football team; there was also the editor of the Argonaut, the Junior Class President, and members of the debate team. When school resumed in the fall of 1904, the society rented a house to accommodate its members, and began to seek a national fraternity that would accept a petition from them.

Events Leading to the Petition of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity

The Kappa Sigma Fraternity, having established chapters in Oregon and Washington, was anxious about its expansion in the West. At a meeting of the San Francisco Kappa Sigma Alumni Chapter, it was decided that the University of Nevada and the University of Idaho were the logical places to encourage a set of petitions. Further investigation revealed that the University of Nevada was depressed by the state’s educational conservatism, a situation that would endanger the life of a chapter installed there. However, the University of Idaho was not only a rapidly growing institution, but also contained a society that was eager to petition a national fraternity. The San Francisco Alumni Chapter attempted to get several Idaho alumni to contact the society and investigate their potential as a future Kappa Sigma chapter, but was unable to obtain any action. Fred Perry, the Grand Master of District IX, then contacted a Seattle alumnus named Carter and asked him to investigate the society. Carter was unable to leave Seattle at the time and sent another Seattle alumnus, William Adair, to the University of Idaho. Adair also helped Carter start the Kappa Sigma chapter at the University of Washington, and therefore was qualified for the job.

Prior to Adair’s arrival, Carroll Smith had met with the archon of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity at the Northwestern Medical College and had inquired of the procedure in petitioning the fraternity. Also, the society had been approached by members of the Sigma Nu Fraternity and had received addresses from various fraternity representatives on chapter organization, university and chapter relations, and other fraternity-related subjects. However, local Kappa Sigma alumni persuaded the society to petition the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, which they did on November 30, 1904.

Investigation of the Sigma Delta Alpha Society

Adair arrived in Moscow on December 8, 1904, to start his three day investigation of the Sigma Delta Alpha Society and the University of Idaho. By this time, the society’s membership had increased to 21 active members and 5 alumni. Adair advised the society to make public its name and intention to obtain a charter from the Kappa Sigma Fraternity so other fraternities would be aware of the society’s status. On December 10, Adair traveled to Spokane to see Carroll Smith, who was at the time a practicing doctor, to complete his investigation. Adair submitted an extensive and very favorable report to District Grand Master Perry describing the state of the campus and the Sigma Delta Alpha society, and listing endorsements for the society. Perry sent the report to Mark Sands, the Worthy Grand Master of Kappa Sigma at that time. Sands continued the investigation by writing several Idaho alumni to determined their attitudes about the society and by asking the society to submit a report concerning their view of the University’s future. The alumni and the society submitted favorable replies, and the society was installed at the Gamma Theta Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity on September 30, 1905.

ΓΘ Chapter Houses

Though the house occupied by the new chapter served all of its needs at that time, the members deemed it inadequate for the future and plans to find a larger house started immediately. A suitable house was found at Eighth and Washington Streets and was rented by the chapter for five years. In 1910, the chapter moved into a larger, more modern house located at 107 North Almond Street. This house was a three-story frame structure with a large basement. The first floor consisted of a kitchen, a living room, a parlor, and a dining room capable of holding 28 people. The second and third floors each had a bathroom and four bedrooms holding three men each. The chapter leased this house and seven surrounding lots for two years with intentions to eventually buy the property. It was decided, however, that a house closer to the campus was required, and the present site was purchased in the fall of 1915 or the spring of 1916.

Original State of the Present House

Construction on the house at 918 Blake Street commenced in the Spring of 1916 was completed the following fall.

The house was designed by Kirkland Cutter, an architect who was well known in the Northwest at this time. His accomplishments included Spokane’s Davenport Hotel and Monroe Street Bridge. The total cost of the house was $27,000, which was loaned to the chapter by the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. The exterior of the house is of classical Georgian architecture, which is reminiscent of Kappa Sigma’s southern heritage.

The original house was designed to hold 32 men in eight suites on the second and third floors. Each suite consisted of two study rooms with a four-man sleeping room in the middle. The bathrooms on the upper floors were located in the center of the front side of the house, where there are now two-man rooms.

