Mayor Julie Peterson swears in new Councilman Monique Hurst
Earlier this year, I wrote about the City of Minidoka having a new Mayor and Councilman sworn in to City service. At that time, Councilman Bridgett Frost was sworn in to service. She had to move out of Minidoka leaving a vacancy on the City Council. On 7 October 2025, Mayor Peterson appointed a new Councilman, Monique Hurst. Welcome Councilwoman Hurst! (State law calls it Councilman, state law also indicates that it is gender neutral)
The City has recently been in the news. The City has more work to do. The City Clerk and Treasurer positions are now open. The City has hired a new certified water operator, Cody Creek. The City is setting up a new accounting/budgeting/billing/utility software through Caselle. Updates and upgrades are being made to some of the electrical system. The City has achieved compliance with the Idaho Tax Commission and Idaho Controller Office in the past few months. Area of Impact has been assigned. Many more good things are moving forward for this little town. Hopefully the ball can keep rolling and gaining speed despite the odds against it. Many thanks to surrounding towns for their assistance: Burley, Heyburn, Paul, and Rupert.
So many things are moving that residents are becoming more awakened to their sleepy little town. The Mayor and all four Councilman positions were up for election in November. Two of the Councilman positions are for 2 years, the other two are 4 years. But every single seat was contested! Julie Peterson and Becky Ziebach were running for Mayor. Bulmaro Paz, Bonnie Hofmeister, and Mark Cartwright were running for the two 4-year seats. James Cook, Monique Hurst, and Jerry Tolivar are running for the two 2-year seats. That is 8 people running for 5 seats! Elections are healthy. Citizens are willing to work for the bettering of their community.
Julie Peterson will continue on as Mayor. Bulmaro Paz will retain his seat and Bonnie Hofmeister will join him for the 4 year seats. James Cook will retain his seat and Monique Hurst will continue on in her newly appointed seat.
Citizens are willing to work for the bettering of their community.
A lone pickup leaves the tiny rural town of Minidoka via Broadway Street on Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. “The only time we get a crowd is at a city council meeting,” Mayor Julie Peterson told the Times-News.” Now that Minidoka has lost its post office, Peterson says she hopes the town can keep its incorporated status.
DREW NASH, TIMES-NEWS
City officials of the tiny town of Minidoka don’t want to end up like their counterparts in Atomic City, Hamer and Oxford.
All three of those Idaho cities have disincorporated over the past five years. Instead of a city council and mayor, county commissioners are now in charge.
“We are fighting,” Minidoka Mayor Julie Peterson said. “Actually, all four city council members, the mayor, and the attorney are doing everything in our power to stay incorporated and to stay compliant with all the government regulations.”
The rural community with a shrinking population sits on 64 acres on the eastern border of Minidoka County, just off Idaho Highway 24 — 13 miles northeast of Rupert and 50 miles southeast of Shoshone.
Idaho Highway 24 near Minidoka is seen Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Minidoka County. Travelers turn right onto Broadway to go into town or left to stay on Highway 24 to go to Shoshone, 50 miles away.
In the dozen or so years that the mayor has lived in Minidoka, she has seen a third of the town’s population disappear, dropping from 112 in 2010 to 75 now.
“Kids are growing up and moving away,” Peterson said.
And now, Minidoka’s post office in the Town Hall is moving out. Later this month, residents will switch to Rupert’s zip code of 83350.
The U.S. Postal Service determined that the Rupert Post Office is “able to fully serve the community,” and the contract post office in Minidoka “is no longer needed,” postal service spokesperson Janella Herron told the Times-News.
“We tried as a city to figure out a way to keep it open,” Peterson said, “but the post office powers that be decided they were just going to close it down.”
The Minidoka Town Hall is seen Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, in Minidoka County. Until later this month, the Town Hall serves as the tiny community’s post office.
Peterson said she uses the post office for her small business. When it shuts down, she will have to travel to Rupert instead of dropping off her mail in town.
“We’re losing our post office and I know from experience that’s a town killer,” Peterson said.
If the town gave up its incorporated status, she said, Minidoka County could take over the city-owned well and electric provider.
