One of the most idiosyncratic aspects of Idaho, and Boise in particular, is its connection to the Basque Country. Because of geographic and climatic similarities to their homeland, thousands of emigrating Basques chose Idaho as their new home. Their influence remains strong throughout the state, but nowhere is it more celebrated celebrated than in Boise's Basque Block.
Founded in 1937, the Boise Art Museum has a premium riverside location in an Art Deco building just off Capitol Boulevard. We took a quick tour of the current exhibitions, and had the chance to meet an artist at work on her latest installation.
Dedicated to America's military past, the mammoth Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa is a privately-funded collection of wartime memorabilia, stories and airplanes. It's the kind of place you could spend days at, and still not see everything.
They're the first thing most people think of when they think "Idaho". And usually, they're the only thing people think of. Potatoes aren't just the most famous product of Idaho, but practically the only thing the state is known for. Crazy, when you consider the amazing variety of sights and experiences available here. It is, I suppose, a testament to the marketing prowess of Idaho's potato manufacturers.
Tucked away in the otherwise uninspiring town of Pocatello is one of the most bizarre museums we've ever visited. The Museum of Clean is the ambitious venture of Don Aslett: America's undisputed Cleaning King.
Potatoes aren't the only thing to spring from the fields of southeastern Idaho. In 1921, a brilliant young engineer had a "Eureka" moment that forever changed the world. While working on the family farm in Rigby, Philo Farnsworth figured out the principle of the image dissector, leading to his invention of the electronic television. He was fourteen years old at the time.
Word had spread around Wallace that the Feds were on their way in, and the town's bordellos had to close up fast. Under the vigilant eyes of Madame Ginger, the working girls of The Oasis grabbed what they could carry and left everything else behind. Their departure marked a sudden and unexpected end to prostitution in Wallace. The year was 1988.
The oldest building in Idaho is also among its most impressive. The Jesuit mission at Cataldo, built between 1850 and 1853 for the Coeur d'Alene tribe, has survived the ages magnificently. After finishing the White Pine Scenic Byway, we toured both the church and its museum in the nearby visitor's center.
PETA members, feel free to skip this post. You're not the target audience for the Jack O'Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center, and probably won't appreciate the photos which are to come (hint: a lot of dead animals). Everyone else, please follow me.
