Pulaski exhibit to Boise museum
A Pulaski Project nomination of "The Great Fire of 1910, Ed Pulaski, the Pulaski Tool, and the Pulaski Tunnel Trail" has been selected to be included in the Essential Idaho exhibit at the Idaho State Historical Museum in Boise.
The exhibit commemorates Idaho's Territorial Sesquicentennial, Idaho's premier history organization, the Idaho State Historical Society will mark March 4 as the 150th anniversary of the creation of Idaho Territory with a special exhibition called Essential Idaho: 150 Things that Make the Gem State Unique. Never before has a major exhibition been planned featuring such a wide range of themes and compelling Idaho stories.
The three-thousand square foot exhibit will include a dynamic mixture of historical artifacts, images and media. This major exhibit is one of the largest ever shown at the Museum and features rare artifacts, hands-on learning stations and compelling stories about our fascinating state.
Hundreds of nominations from individuals and organizations were submitted. The many excellent nominations received made narrowing the list difficult.
A statewide committee of well-known and respected Idaho historians met to select the exhibit themes that were felt to effectively represent Idaho's distinct history and character.
Here is a sneak preview:
Polly Bemis: An Idaho icon, Polly Bemis was a Chinese American pioneer who lived on the Salmon River. From the Museum collection, see Polly's tennis shoes.
U.S. 95 North-South Highway: Fondly nicknamed Idaho's Goat Trail, U.S. Route 95 is a north-south highway near the western border of the state, stretching over 538 miles from Oregon to British Columbia. The Leata was a 1970s energy car invented in Sandpoint, Idaho. It could save a motorist a few gallons of gas traveling down the goat trail.
Franklin: This was Idaho's first established town site, founded in 1860 by Mormon pioneers who mistakenly thought they were still in Utah.
1910 Fire: This devastating fire, one of the largest in American history, raged across three million acres of virgin timberland in northern Idaho and western Montana. The Pulaski, a tool developed by an Idaho forest ranger who survived the fire, will be on exhibit.
"This selection provides another indication of the historic significance of the Great Fire of 1910 and the story of the Pulaski rescue that occurred right here in Shoshone County," Pulaski Project President Jim See said. "The Idaho State Historical Society and respected Idaho historians recognize the message we have been committed to from the beginning of the development of the Pulaski Tunnel Trail."
Essential Idaho will open March 5 and run through Dec. 31, 2013. The Museum is located at 610 N. Julia Davis Drive, Boise, ID 83702
More information is listed on the Idaho State Historical Society's website at www.history.idaho.gov.