A water tower is seen Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, near Cherry and Broadway streets in the tiny town of Minidoka.
Eventually, “I think the citizens would lose their voice,” the mayor said.
State-imposed budget cap
Few in town “really know what’s going on behind the scenes,” Peterson said. “I don’t think they know the struggles the town is having.”
State law from 2021 is making it difficult for small cities like Minidoka to make plans to grow and pay for infrastructure projects, such as upgrading the city’s well or building a wastewater system.
“House Bill 389 has made it so our really small communities can’t survive and it’s been unfortunate,” said Kelley Packer, executive director of the Association of Idaho Cities.
Speaker of the House Mike Moyle championed House Bill 389 four years ago. The law imposes an 8% annual cap on budget growth for cities across Idaho.
Packer said HB 389 was intended to rein in big cities, but it has hurt small towns the most.
“(Moyle) will not let a solution be heard,” Packer said. “He does not believe the locals. He thinks they are just whining.”
Minidoka City Attorney Paul Ross said HB 389 has been a factor that has led to other cities disincorporating.
“Speaker Moyle and all these pushes that they’ve had to undermine some of these cities and their budgets are totally hammering these little cities,” Ross said.
According to data from Transparent Idaho, Minidoka’s city budget was $167,400 in 2023, with $103,000 in revenue from utility fees and $20,000 from property taxes.
With an 8% cap, the budget can’t grow more than $13,400 per year.
If the people of Minidoka make a strategic, thoughtful plan to grow their city, that cap might make those plans impossible, Packer said.
“One house takes them over that 8% cap now,” she said. “They can’t even — they can’t do it. And that’s what’s happening in these small communities.”
The struggle of a small town
Peterson walks the perimeter of Minidoka with her dog in the mornings.
She picks up garbage if it’s fallen out of dumpsters and uses a spade to pick up goat heads.
“I at least try to help beautify the city up a little bit,” Peterson said.
She was a city councilwoman last spring when the mayor had a heart attack. She became the acting mayor before officially becoming mayor.
The city’s finances were in a bit of trouble when she took over.
A backlog of audits goes back several years, Peterson said. Without an audited budget, cities in Idaho can’t receive state funding.
“They cut you off,” she said. “If you don’t do your audits, if a city doesn’t do their audits, then the state funding … your road tax gets cut off, your sales tax.”
In June, accounting firm Poulsen VanLeuven & Catmull released severalyears‘ worth of audits, going back to 2022.
According to the fiscal year 2023 audit, the city received a $125,000 USDA Rural Development grant with 3.25% interest for its water system in October 2021. As of September 2023, the remaining balance was $37,000.
That aging water infrastructure is expensive to maintain.
Peterson said the city increased electric rates by $3.50 per month, and the water bill went from $35 to $47.
“We had people coming to City Council saying they can’t afford that increase,” she said.
A mural on an exterior wall of the Town Hall depicts Minidoka’s railroad history, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025.
What keeps folks living here?
Most of the Minidoka’s residents work in local agriculture. Many are retired and living on Social Security.
Peterson said most residents own their homes free and clear, but they can’t afford to leave.
Besides, “who’s going to buy them out?” she said.
“We’re trying to keep our identity,” she said. “Minidoka doesn’t want to go away.”
Times-News Editor Mychel Matthews contributed to this story.
We took the opportunity to attend the Casper Wyoming Temple Open House on 31 August 2024. We planned the weekend to do some sightseeing and visit some church and family history sites. I am reposting as this has updates on 3 additional ancestors that also came through the Overland Trail.
We left on the Friday morning with the hope of making it all the way to Casper before nightfall. We took old US Highway 30 through Soda Springs and Montpelier. We made a stop to visit the grave of my Grandmother in Dingle.
Aliza, Lillian, Paul, James, and Hiram Ross at the graves of Bud and Colleen Lloyd
We drove through Cokeville and reminded the kids of the story of the Cokeville miracle. As we drove along the old highway, I pointed out the old railroad Y that used to go to the Stauffer mine that was located in Leefe, Wyoming. I spent the first summer or two of my life at Leefe while my dad was tasked with tearing down and removing the mine with Circle A Construction. We stopped in Kemmerer to refuel and also drive past the first J. C. Penney store. We made a quick stop at the Parting of the Ways along the California, Mormon, and Oregon trails.
