We are a community of immigrants like many other communities in the United States. This tells the story of the Wood River Valley from the beginning of the early 1800s through the present day. It is organized in eight themes: The Chinese in Idaho, The Arkoosh Family Tree, The Native Americans, The Basques, The Europeans, The Miners, The Swift and Regan General Store, and Immigration Today.

The exhibit is curated by the 8/9 band at the Sage School. During the Fall 2018 Semester, the students researched the topic of immigration at the Center for Regional History Archives. Out of the research grew the themes which culminated in group papers and then the exhibit.

 

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The museum exhibition spans the time period from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. It is a look at Native Americans in the Wood River Valley and their interactions with non-native newcomers during the period. On display are early maps depicting Idaho Territory in 1863 and the Wood River Valley in 1881; excerpts from era [Read more…] about Who Writes History? Frontier Voices, Native Realities

This exhibition tells the story of the Virginia City Treaty of 1868, how it affected the Lemhi Shoshone Tribe, and the research that has been conducted to date. Washington State University’s Professor Orlan Svingen and his public history students have worked in collaboration with the Mixed Bands at Fort Hall: Shoshone, Bannock, and Sheepeater Indians, to illuminate the history. The centerpiece of the exhibit is the 57-minute documentary of the same title. 

The Virginia City Treaty between the United States Government and the Shoshone Tribe was never ratified by the government. In 1868, the treaty was negotiated “in good faith” and subsequently signed by Chief Tendoy, the leader of the Mixed-Band of Shoshone, Bannock, and Sheep Eater people in southwestern Montana Territory. Tendoy then ceded 32,000 square miles of aboriginal territory in 1870 for a permanent treaty reservation in central Idaho. In 1875, the United States accepted this treaty reservation cession of 32,000 square miles in exchange for a temporary reservation in the Salmon River country of Idaho. In 1905, the U.S. rescinded that temporary reservation, prompting the Mixed-Band’s 200-mile removal south to the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. The film highlights the discovery of a National Archives document, which reveals what many regard as a violation of the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment. The documentary film, “In Good Faith,” (2018) is written and directed by Beverly Benninger, narrated by Forest Goodluck, and produced by Beverly Penninger and Alyson Young. The production company is Naka Productions, Inc. This public history field work and resulting exhibition has been made possible by the generous support from John W. and Janet M. Creighton. It is decades of collaborative work between the Shoshone-Bannock tribe and the students and faculty at WSU. It is a powerful story for all ages.

 

This photography exhibition at the Regional History Museum is from the Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History’s photo collection. Curated by Nicole Potter, Regional History Museum Librarian, this group of images were selected out of the Union Pacific Photograph Collection to show the means used to entice potential guests into visiting the Sun Valley Resort for some winter recreation. The Union Pacific staff photographers staged photo sessions with Sun Valley employees posing as guests. They staged a wide variety of winter activities, including alpine and nordic skiing, dog sledding, horse drawn sleigh rides, ice skating, and dancing and dining at the resort. The photos were taken across two decades from the forties through the fifties. Their afterlife post marketing materials, was to end up in the Union Pacific Publicity Department photo morgue in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1982, over 500 of the color transparencies were scheduled for disposal. Fortunately they were saved from the landfill at the last minute by Dottie Thomas, a  librarian at the Library.

A Smithsonian poster exhibition “Righting a Wrong: Japanese Americans and World War II,” examines the complicated history and impact of Executive Order 9066 that led to the incarceration of over 110,000 Japanese Americans following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Embracing themes that are as relevant today as they were seventy-five years ago, “Righting a Wrong” looks at immigration, prejudice, civil rights, heroism, and what it means to be an American. The posters engage the public with eight core questions that encourage a dialogue about how our society and government let this happen, and how this could happen again. There will be an interactive portion of the exhibition which will invite viewers to share their own answers to these questions. 

The exhibit was developed by the National Museum of American History and adapted by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The traveling exhibition and poster exhibition are supported by a grant from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, the Terasaki Family Foundation, and C. L. Ehn & Ginger Lew.

Also included is the film, Dave Tatsuno: Movies and Memories (60 min.). The filmmaker is Dave Tatsuno, a Japanese American who made the film while incarcerated with his family at the Topaz Relocation Center. The Tatsunos were imprisoned for three years behind barbed wire and Dave Tatsuno captured this with his clandestine 8mm camera. The film is the only full color movie documenting the experiences of interned Japanese Americans during World War II. In 1996 the film was given to the Library of Congress and is one of only two home movies of the Library’s National Film Registry. The film is on loan to the Museum from Dave Tatsuno’s son, Rod Tatsuno.

“Righting a Wrong: Japanese Americans and World War II,” is one part of The Community Library Winter Read 2020 programing that occurred throughout February and March. The Community Library Winter Read 2020 invites our community to read a book together and engage in conversation about a critical historical and regional civil liberty topic. This year’s book is Jamie Ford’s Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, a novel centering on Japanese American families who were incarcerated during World War II. 

This is a traveling exhibit on loan from the Autry Museum of the American West. The exhibit examines the important cultural, social, and environmental issues of the U.S. West covered by the High County News organization.

The Autry Museum, in collaboration with High Country News, organized High County News: Chronicler of the West in celebration of the newspaper’s 50^th anniversary. It takes an across-the-decades approach to specific topics that are relevant to our local community. Together, as community members of the West, through the exhibit, we can reflect on how news is reported over the last half century. The exhibit also offers an interactive opportunity for visitors to learn about and express their opinion about the future of the West.