The first floor consisted of a foyer, two parlors, and six smaller rooms. The south side of this floor was a mirror image of the north side. The South Parlor has since doubled in size; previously, it had the same layout as the present north side with three additional rooms and a hallway. These smaller rooms included a game room, a chapter office, a reception room, and a guest room. The parlors were finished with mahogany, as were the floors on the upper levels. The basement held the kitchen, the cook’s quarters, a pantry, the dining room, and the chapter room. The kitchen was contained in what is now the dish washing room. The pantry is now the game room and the pit is now the computer room. The dining room was one half its present size the western half had served as the chapter room. The house was heated by a steam system and had a central vacuum system. Pipes for the vacuum system were used as electrical conducts when rewiring was done in the 1940’s and the system is now nonfunctional.

Modifications to the Current House

The first major modification to the chapter house occurred in 1938, when the South Parlor was increased to its present size under the supervision of Whitehouse and Price, a Spokane firm. Also, the floors were refinished and the kitchen, dining room, and chapter room were improved.

In 1947, a storage room was added to the basement by the excavation of the area under the front porch. The south side of this room was walled off in 1954 to use as a member room. By 1958, almost 60 people were living in the house, and as the house was designed for only 32 people, remodeling was required to accommodate the growing membership. The architect for this project was Paul Blanton, an alumnus from the chapter. At a cost of $82,000, the second and third floors were modified to the present arrangement of two and three man rooms, increasing the house capacity to 60 people. The dining room and part of the chapter room were combined into a larger dining room.

In 1966, the present kitchen was added to the back of the house and the South Parlor was redecorated, bringing the total cost of renovations to $45,000. In 1974, the sundeck was renovated, the pillars were painted, roofing on the back side of the house was replaced and the second floor bathroom was remodeled. In 1979, $75,000 was spent on adding thermal pane windows throughout the house, updating the electrical system and installing the fire and smoke alarm system. In 1987, a new boiler system was installed, the kitchen and dining room were remodeled, and the halls were painted. Later in the year, new carpet was laid in the game room, North Parlor, and halls. The architect for this $150,000 project was Rod Butler, an alumnus of the chapter. The Pledge Class of 1989 built a new redwood deck to replace the deck that was currently to the east of the South Parlor. The Pledge Class of 1991 renovated the sundeck. In the summer of 2004, the kitchen was remodeled and the bathrooms refinished.

House Traditions

Pledge Dance		Our Pledge Dance is held during the fall semester. As its name suggests, the pledges are in charge of planning and decoration. The pledge class usually pre-functions together beforehand as well.
House Party		The House Party is the oldest Greek function on the University of Idaho campus (celebrated for over 90 years) and it has a history of all its own. During the 1910-11 school year, when our chapter house was located on 107 North Almond, we had an exchange with the girls from the Alpha Delta Phi society (Gamma Phi Beta) who lived on south Blake Street. When a rainstorm washed out the bridge over Paradise Creek, the girls and their chaperones were forced to spend the night with us. Gamma-Theta commemorates this event with an annual 12-hour function; the only one of its kind on campus. The official pre-function begins at noon, and lasts until all the dates have arrived at the house, unescorted. This is to duplicate the arrival of the Alpha Delta Phis. At this time, "the bridge washes out," and the girls are trapped until midnight.
Tom & Jerry Party		The T.J. Party is a Christmas function for members and pledges only. Each person in the house draws the name of another person and is responsible for buying that individual a Christmas present and writing a poem to accompany the gift. The price limit on the gift is traditionally $1.69.
Founder’s Day Dinner		This formal dinner is held in honor of the day Kappa Sigma was founded by the Five Friends and Brothers. It is held every year on December 10 with members, pledges, and prominent alumni in attendance. The fraternity’s scholarships and leadership awards are also presented.
Luau on Coeur d'Alene Lake		Each Fall the Kappa Sigs, another fraternity, and their dates travel to Coeur d'Alene for an evening boat cruise on Couer d'Alene Lake, to be followed by a night of fun and games. Hawaiian dress is suggested, but not required.
Spring Formal		This date function takes place in the early part of the second semester. Kappa Sigs and their dates travel to Spokane for dinner and a Formal Dance.
Annual Raft Trip		Late in the Spring, the chapter organizes a raft trip down the Salmon River from Riggins to Lucille, ID. This trip is for Members, Pledges, Non-initiates, and their dates; and it is guaranteed to be one of the highlights of the year.