Posted on November 5, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features our collection of Norma Dobler Papers. [Read More]

Posted on October 1, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs Report on the Governor’s Hispanic Initiative, 1996. [Read More]

Posted on September 17, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features our Kooskia Internment Camp Scrapbook. [Read More]

Posted on September 10, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features the Gracie (Bowers) Pfost Papers, 1950-1962. Pfost was Idaho’s first female member of Congress. [Read More]

Posted on September 3, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features the Register of Indigenous People at the Nez Perce Agency. [Read More]

Posted on August 20, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs Management for 2005-2007. [Read More]

Posted on August 13, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features the book, Chinese on the American Frontier by Arif Dirlik and Malcolm Yeung. [Read More]

Posted on August 6, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features our collection of Lillie Mae Hermann Papers. [Read More]

Posted on July 30, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features our collection of The Center for Native American Development Records. [Read More]

Posted on July 28, 2021

Sometime we work with metadata that is especially messy! Below are some dates from a spreadsheet that generated our HistPhoto database. [Read More]

Posted on July 23, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features our collection of Samuel Chan Papers. [Read More]

Posted on July 16, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features the book, Black Pioneers: Images of the Black Experience on the North American Frontier by John W. Ravage. [Read More]

Posted on July 9, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features our collection of Corlann Gee Bush Papers. [Read More]

Posted on July 4, 2021

Happy Independence Day! Check out how North Idaho has celebrated July 4th throughout the years! [Read More]

Posted on June 30, 2021

While processing the Hays Family Papers, we learned that one of the Hays family members served in WWII and received the following medals. More information about the veteran will be provided as the collection is fully processed but for now, check out these medals! [Read More]

Posted on June 29, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features a (mostly handwritten) glossary of Quechua, Spanish, and English languages from 1940. According to the Penn Language Center, “Quechua, the language of the Inca Empire and still spoken by approximately 8 million people throughout the Andes, is the most spoken indigenous language in... [Read More]

Posted on June 25, 2021

Today’s edition of Diverse Collections features a state government publication, The Hispanic Profile Data Book for Idaho by the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs in 2004. The purpose of the report is as follows: [Read More]

Posted on June 18, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features the Asian American Comparative Collection newsletter, which is a quarterly newsletter about the Asian American Comparative Collection at the University of Idaho Laboratory of Anthropology. [Read More]

Posted on June 11, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features the VHS documentary, “Other Faces, Other Lives: Asian Americans in Idaho.” In this documentary, eight Asian American families (specifically Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino) were interviewed and asked how they or their families came to Idaho. They were also asked about their experiences living... [Read More]

Posted on June 11, 2021

In the Idaho Territory days of the mid-1800s, gambling was prominent in parts of Idaho.1 As the area inched closer to statehood, however, local officials began to crack down. In 1889, the original state constitution was written and ratified. Article III, Section 20 was noticeably vague about the legality of... [Read More]

Posted on June 4, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features Idaho Ebony: The African American Presence in Idaho State History by Dr. Mamie O. Oliver.1 In the Introduction, Dr. Oliver writes, For more information about Dr. Oliver, see Blacks in Idaho’s White Press, 1863-1916 ↩ [Read More]

Posted on June 3, 2021

The Library has a new Special Collections display on the first floor outside the Reading Room! To honor LGBTQ+ Pride Month this June, we’re showcasing some of our archival collections that relate to LGBTQ+ history in Idaho! [Read More]

Posted on May 28, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features our collection of Mortar Board Records. Mortar Board, Inc., is a national honor society of college seniors, which recognizes in its membership the qualities of superior scholastic ability, outstanding and continual leadership, and dedicated service to the college or university community. [Read More]

Posted on May 24, 2021

Lily Wai was born in Hangzhou, China on 29 September 1939. In 1946, her parents and three siblings moved to the village of Wu-er in Taiwan. In 1961, Wai moved to Kansas for graduate school and met her husband Chien. They married in Los Angeles in 1965. [Read More]

