|
An original letter still
bears stamps, postmarks and the Wells Fargo Pony Express stamp,
identifying it as one of some 35,000 pieces of mail carried by daring Pony
Express riders between St. Joseph, Mo. and Sacramento,
California. from April 30,
1860 through October 1861. Even though it was a financial disaster
in its short life, the Pony Express captured the hearts and imaginations
of people around the world and demonstrated that a year-round central
route across the West could be practical for the transcontinental
railroad.
 For
those who liked to walk on the wilder side in the old West, gambling halls
and saloons offered one-armed bandits, roulette tables, gambling wheels
and other games of chance similar to those on display. Traveling
gamblers, often one town ahead of the law, spread their layout folder,
card dispensers and counters on card tables such as the one from the
Buffalo Bill Saloon in Cody,
Wyoming. Crooked dealers who weren’t
quite quick enough might end up wearing one of the 20 sets of handcuffs on
display, carried by a wearer of one of the 15 different law badges. Some might even have had a chance to try out a ball and chain or
Oregon
boot to make sure they completed a prison term.
Western art on display
includes 4 original paintings of the early west by Edgar S. Paxson, as
well as a print of his masterpiece, Custer’s Last Stand. Paxson,
born in New York, moved to
Montana in 1877, living in Butte, Deer Lodge
and Missoula. He supported himself and his family painting theater
sets, wall signs and watercolors. In Butte, his theater sets in the
Grand Opera House often drew more enthusiastic reviews in the local papers
than the performances on stage.
Paxson spent some 20
years researching details for Custer’s Last Stand, interviewing Indian and
white survivors of the battle and encounters along the Little Big Horn,
collecting Indian artifacts, visiting the battlefield and traveling
extensively in
Montana. The 6x9’ canvas, which includes more than
200 individuals, was begun about 1895 and finally completed in 1899, even
though he was mustered into the Army in 1898 and served a year in Manila
during the Spanish-American War. Once completed, the painting was sent on
an exhibition tour of Eastern cities, with people charged twenty-five
cents a head to see it. A booklet accompanying the canvas included
an outline key identifying major figures in the battle, history of the
battle, and other information regarding the painting. It is now a
part of the Whitney Gallery of Western Art collection at the Buffalo Bill
Historical Center in Cody,
Wyoming.
A glimpse of what
clothing was like for women in the West is offered in a collection of
ladies’ wear and other items from the late 1800’s-early 1900’s. Included are purses, dresses, shoes, boots, hats, underclothing, curling
irons, and perfume and cosmetics. The black dress with poppies on
the bottom belonged to Jane Darwell, well known theater, tv and movie
actress whose remarkable career spanned over 50 years, from 1913 to 1964. Often playing mothers, she won an Oscar for her portrayal of Ma Joad in
The Grapes of Wrath. In her last movie role, she was personally
picked by Walt Disney to play the Bird Woman in Mary Poppins.
References to fly fishing
can be found dating back to about 200 A.D., when a Roman, Claudius
Aelianus mentioned it in his writings on natural history. In medieval
Europe, fly fishing was practiced and written about as early as the 13th
Century. The most complete early printed reference work on fly fishing is
a how-to tract called Treatyse of Fysshynge with an
Angle. This popular work was the first to champion fly fishing and put it
on the same level with hunting, and it was reprinted many times over the
next century.
The most surprising thing
about this tract is that it was written by a woman, Dame Juliana Berners. Little is known about Dame Berners, Lady Prioress of Sopwell, a Nunnery
near St. Albons in England, but the fishing nun wasn’t the first, and most
certainly not the last, woman to join the men in this ancient sport.
It’s estimated that women
make up 15-20% of fly fishing enthusiasts today, but it wasn’t 1978 that
fly fishing schools for women were held in the United States by Maggie
Merriman, recognized world-wide as a pioneer in the sport and a strong
advocate for fly fishing women. In 1982 she introduced the first fly
fishing vest designed for women by a woman, and continues to be a leader
in the sport, spending summers in
Montana and winters in southern
California teaching and fishing. From her years of experience come
vests and waders, as well as posters showing some of the early fashions
for the well-dressed woman fly fishing enthusiast.
 Rivers
of the Rocky Mountain West provide some of the best blue ribbon fly
fishing in the world, attracting anglers from every corner of the globe. A comprehensive history of fly fishing is provided on time line panels
from the American Museum of Fly Fishing, and the history of fishing in
Idaho and
the Intermountain West is highlighted by a 1957 Chevy truck with fish
tanks, pulling a 1965 drift boat.
Idaho Fish
and Game used the truck to transport fish from hatcheries to streams. The
Museum of Idaho will also have wall displays of different fish species, as
well as a live fish tank featuring native fish. The U.S. Forest
Service has a living stream exhibit, as well as exhibits of insects
important to fish, from egg to adult. The Henry’s Fork Foundation
exhibits changes in the Henry’s Fork, while Trout Unlimited displays
include native trout of the west and their historic ranges, native Salmonids of
Idaho and
Montana and their ranges, while panels from U.S. Fish and
Wildlife display some of the aquatic invasive species that may threaten
native species.
An overview of the
progression in fly fishing from natural to artificial flies is shown in
displays from Rainy’s Flies, headquartered in Logan, Utah. Rainy
Rider, a master fly tier for over 30 years, now lives in Thailand where
she and her partner manage a five story fly-tying factory.