James Ross at Independence Rock
With four kids, we often stop at rest areas. As you can see above, we stopped at the one at Independence Rock. The rock is nearby and doubles as the parking location to visit the rock.
We finally made it to Casper about sunset. We ate an amazing Italian meal at Racca’s Pizzeria Napoletana and checked into our hotel.
Casper Wyoming Temple
We got up early, dressed appropriately, and headed out to visit the Casper Wyoming Temple. It was beautiful. Much smaller than I had anticipated. It is definitely one of the smallest temples, but that is because of the population and distance to other temples. It will supposedly have five stakes in its temple district, some of which will still come from a long distance to attend. Don’t let size fool you, it still has all the distinct parts of a temple and related quality. I think I may very much prefer the intimacy of the smaller temples. It actually reminded me of the Helena Montana Temple on size and flow.
Ross family at the Casper Wyoming Temple Open House
The temple does not have an adjoining chapel, but it does have a distribution/visitor center. We watched the video, enjoyed waiting in the line, and got to see the whole temple. If I were asked, there are a couple of design changes I would make for flow, but this temple will not regularly see these types of crowds or have those issues.
Ross family with the Casper Wyoming Temple
We hurried back to our hotel, changed, loaded up the car, checked out, and headed off to our next stop: The National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper. I did not take any pictures there, but it was very well done. I enjoyed the visit, helped the kids with their junior ranger activities, and learned a few things. Part of the museum had its own little room and video dedicated to the Martin and Willie Handcart Companies.
We stopped at Independence Rock again on our way headed west. We walked around the massive rock and looked at a number of the signatures carved into stone from over 160 years ago. It was hot and we needed to get our little doggies along to Devil’s Gate.
I will write about this more in a bit, but Devil’s Gate was a major landmark on the trail going west for all pioneers on the trails. But Devil’s Gate became more than a landmark and became a historical site in the tragic fall of 1856. Fort Seminoe was based there on the west side of Devil’s Gate, but it had been abandoned earlier that same year. It was that fall that the Martin Handcart Company found itself stranded in the snow. Days later the stranded handcart company moved into a nearby cove to get away from the wind, snow, and cold. That cove is now known as Martin’s Cove.
The Sun Ranch from Devil’s Gate, now The Martin’s Cove: Mormon Trail Site
We found the visitor’s center much more hospitable than some of our ancestors. As I worked through my family history, I had some of my own ancestors who passed through this very Devil’s Gate and area. Here are my ancestral lines that came across on the Mormon Trail. I had counted only 3 while in Casper, but hadn’t realized the Williams clan came over in two separate trips.
William and Mary Ann Sharp in 1853. Wagon train. Moses Clawson Company. William and Mary Ann met in the wagon train and married in Nebraska in 1853. William and Mary are my 3rd Great Grandparents.
John Williams in 1860. Wagon train. John Smith Company. John came over with his two sons John Haines (1829) and Richard (1838). I don’t know why his son David went separately in 1864. I am a descendant of John through David. John is my 4th Great Grandfather.
Johanna Benson in 1862. Wagon train. Joseph Horne Company. Johanna came over with some of her children and their families, her daughter Agneta, came over in 1864 with her family. Johanna is my 4th Great Grandmother.
William Edward Stoker in 1863. Wagon train. Unknown Company. William was traveling with his family, including the baby Mary Ann. William is my 3rd Great Grandfather, Mary Ann is my 2nd Great Grandmother.
John and Agneta Nelson in 1864. Wagon train. William Preston Company. Agneta is the daughter of Johanna Benson who came over in 1862. John and Agneta are my 3rd Great Grandparents.
David D and Gwenllian Williams in 1864. David is the son of John mentioned above. Wagon train. William S Warren Company. Gwenllian came with her sister Mary. Both married on the ship in Liverpool before setting sail for Utah. Gwenllian and Mary’s parents, David and Margaret Jordan, came over in 1872 crossing the plains by rail. David and Gwenllian are my 3rd Great Grandparents.
