University of Idaho Museum Collection
Abstract
Photographs, political campaign artifacts, greeting cards, articles, books, and other various exhibit items. Also included is the first given Watkin's Gold Medal, awarded to Florence Corbett Johnston and Sara Annette Bowman's personal recipe and cookbook.
Dates
- Creation: 1891-1968
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Biographical / Historical
The University of Idaho Museum opened on November 20, 1964. It took seven years of planning for the Museum to develop, coordinated by the Academic Vice President of the time, Walter Steffens. It was located in the former Geology building which was vacated in 1961. It's first special exhibit was the Appaloosa: The Spotted Horse in Art. The exhibit was originally prepared by the Amon Carter Museum of Western Art and the Appaloosa Horse Club of Moscow. The Faculty Women's Club helped with this first opening. Those on the museum committee included Alfred Bowers, Philip Dumas, Earl Larrison, Roger Harder, Joseph Newton, Stewart Schell, Howard Smith, and Kenneth Hungerford.
Administered by the President's office, it existed to serve that entire campus. There was no limitation to the fields of interest items and artifacts were collected and displayed. Admission was free, and the museum was open to the viewing of the local community. Eventually, museum training short-courses took place at the museum. Then on April 11, 1983 the university museum closed its doors. Ellis Burcaw, museum director at the time, had been director for sixteen years. The museum closing was supposedly in part by the ending of the museology program at the university.
Extent
1 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The folders are arranged in alphabetical order. Materials in the folders were separated into item type categories. The folders include the item, the original item description form, and the museum tag.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These artifacts from the University of Idaho Museum were donated to the Museum of Anthropology of the Washington State University in 2002. Eventually the items sent to the University of Idaho Library's Special Collections and Archives Department. They were accessioned in 2010.
Source
- University of Idaho. Museum (Organization)
Topical
- Title
- Guide to University of Idaho Museum Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Sara Szobody.
- Date
- 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives Repository