Several collections of
flies and tackle, from Japanese dry flies dating to the 1940’s to Irish
flies and antique tackle, along with antique fly rods dating from the mid
1800’s to the 1960’s show how equipment has evolved over the years. An 1880’s fly line dryer from the collection of Janet Downey shows how dry
silk fly line was dried after each use to prevent rotting or a drastic
reduction in the breaking strength.
Janet Downey, who learned
to fly fish in 1979 from Marty Downey, fell in love with both her teacher
and the sport. She married the teacher in 1981and during their
travels to explore choice fishing spots began collecting anything and
everything with a fish on it. Included in the items on display are
21 fish-shaped decanters produced in the 1970’s and early 80’s for
distilleries such as Jim Beam and Ezra Brooks and representing crappie,
bluegill, walleye, perch, bass, trout and a variety of other fresh and
saltwater fish. The 7 ft. display boat shelf is hand crafted, made
briefly for distribution by Angler’s Expression of Boise.
The House of Seagram, in
collaboration with three famous U.S. fishermen, also published a Game Fish
Cyclopedia in 1947. This large U.S. map showing locations of fish
and where they are found in the country is also a part of the Downey
collection, along with other fishing posters, paintings, plates and other
antiques from 1920-1950.
From Hyde Drift Boats in
Idaho Falls come the latest drift boat for the ultimate fly fishermen. The
company, founded by LaMoyne Hyde, a dedicated fly fisherman, now boasts
three generations involved in the business of “fishermen building boats
for fishermen.”
If you’re one of those
whose eyes cross and fingers turn to thumbs at the sight of delicate hand
tied flies, you’ll appreciate the 20 paper sculpted flies by Leo Monahan. Considered America’s foremost paper sculpture illustrator, Leo creates his
sculptures from the best white papers, applying color with brushes,
sponges, air brushes and rubbed-in dry pigments, and never using any other
material or objects in his designs. In addition to sculptured
flies, Leo creates a wide variety of abstract, whimsical and just plain
delightful art.
In the “good old days,”
fishing creels were considered an essential part of the fisherman’s
equipment, but with the increasing popularity of catch and release, the
creel no longer has as much utilitarian value. Instead, the creel is
now being recognized for its folk art appeal and workmanship. From Dan
McClain, co-author of The Art of the Creel, comes a collection of fishing
creels, showcasing the variety of creels, their materials, makers and
artistic appeal.
 In
addition to Guns & Hooks, permanent exhibits at the Museum are open as
well. The Children’s Discovery Room provides children the opportunity to
experience Idaho’s rich natural and cultural history through hands-on,
interactive exhibits. Wander through an
Idaho
forest, climb a rock cliff and peer into an eagle’s nest, check out a bear
den or explore a native stream and crawl through a beaver lodge. In the
high desert of southeastern Idaho, explore a pioneer cabin or
Native
American tipi for a glimpse into life of not-so-long-ago. As the
kids explore, adults can take advantage of books and educational material
highlighting the Discovery Room exhibits.
“Lewis
and Clark in
Idaho,”
commemorating the 2005 bicentennial of the
Idaho
portion of the
Corp of
Discovery’s expedition, takes visitors from the future back to the
beginnings of our nation. Focusing the Corps’ experience in
Idaho, the
exhibit features a Lemhi Shoshone Village, including an eighteen foot high
brain-tanned buffalo hide tipi. Made especially for the Museum, the
tipi comes from the Crow Reservation in
Montana. Hand-made
Native
American clothing, as well as tools and foods of the period are on
display.
The “Race For Atomic
Power” exhibit explores the birth of nuclear energy in southeastern
Idaho and
the history of the 890 square mile
Idaho
National Laboratory complex located west of Idaho Falls. Established
in 1949 as the National Reactor Testing Station, it has undergone a number
of name changes, and for many years was the largest concentration of
nuclear reactors in the world. Fifty-two reactors were built here,
including the Navy’s first prototype nuclear propulsion plant. In
1951, the first harnessing of atomic energy took place here, and in 1955
reactors made Arco,
Idaho the
first town in the world powered by atomic energy. Within the next
10 years its new mission is to become the preeminent nuclear Research,
Development and Demonstration laboratory, ensuring that its presence as a
political, scientific and economic partner in southeastern
Idaho will
continue.
A perennial Museum
favorite, “Eagle Rock USA” is also open. Representative of the
architecture and furnishings of the time, this display is named for the
small community that grew up along the banks of the Snake River to later
become the City of Idaho Falls. Store fronts along the boardwalk are named
for area businesses of the 1880’s, and the majority of the furnishings
were donated by Idaho Falls residents.
The Museum
of Idaho is located at 200 N. Eastern Avenue, Idaho Falls. Summer
hours from July 14-Labor Day Weekend will be Monday-Tuesday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
and Wednesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Winter hours after Labor Day
will be Monday-Tuesday 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.,
closed Sundays.
Contact Information:
Museum of
Idaho
200 N. Eastern Avenue
Idaho Falls,
Idaho 83402
208-522-1400
|
Please report
broken links, missing pictures, or other problems online by clicking
The
exhibit opened with a bang on July 13th at 7:15 p.m. when a Model 1883
Gatling gun was fired on the Museum of
Idaho Plaza after a private grand opening reception at the Museum. The Gatling gun, 3 cannons, military firearms, 26 rifles and a rich
assortment of other Western memorabilia from one private collector join
artifacts from other collectors to provide a fascinating look back at the
wilder side of Western history.
A
shotgun and strongbox from 
Discoveries
America Idaho DVD