That gives me 10 ancestors that crossed the plains by wagon, none by handcart that I can tell. The unknown companies were all wagon trains as there were not handcarts those years.
Devil’s Gate – 2024
Every single one of these seven ancestors of mine who came west on the trail would have passed through Devil’s Gate. Here I stood on this sacred ground and snapped this photo of my daughter, my descendant and their descendant, at Devil’s Gate.
Aliza Ross at Devil’s Gate
It took me a bit more work, as I am not as familiar, to find those family lines of Amanda’s that also would have passed along the Mormon Trail to the west before the railroad made it much, much faster and safer. It took me several occasions over a couple of weeks to spend the time to research all these lines.
Henry and Ann Jackson in 1852. Wagon train. James C Snow Company. This is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandparents.
Regina Hansen in 1853. Wagon train. John E Forsgren Company. Her son, Hans Hansen, also accompanied her on the trip. Regina’s husband stayed behind. Regina is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandmother, Hans is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather.
Grave of Hans Hansen in Plain City, Utah. Edith Sharp Ross’ stone is the stone at 10 o’clock from the top of this stone, my Great Grandmother.
David Buttars in 1843. Wagon train. William Empey Company. He appears to have traveled alone. Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather.
Birthe Jacobson in 1854. Unknown if wagon train or handcart company. Birthe’s daughter, Maria Jacobson, also accompanied her on the trip. Her husband Jorgen died in Missouri as part of the trip. Birthe is Amanda’s 5th Great Grandmother, Maria is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandmother.
Harriet Housley in 1856. Handcart company. Edward Martin Company. Harret’s son, George Housley, also accompanied her on the trip. Two other children came later. Harriet is Amanda’s 5th Great Grandmother, George is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandfather.
Richard and Christine Hemsley (1836 – 1915) in 1857. Handcart company. Israel Evans Company. This is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandparents.
Ole and Anne Jensen in 1861. Likely wagon train. Unknown company. Amanda’s 5th Great Grandparents.
John Crompton in 1862. Wagon train. Joseph Horne Company. John also had his daughter, Hannah Crompton, with him. John is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandfather, Hannah is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandmother.
Anna Nielsen in 1862. Wagon train. Christian Madsen Company. She traveled alone. Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandmother.
Joseph and Penelope Thompson in 1862. Wagon train. John Riggs Murdock Company. Their son, Joseph Thompson, also accompanied the family. Amanda’s 4th Great Grandparents, Joseph is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather.
Joseph Wayment in 1863. Wagon train. Unknown Company. Appears to have come alone. Although his parents and most of his siblings would come later by rail. Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather.
Axel Boyer in 1866. Wagon train. Abner Lowry Company. Amanda’s 4th Great Grandfather. Also traveled with the Keeps, other ancestors of Amanda.
James and Ann Keep in 1866. Wagon train. Abner Lowry Company. Their daughter, Sarah Keep, also accompanied the family. James and Ann are Amanda’s 4th Great Grandparents, Sarah is Amanda’s third great Grandmother. Also traveled with Axel Boyer, other ancestor of Amanda.
Richard Hemsley (1801 – 1866) and his later wife Sarah in 1866. Wagon train. William Henry Chipman Company. Amanda’s 5th Great Grandfather.
Peter Peterson in 1866. Wagon train. Joseph Sharp Rawlins Company. Peter is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandfather.
That is the Hemsley line alone, Amanda’s Dad. I count 26 ancestors of Amanda’s Dad that came through Devil’s Gate.
James, Lillian, Hiram, and Aliza Ross at Devil’s Gate Mormon Handcart Visitor Center
Amanda’s Mom’s line, the Holden family, has the following:
Edwin and Ruia Holden in 1852. Wagon train. Uriah Curtis Company. Their son, Henry Holden, also accompanied the family. Edwin and Ruia are Amanda’s 4th Great Grandparents, Henry is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather.
Jesse and Temperance McCauslin in 1851. Wagon train. Unknown Company. Temperance passed away in Council Bluffs, Iowa. She did not make the trail in Wyoming or Devil’s Gate. Their daughter, Louisa McCauslin, also accompanied the family. Jesse is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandfather, Louisa is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandmother.
