Weekly Column: Idaho Artifacts Are A Valued Part Of Our Country's History

We pass our history on in many ways. Within our own families, we have shared stories, cherished heirlooms and memories captured in photographs and videos. Museums across Idaho connect our communities with our founding, local accomplishments and much earlier times. Many Idaho treasures have also made their way to our nation’s collections, where they are part of our country’s shared history. These artifacts showcase Idaho’s beauty, industrial drive, devotion to our country and prehistoric significance. Vistors to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, an annex of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum located at Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia, can view a F4U-1 Corsair airplane, signed by Coeur d‘Alene, Idaho-born Gregory “Pappy” Boyington . The museum notes Boyington became the leading Marine ace (downing 28 enemy aircraft in less than 5 months) while flying an F4U Corsair as commander of the “Black Sheep” Squadron during World War II. Idaho has a long and proud military history. An intricately beaded Kootenai cradleboard is on display in the exhibition “Infinity of Nations” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center in New York City with a few other Idaho-connected artifacts, including a Nimi´ipuu (Nez Perce) quiver and moccasins said to have been owned by Nez Perce Chief Peo Peo T´olikt. Photos of all three items are viewable at https://americanindian.si.edu/exhibitions/infinityofnations/plains-plateau.html . The cradleboard was handcrafted from wood, deer hide, wool, glass beads, silk, dentalium and conch shells around 1880. Cradleboards were traditionally used to carry infants while allowing parents to travel and work. Among the many artifacts from the Native American Tribes Idaho is home to, it is a reminder of Idaho’s deep indigenous history. Further, specimens of the Hagerman Horse—Idaho’s State Fossil—are among the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History’s collection. According to the National Park Service, “In 1928, a Hagerman rancher named Elmer Cook made a peculiar discovery: fossils were eroding out of the rock along the Snake River. Although Elmer was likely not the first to stumble across fossils, he was the first to recognize that they might be significant. . . . The Hagerman Horse Quarry remains the largest single find of Equus simplicidens, a predecessor of modern horses that lived 4 to 3 million years ago.” While not currently on display at the National Museum of Natural History, the Museum has displayed Hagerman Horse fossils at various times. A visit to the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument in Hagerman, Idaho, provides an opportunity to see our state’s fossil closer to home. Also, Alfred C. Dunn’s watercolor painting Main Street, Burke, Idaho , beautifully shows how historic mining towns like Burke have played a vital role in forming the American story. While the painting is not currently on public display at the American Art Museum, it can be viewed at https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/main-street-burke-idaho-7626 and private viewings can be requested. Another Idaho-connected national treasure is the Bailey Steam Generator, invented by Robert Bailey of Idaho City in 1866. It is an example of how innovation helped in powering the industrial growth in America by generating steam to operate boilers and machinery used in mining and other industries. The generator is part of the National Museum of American History collection, and, while not currently on display, can be viewed online at https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_847509 . Our great state and its people contribute significantly to our shared American heritage. # # #