Posted on May 21, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Records, 1979-1988 collection. Special Collections houses 4 boxes of meeting minutes, agendas, reports, and supporting documents relating to Native American fisheries, distributed to Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission members and collected by Robert Strom, commission member representing... [Read More]

Posted on May 20, 2021

Sunshine Mining Company was located between Kellogg, Idaho and Wallace, Idaho and was one of the most successful and highest-producing silver mines in the United States and the world. “By 1931, the Sunshine mine was the second largest silver producer in the United States. In 1937, the Sunshine was the... [Read More]

Posted on May 18, 2021

Grace Fenton Roberts was the first woman to graduate from the College of Engineering at the University of Idaho, graduating in 1938. Unfortunately, not much is known about her exact degree program or what she went on to do with her degree. [Read More]

Posted on May 14, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features the book, Living Treasures: Hispanic Artisans & Traditionalists of the Snake River Valley, published by the Hispanic Folkarts Survey Committee in 1991. [Read More]

Posted on May 7, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features the book, Japanese American Contributions to Idaho’s Economic Development by Robert C. Sims. This book discusses how “Japanese, like other early Idaho pioneers, came to the Gem State in search of economic opportunity. Through their efforts, they not only achieved many of their... [Read More]

Posted on May 4, 2021

(All information here adapted from the 2002 UI College of Law Annual Report.) [Read More]

Posted on April 30, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features the book, Blacks in Idaho’s White Press, 1863 to 1916 by Dr. Mamie O. Oliver. [Read More]

Posted on April 26, 2021

The Library has a new Special Collections display on the first floor outside the Reading Room! To honor Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month this May, we wanted to showcase some of our archival collections that relate to Asian American history in Idaho! [Read More]

Posted on April 23, 2021

Today’s edition of Diverse Collections features a newspaper article from the Women’s Caucus of the University of Idaho Records. [Read More]

Posted on April 16, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features a document that was reproduced from The George Washington Law Review, Volume 37, July 1969, Number 5, by permission of the author. [Read More]

Posted on April 9, 2021

This week for Diverse Collections, we’re featuring a publication from the Idaho Hispanic Oral History Project in 1992. [Read More]

Posted on April 2, 2021

This week’s edition of Diverse Collections features a bibliography prepared by the Staff of the Tacoma Public Library from materials found in the collections of the Library. [Read More]

Posted on March 26, 2021

Today’s edition of Diverse Collections features a collection of newsletters from the Idaho Black History Museum. The museum is located at the St. Paul Baptist Church, which was Idaho’s first Black church, established in 1921.1 Viewpoint: The history of the Idaho Black History Museum ↩ [Read More]

Posted on March 9, 2021

Today we have some fun fishing facts from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game! There several reasons why Idaho is a great fishing destination: Idaho has over 26,000 miles of rivers and streams Idaho has over 3,000 natural lakes Idaho has over 42 game fish species to catch1 Fishing... [Read More]

Posted on March 5, 2021

Special Collections has a new exhibit up for Women’s History Month! The exhibit features Jennie Eva Hughes, the first Black woman to graduate from UI in the Class of 1899. It’s located outside the Special Collections Reading Room on the first floor of the Library. Be sure to check it... [Read More]

Posted on January 29, 2021

The University of Idaho was founded 132 years ago on January 30, 1889. Idaho Governor Edward A. Stevenson signed the Territorial Legislature’s Council Bill No. 20 which established the University of Idaho.1 Historical Timeline of the University of Idaho ↩ [Read More]

Posted on January 20, 2021

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt visited Wallace, Idaho. These photos show President Roosevelt on 6th Street, turning onto Bank Street, in a parade. He gave a Presidential Address that day. [Read More]

Posted on January 6, 2021

The Payette National Forest was originally established in 1905 but in 1944, the Weiser National Forest (established 1905) and the Idaho National Forest (established 1908) were combined to create much of the Payette National Forest that we know today.1 Payette National Forest, History & Culture ↩ [Read More]