John and Adelaide Roberts in 1863. Wagon train. Thomas Ricks Company. Their son, Hyrum Roberts, also accompanied the family. John and Adelaide are Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandparents, Hyrum is Amanda’s 2nd Great Grandfather.
Thomas and Mary Ashton in 1851. Wagon train. Morris Phelps Company. Mary also passed away in Iowa. She did not make the trail in Wyoming or Devil’s Gate. Their son, Joseph Ashton, also accompanied the family. Thomas is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandfather, Joseph is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather.
Sarah Jarvis in 1854. Wagon train. Job Smith Company. She came with some of her family, but not with her son, Amanda’s ancestor, George Jarvis. Sarah is Amanda’s 4th Great Grandmother.
George and Ann Jarvis in 1853. Wagon train. Unknown Company. George and Ann are Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandparents. George is the son of Sarah Jarvis mentioned above.
William and Rebecca Finch in 1854. Wagon train. Daniel Garn Company. William and Rebecca are Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandparents.
Joseph Finch in 1853. Wagon train. Joseph Young Company. Joseph is the son of William and Rebecca Finch mentioned above.
John and Hannah Davis in 1851. Wagon train. Eaton Kelsey Company. Their daughter, Mary Jane, also accompanied the family. The family also has Davies listed for their last name sometimes. John and Hannah are Amanda’s 4th great grandparents, Mary Jane is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandmother.
John Evans in 1866. Wagon train. William Henry Chipman Company (same company as Amanda’s Richard Hemsley above). His wife, Sarah, died on the trip from the United Kingdom in New York. His son, John Evans, also accompanied his father and brother. John is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather, John is Amanda’s 2nd Great Grandfather.
James and Elizabeth Boyack in 1855. Wagon train. Milo Andrus Company. James and Elizabeth are Amanda’s 4th Great Grandparents.
James Boyack in 1853. Wagon train. Appleton Harmon Company. James is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandfather. James is the son of James and Elizabeth Boyack above that came in 1855 across the plains.
Margary Waterhouse in 1855. Wagon train. Milo Andrus Company. Margary is Amanda’s 3rd Great Grandmother. She came across with the same train as James Boyack’s parents, presumably that is how she met her future husband. The Company arrived 24 October 1855 in Utah, James and Margary married 23 November 1855 in Springville, Utah.
That is the Holden line alone, Amanda’s Mom. I count 26 of ancestors of Amanda’s Mom that came through Devil’s Gate. As an aside, I also looked at her biological line (as she is adopted), and not a single one of her biological ancestors passed through Devil’s Gate.
James riding while Hiram, Lillian, and Aliza Ross pull a handcart at Devil’s Gate Mormon Handcart Visitors Center
We also stopped and visited with the sixth crossing of the Sweetwater River. This was the location where, like the Martin Handcart Company, the Willie Handcart Company also got stuck in wind, snow, and cold in 1856. Their rescue occurred here.
The next day, on our way to Grand Teton National Park, we made a stop at Fort Washakie, Wyoming. This is one of the alleged graves of Sacagawea. We stopped and remembered her, whether her final resting place or not.
All in all, I was surprised by my own connection to the Mormon Trail. I had never considered that I have 7 ancestors who had literally come this way. Or that my children have 59 ancestors that literally come this way. They passed by Independence Rock, through Devil’s gate, and two of those 59 suffered with the Martin Handcart Company. I will write more on the Housley’s later as there have been other interesting interactions with that clan since our marriage.
Earlier this year, the City of Minidoka had some big changes in leadership. Last year, Mayor Matthew Shaefer resigned for health reasons. Minidoka doesn’t have many registered voters as residents who are also interested in being involved in city government. Further, there are often conflicts where one of the Council is not able to be present. To maintain a full City Council, no action was taken that might remove a member of the Council without a potential replacement. Fortunately, some citizens show interest in getting involved and to assist the work of the City. With a potential to serve on Council, the City was ready to move forward.
On January 7, 2025, the Minidoka City Council appointed a new Mayor. She was sworn in at that time. Welcome to Mayor Julie Peterson!
