Leo “Scoop” Leeburn was a famous Boise area photographer that captured many iconic Boise images throughout his lifetime. Leeburn, who started his photo journalism career in 1943, put in almost sixty years of work, taking pictures up until his death in 2002 at the age of 81.

Though many Boise natives may know that his photos appeared in The Idaho Statesman on many occasions over the years, Leeburn actually only worked a short time for the Statesman. However, he did, “spend years photographing Boise, occasionally freelancing his photos to the newspaper.”

Leeburn has been labeled Boise’s, “Unofficial photographer-at-large,” and “A Boise institution.“ His work and photos were known for documenting the people of Boise’s everyday lives and activities. He especially liked to take photos of Boiseans, “at drive-ins and soda parlors” and his photos also focused on different Boise workers performing their trades. He almost single-handedly captured Boise’s Urban renewal project, including, “old downtown buildings and the structures that took their places.” Leeburn’s photographs were so popular that they were featured in multiple exhibits in the Boise area like the 1999 Idaho Historical Museum exhibit titled “Boise Then and Now” and the 2010 Boise downtown exhibit “Lost City, Boise Before Urban Renewal.” The “Lost City” exhibit featured over, “100 black-and-white images showcasing the oddly nostalgic portraiture of Idaho Statesman photographer Leo J. ‘Scoop’ Leeburn.”

In an article written by Idaho Statesman journalist Tim Woodward, after Leeburn’s death, described Scoop as, “An old-school gentleman, he was rarely seen without a jacket and tie, a camera almost invariably dangled from a strap around his neck.” Leeburn’s death in 2002 left a hole in the hearts of many Boiseans. Woodward summed up Leeburn’s contributions to Boise nicely when he wrote, “Scoop is gone, but the Boise he knew will live on in his photographs.”

References

Tuck, K. (2010, September 24). “Celebrate Center on Main Opening With New Exhibit on First Thursday.” Retrieved November 22, 2011, from Boise State University: http://news.boisestate.edu/update/2010/09/24/celebrate-center-on-main-opening-with-new-exhibit-on-first-Thursday/

Woodward, T. "Boise loses 'Scoop': Photographer-at-large, 'interpreter of dreams'." The Idaho Statesman, November 7, 2002.

Woodward, T. (2008, Mar 09). “Old Boise photos back from the grave: Volunteers have been transferring the work of late statesman photographers to a database to make rarely seen images available to the public.” McClatchy - Tribune Business News, pp. n/a. Retrieved November 21, 2011 from: http://search.proquest.com/docview/465840871?accountid=9649