Posted on December 30, 2020

Welcome to another week of Wilderness Wednesday! Today, we’re talking about the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests. [Read More]

Posted on December 23, 2020

Craters of the Moon National Monument is one of four national parks in Idaho and consists of over 53,000 acres of “volcanic formations and lava flows on the northern rim of the Snake River Plain in southcentral Idaho.” While the volcanic formations only compose 53,000 acres, the national park is... [Read More]

Posted on December 16, 2020

The Boise National Forest is about 2.6 million acres and is one of the largest national forests in the country.1 “History of the Boise National Forest, 1905-1976,” Boise State Historical Society, Boise, 1983 ↩ [Read More]

Posted on December 15, 2020

According to this illustration in a collection of research materials about WWII, there are three kinds of people… [Read More]

Posted on December 9, 2020

The Bitterroot National Forest covers 1.6 million acres of forest in Idaho and southwest Montana.1 The area is markedly characterized by the Bitteroot Mountain Range, which is a “segment of the northern Rocky mountains” and 300 miles long along the border of Idaho and Montana.2 The highest peak is 11,394... [Read More]

Posted on December 2, 2020

Welcome to our new series, Wilderness Wednesday! This series will feature photos of Idaho’s vast wilderness, particularly our National Forests, National Parks, and Wilderness Areas. [Read More]

Posted on August 12, 2020

This week’s photos feature women skiing! The first ever recorded ski jumping event was performed by a Norwegian woman named Ingrid Olavsdottir Vestby who is said to have “soared 20 feet” in Trysil, Norway in 1862.1 However, it wasn’t until 1990s when women were “first allowed to fully participate in... [Read More]

Posted on August 5, 2020

Volleyball was reportedly invented by William G. Morgan in 1895 just four years after the invention of basketball.1 This was how volleyball was introduced - facts and information about the game ↩ [Read More]

Posted on July 29, 2020

Welcome back to another week of Women’s Recreation Wednesday, our series covering the Women’s Recreation Association here at the University of Idaho. [Read More]

Posted on July 22, 2020

This week features photos of women playing tennis. “Today, tennis is a major international sport and a multi-billion dollar industry – and it’s also one of the few sports in which the earning potential of male and female athletes is totally equal.”1 What Women’s Tennis Looked Like Through History ↩ [Read More]

Posted on July 15, 2020

This week’s photos feature women’s swimming. The 1920s were an important time in women’s history, not only due to women’s suffrage, but because “while women pushed for voting rights, they also fought for equality in physical activities such as swimming. They believed that by showing their athletic side and fighting... [Read More]

Posted on July 8, 2020

This week’s photos feature women playing softball near the University Library and Memorial Gym. Softball developed out of indoor baseball, which was invented in Chicago in 1887.1 “Women’s fast-pitch softball became an official sport of the Summer in 1996 but was dropped in 2012. Still, that hasn’t deterred millions of... [Read More]

Posted on July 1, 2020

This week features photos of the women’s ROTC and Rifle Team. The Rifle Team was established as the first intercollegiate women’s athletic team in 1926.1 Historical Timeline of the University of Idaho ↩ [Read More]

Posted on June 24, 2020

This week’s photos are from Women’s Recreation Association Physical Education classes on campus. If you’re interested in learning more about the history of Physical Education classes for women, there’s a great book titled “Active Bodies: A History of Women’s Physical Education in Twentieth-Century America” by Martha H. Verbrugge! [Read More]

Posted on June 17, 2020

This week’s photos are from a May Day festival held in 1928 on campus. [Read More]

Posted on June 10, 2020

This week features photos of women playing golf. According to some, Queen Mary of Scotland was the very first female golfer, playing while she was queen from 1542-1567.1 However, “the first recorded golf tournament for women only occurred on January 9, 1811…in the town of Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland for... [Read More]

