In Idaho, this resulted in building Gem State Academy during the summer of 1918. The site chosen was in Caldwell, a thriving little city of about 5000 people, one half-hour from the capital city, Boise. Seventeen acres of semi-rural land was purchased at the intersection of Linden Street and Indiana Avenue in Caldwell. The land was chosen because it was easily accessible by rail and because its soil was fertile and easily irrigated. The plan was to develop a farm where students could be employed to help pay their tuition.