Clerk Cindy Hruza swears in new Mayor Julie Peterson
Julie Peterson formally resigned her seat on the City Council. That left a vacancy for which she then appointed a new councilman. With that, she appointed Bridget Frost as a new Councilwoman. She was sworn in at that time. Welcome Councilwoman Frost!
Bridget Frost is sworn in by Cindy Hruza. Councilmen Bulmaro Paz (blue hat), Jim Cook (red hat), Mark Cartwright (black coat), and Mayor Julie Peterson watch
I don’t know how many Mayors or Councilman Minidoka has had since its incorporation in 1905, or how many informal Mayors it had from when it was first settled about 1884. Obviously the name of Minidoka was used for the Bureau of Reclamation Project signed by Theodore Roosevelt in 1902 which brought the Minidoka Dam and water to the whole area (but not the City of Minidoka). Minidoka County was created from Lincoln County in 1913. Part of that Reclamation Project also had the later World War II Japanese internment camp, Minidoka Relocation Camp (while not in Minidoka County, it was within the Minidoka Reclamation Project.
There is a new Mayor in Minidoka City. A full City Council too! Time to get down to business.
Front(l-r): Augustin Gonzales, James McCray, Sharlyn Maughan, Kami Klosterman, Emily Neibaur, Erin Zemke, Kyle McCoy, Douglas Hayden, Ryon Carney; Middle: James Mendenhall, Fenton Mayes, Colleen Harper, Monica Woodland, James McKenzie, Mandy Kaster, Deanne Williams, Amber King, Wade Moss, Frank Peterson; Back: Tom Kunzler, Wes Grace, Ben Frank, Carrie Presley, Kevin Orton, Travis Butcher, Paul Ross, Jeri Lyn Parks. Absent Chad Higley.
I have mentioned before when I shared class pictures from Paul Elementary for Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th Grades, that I was glad to have other classmates who allowed me to scan the class photos. All mine were lost due to a flood in our basement while I was on my mission in 1998-2000. I am happy to report that the missing 3rd and 6th Grade pictures have been provided, thanks to Erin Zemke.
This is our 6th grade class picture from Paul Elementary, Paul, Idaho. This was the 1990 – 1991 school year.
Normally I organized photos with married names and dates. Since all are still alive, I will forgo any of the dates. I have added the married last name for the ones I know. If you have corrections, please let me know.
These are photos shared to me of Victoria “Vicki” Kay Feldtman Ross. I don’t know anything more than what I have listed on the photos. I believe she graduated from Weber High School in 1963, or would have graduated. She married Dad, Milo Paul Ross, 5 March 1963 in Ogden, Weber, Utah. She was born 23 December 1945 in Ontario, Malheur, Oregon and passed away 31 December 2018 in Twin Falls, Twin Falls, Idaho.
4th Grade Ms. Morby, Vicki is back row, fourth from the right
Vicki is middle row, sixth from the right
Mixed Chorus: Back row (l-r): Robert Grieves, Arnold Burr, Deon Mayhew, Bill Fife, Bob Findess, Tommy Bartow, Ronald West, Jay Holley, Rex Judkins, Lynn Gould, James Petterson; Third row: Dee Bradshaw, Doug Giles, Dan Thompson, Blair Hadley, Dave Vesnieuw, Deloy Bentley, Doug Cheshire, Kenneth Groberg, Roger Bingham, Alan Cox, Kent Cevering; Second row: Adele Buff, Tamara Houston, Linda Perkins, Mary Carver, Betty Leach, Jolene Anderson, Carol Johnson, Linda Mapes, KayLynn Peterson, Linda Neilson, June Thompson, Carol Wheeler, Betty Yoshida, Linda Taylor, Judith Jensen; Front row: Jane Meldrum, Virginia Parker, Joyce Gunnerson, Susan Martinson, Donna Marchant, Linda Wells, Carolyn Kingston, Jelene Flinders, Vicki Feldtman, Annette Maw, Lynda Panunzio, Kay Ohlson, SheriLyn Gibson
These names are taken from the back of the photo. Please correct if you think I have them wrong.
Sagacity 