Posted on June 3, 2020

This week features photos of women playing field hockey on campus near Memorial Gym. “Hockey is believed to date from the earliest civilizations. The Arabs, Greeks, Persians, and Romans each had their own versions, and traces of a stick game played by the Aztec Indians of South America have been... [Read More]

Posted on May 27, 2020

This week, we have photos of women fencing at the University of Idaho. [Read More]

Posted on May 20, 2020

This week we have photos from the folk-dance festivals that were held at the University of Idaho in the 1960s, along with photos of women doing folk dances. [Read More]

Posted on May 13, 2020

This week, we have photos of women bowling in the 1960s. [Read More]

Posted on May 6, 2020

This week, we have photos of women’s intramural basketball during the 1930s and 1960s at the University of Idaho. [Read More]

Posted on April 29, 2020

This week, we have photos of women playing badminton, likely in the Old Memorial Gym on campus. [Read More]

Posted on April 22, 2020

Welcome to our new series, Women’s Recreation Wednesday! This series will feature photos from the University of Idaho Women’s Recreation Association between the 1920s-1960s. [Read More]

Posted on April 20, 2020

That’s a wrap on our series, Oh Dam! We hope you learned something about dams in the Pacific Northwest! Stay tuned for our next series, Women’s Recreation Wednesday, beginning on Wednesday! [Read More]

Posted on April 13, 2020

Today, we’re discussing Little Goose Lock and Dam on the Snake River. The project was enabled by the River and Harbor Act of 1945. Construction began in 1963 and operation began in 1970. It creates the reservoir Lake Bray, which “extends upstream about 37.2 miles and provides navigation to Lower... [Read More]

Posted on April 6, 2020

Ever wonder where dam construction workers live while these dams are being built? These photos show employee housing around the Grand Coulee Dam. The majority of homes were 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom permanent type residences. [Read More]

Posted on March 30, 2020

Today, we’re discussing the Lower Granite Lock and Dam at Snake River mile 107.5. The project was enabled by the River and Harbor Act of 1945. Construction began in 1965 and was completed in 1984. [Read More]

Posted on March 23, 2020

Today, we’re discussing the Grand Coulee Dam and irrigation pumping plants and discharge pipes. [Read More]

Posted on March 16, 2020

Today, we’re discussing John Day Lock and Dam, located 216 miles upriver from the mouth of the Columbia River.1 Construction began in 1968 and was completed in 1982. Dworshak Dam and Reservoir ↩ [Read More]

Posted on March 9, 2020

Today, we have photos of the power house – “the structure that houses generators and turbines.”1 The turbine rotates the water and turns it into kinetic energy.2 The generator takes the energy from the turbine and converts it into electrical power.3 Glossary of Hydropower Terms ↩ Energy Education ↩ Electric Generator ↩ [Read More]

Posted on March 2, 2020

Today, we’re discussing the installation of turbines and generators. Water turbines are a type of rotary machine that converts water’s kinetic energy into electric power. [Read More]

Posted on February 24, 2020

Today we’re discussing Ice Harbor Lock and Dam located on the Snake River “upstream of McNary Lock and Dam and Lake Wullala.”1 Ice Harbor Lock and Dam ↩ [Read More]

Posted on February 21, 2020

This week’s Funny Friday features some questionable clip art on an old Student Recreation Center flyer! [Read More]

Posted on February 14, 2020

Need a competency analysis? Check out this one! [Read More]

Posted on February 10, 2020

This week, we’re discussing canal lining and construction. Building a canal for a dam is extremely important because canals must be able to “withstand enormous water pressure,” must be “watertight so that they will not leak,” and must “be able to offer protection from the risk of erosion caused by... [Read More]

Posted on February 3, 2020

Today, we’re discussing the Lucky Peak Dam, a flood control project on the Boise River about 9 miles upstream from Boise, Idaho. [Read More]

Posted on February 2, 2020

Jennie Eva Hughes (Smith) was the first Black student to graduate from the University of Idaho (Class of 1899)! [Read More]

Posted on January 31, 2020

Postcard from the Rockies! [Read More]

