1930s


Hubbell Bible Class

Depression Cake

Scripture Cake

Yummy Sugar Cookies

1930’s

Barzilla Clark, while Mayor of Idaho Falls, helped bring air travel to the area in 1930 by overseeing the purchase of the land where the present airport stands.

State Aeronautics Director C. Bloomgren, along with Department of Commerce officials visited Idaho Falls in 1929.  The landing strip and beacon tower were completed in 1930.

Hubbell Bible Class…

Motto: Grow, Glow and Go, First Things First in Home and Church

Hubbell Bible Class has a long history here at Trinity and still meets every week 70 years after it was founded.  The Hubbell Bible Class was named in memory of Mrs. John (Lillie) Hubbell. She was born Lillie Scowgin in Plattsville, Wisconsin on December 27, 1864 and married John Hubbell in 1893. They moved to Salt Lake City, then to Idaho Falls and made Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church their churchhome. 

Quoting from her obituary:  “Mrs. Hubbell was the most active of all the membership at Trinity.  She was president of the Ladies Aid Society for 25 years and during this tiem, they raised something like $4000.00 toward the erection of the present church.  She passed away on February 10, 1926.

The minutes of the class began in April of 1936 and the meetings were somewhat like our circles today.  They supported Workers in India as a mission project.  After the business meeting the afternoon was spent “stitching and chattering.”

In  1947 they celebrated their long support of Workers in India at their March meeting with a display of things from India and an explanation by Mrs. Barzilla Clark of the things her aunt, Dr. Ferris, collected while a medical missionary in India.  They then decided to have a “social” meeting on the 3rd Thursday of each month and take up a special offering.  These meetings would be a clearinghouse for items that were not resolved during class due to lack of time.

On the first Sunday in 1951, the class started a study from the Bible beginning with Genesis.  Mrs. Bessie Arrington was the teacher.

The last formal minutes were taken on October 5, 1961 with the members meeting at the new home of Mrs. Gladys Collins, the leader of the class.  Those present were Mrs. Collins, Mrs Schwartze, Mrs Sternke, Mrs. Clark, Mrs. Mable Wackerli, Mrs Lois Roberts, Mrs. Bessie Arrington, Mrs. Lulu Redford, Mrs. Shull, Mrs. Graves and her mother.  

Helen Shaffer

The Hubble group still meets in 2006 at Trinity on Sunday morning as a Bible Study group.

Depression Cake

This was also known as “Eggless, Milkless and Butterless” Cake and has come down through many of our families as an example how resourceful our grandmothers were in putting dessert on the table during very difficult times.

2 cups raisins

2 cups water

2 teaspoons soda

¼ tsp cinnamon 

½ cup lard

4 cups sifted flour

2 cups brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine raisins, water, lard, sugar and cinnamon in sauce pan.  Bring to a boil.  Add soda, blend well and cool.  Ad the remaining ingredients.  Bake in a 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This is a good cake for keeping as it doesn’t dry out, but stays moist.

A thin powdered sugar frosting may be used if desired.

Scripture Cake

Everyone has a version of this in their family - this one came from Mary Nagel.

3/4 C soft Genesis 18:8 (butter)

1 ½ C Jeremiah 6:20 (sugar)

5 Isaiah 10:14, separated (eggs)

3 C sifted Leviticus 24:5 (all purpose flour)

3/4 teaspoon II Kings 2:20 (salt)

3 teaspoons Amos 4:5 (baking powder)

1 teaspoon Exodus 30:23 (cinnamon)

¼ teaspoon each II Chronicles 9:9 (cloves, allspice, nutmeg)

½ C Judges 4:19 (milk)

3/4 cup chopped Genesis 43:11 (blanched almonds)

3/4 cup finely cut Jeremiah 24:5 (dried figs)

3/4 Cup II Samuel 16:1 (raisins)

Whole Genesis 43:11 (blanched almonds)

Cream butter and sugar.  Beat in egg yolks one at a time.  Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.  Add alternately with milk.  Beat egg whites stiff and fold in.  Fold in blanched almonds, figs and raisins.  Bake in greased and floured bundt pan at 325 degrees 1 hour 10 minutes until golden brown and tests done.   Cool 15 minutes and remove from pan.

May dust with powdered sugar or drizzle with thin frosting.

Yummy Sugar Cookies

½ C butter

½ C shortening

1 C sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 ½ c flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt (omit if you use margarine)

Cream butter, shortening, sugar, eggs and add vanilla.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt and add to creamed mixture.  Drop by teaspoons on cookie sheet.  Flatten with glass dipped in sugar or criss-cross with fork.

Bake at 375 F about 8 minutes

Jeannine Beckman, a recipe used by her aunt as early as the 1930’s.

      Trinity United Methodist Church; 237 N. Water Ave. Idaho Falls, ID 83402                   208-522-7921        TrinityUMCIdahoFalls@gmail.com