Posted on January 27, 2020

This week, we’re discussing how to prepare a site for dam construction. According to the British Dam Society, “a dam is built on a soil or rock foundation, depending on the type of dam. The foundation must be strong enough to carry the weight of the dam, and the water... [Read More]

Posted on January 17, 2020

Humor and horror often go hand-in-hand because laughing at scary things is a type of coping mechanism! Does this creepy image make you laugh? [Read More]

Posted on January 13, 2020

Today we’re discussing Dworshak Dam, the third tallest dam in the United States and “the highest straight-axis concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere.”1 It is located two miles upstream on the North Fork of the Clearwater River from the town of Ahsahka, Idaho. Dworshak Dam and Reservoir ↩ [Read More]

Posted on January 10, 2020

Here are some humorous mottos to get you through the day! [Read More]

Posted on January 6, 2020

We’re starting a new series, Oh Dam! This series will feature photos and information about hydraulic dams in the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Washington, and Oregon). Each week, the series will oscillate between information about a dam that exists in the PNW and information about how dams are built! We hope... [Read More]

Posted on January 3, 2020

Don’t have a New Year’s Resolution yet? Check out these 9 ways to rejuvenate yourself with humor! [Read More]

Posted on December 20, 2019

Contents: Mold | Rust | Light | Acid | Deacetylation | [Read More]

Posted on December 20, 2019

Here’s a spoof on the song “America the Beautiful!” [Read More]

Posted on December 16, 2019

That’s a wrap on our series, Logging Lessons, featuring images and history from the Potlatch Lumber Company in North Idaho! At the beginning of this series, we discussed how early logging companies in Idaho felled trees - with a crosscut saw. Then, we discussed different methods of transporting logs from... [Read More]

Posted on December 13, 2019

This week, we have a humorous fire dispatcher’s prayer! [Read More]

Posted on December 9, 2019

Today, we’ll discuss the process of turning a log into a piece of lumber that can be used to build many of the items and structures that we use and rely on today! [Read More]

Posted on December 6, 2019

Here’s a funny bit about being the boss! [Read More]

Posted on December 2, 2019

Last week, we learned about using the powerful forces of water to transport logs from a central point to the lumber mill. This week is light reading - trains were one of the most popular methods of transporting logs to lumbers, as they could transport large quantities of logs relatively... [Read More]

Posted on November 25, 2019

Last week, we learned about tractors as a form of transporting logs from the forest to the railroad track or water formation (such as a river or flume). Once the logs have been transported to the railroad track or water formation, a few options remain for getting them to the... [Read More]

Posted on November 22, 2019

Here’s a humorous sick leave policy from Uncle Sam! [Read More]

Posted on November 18, 2019

Last week, we learned about jammers. This week, we’ll learn about the tractors that largely replaced other forms of transporting logs, including manual horses and steam donkey engines (which we covered in previous weeks!). These tractors were colloquially referred to as “crawlers,” “cats,” and “caterpillars.” [Read More]

Posted on November 15, 2019

Here’s a comic poking fun at customers! [Read More]

Posted on November 11, 2019

Last week, we learned about using steam donkey engines to transport logs from the forest floor to a central staging area. This week, we’ll learn about a railroad staging area and the use of ”jammers” or ”loaders” to load logs onto railroad cars. [Read More]

Posted on November 8, 2019

Welcome to our latest series, Funny Friday! Each Friday, we’ll try to supply our followers with humorous materials we’ve stumbled upon in the archives. [Read More]

Posted on November 4, 2019

Last week, we learned about using horses to transport logs. This week, we’ll learn about one type of mechanical skidder, steam donkey engines! [Read More]

Posted on October 28, 2019

Last week we learned about the science behind felling trees with crosscut saws. Over the next few weeks, we’ll learn about the variety of ways that the Potlatch Lumber Company transported logs once they had been cut and cleared! [Read More]

Posted on October 21, 2019

This week, we’ll learn about felling trees with the popular crosscut saw. [Read More]

Posted on October 14, 2019

We’re starting a new series featuring one of our strongest collecting areas: logging in North Idaho. We’ll be focusing on one lumber company in particular, the Potlatch Lumber Company, which is extremely well-documented within our collections and an important part of logging history in North Idaho. It was operational from... [Read More]

Posted on October 7, 2019

This is the end of our series and so for our last post, we want to answer the inevitable question: ”why should I care about mining in 2019?” [Read More]

Posted on September 30, 2019

Today, we take a closer look at the environmental impacts of underground metal mines. While underground metal mines, like the mines that operated in north Idaho for decades, results in many beneficial materials that are used to build and power technological advancements, there are also damaging effects to mining raw... [Read More]

Posted on September 23, 2019

All of these mining photos may have inspired you to explore an abandoned mine but BEWARE! Just on federal land alone, there are 510 abandoned mine sites in north Idaho and there could be many more on private land. However, most of these abandoned mines are dangerous and deadly because... [Read More]

Posted on September 16, 2019

So far, we’ve stayed underground to explore north Idaho metal mines. Today, we’re taking a break from the underground and coming back to the surface to see what mines look like from the outside! [Read More]

Posted on September 9, 2019

Last week, we learned about smelting ore into base metals for the purpose of building technology, including the many devices that we rely on every day. This week, we’ll take a closer look at the automation side of underground metal mines. Machines, railways, hoists, and ore carts on tracks are... [Read More]

Posted on September 2, 2019

Last week, we learned about milling mineral ore. This week, we’ll look at what happens after minerals have been milled. [Read More]

Posted on August 26, 2019

Last week, we learned about extracting raw mineral ore. This week, we’ll learn about the process of milling, which is the first of two steps required to take raw mineral ore and turn it into a usable product (the second of which is smelting, which we’ll explore next week!) [Read More]

Posted on August 20, 2019

Happy #TroutTuesday! The Idaho state fish is the Cutthroat trout and there’s still plenty of season left to hit the water and catch some BIG fish! [Read More]

Posted on August 19, 2019

Last week, we learned about the dangers posed to an underground metal miner. This week, we’ll focus on the process of mineral extraction, which is what mining is all about! Extracting raw materials from the Earth supports much of our economic and social infrastructure (smartphones, for example, are made of... [Read More]

Posted on August 13, 2019

Today is #PotatoPoTuesday and we have the back of a potato postcard from the 1980s: “The Idaho Potato is featured on the menus of the swankiest supper clubs of the land, yet it is the favored and most thrifty food of the modest. Idaho now devotes 242,500 acres to produce... [Read More]

Posted on August 12, 2019

We’re starting a new series featuring one of our strongest collecting areas: mining in north Idaho. North Idaho mines began operation in the late 1800s and were shut down and abandoned around the mid-20th century and were primarily underground metal mines that extracted mineral ore such as lead, zinc, silver,... [Read More]

Posted on August 6, 2019

Oversized potato postcard [Read More]

Posted on August 1, 2019

It’s been exactly one month since Stranger Things 3 came out and these mining photos of a hoist room and ore grinding mill from Hercules Mining Company in North Idaho look strangely similar to the giant laser that the Russians use in Stranger Things 3 to reopen the gate to... [Read More]

Posted on July 30, 2019

Today, we have some fun health facts for you courtesy of the Idaho Potato Museum! Did you know that potatoes are roughly 80% water? Or that a cooked 8-ounce potato only contains 100 calories? How about the fact that potatoes are naturally 99.9% fat free?1 Just a few reasons why... [Read More]

Posted on July 23, 2019

Today’s post features a humorous postcard from the 1980s. Although Idaho doesn’t actually grow gigantic potatoes (sadly), it does produce about 13 billion pounds of potatoes each year, supplying roughly one-third of the United States potato crop! We love potatoes so much that Idaho even has a Potato Museum! [Read More]

Posted on July 22, 2019

Apollo 11 patch [Read More]