General Public History
10/24/14 – The Passenger Pigeon
September 2014 marked 100 years since the last passenger pigeon died in the Cincinnati zoo. These birds, which at one point made up 20% to 40% of the entire avian population of the United States, lived east of the Rocky Mountains, from central Canada in the north to the southern United States. It is estimated… Read the Rest »
10/15/14 – Sturgeon
In August 2014, when Idaho Power biologists working near the Snake River’s Hells Canyon caught a 10-foot, 400-pound sturgeon, it was far from the largest fish caught on the Snake River.[i] Sturgeon, the largest fresh-water fish in North America, can live to be 75 years old and 14 feet long. Recently, when combing the archives,… Read the Rest »
10/13/14 – Greenbelt and Bike Path History
This October, Boise, Idaho celebrates the 45th anniversary of the creation of the Greenbelt, the 25 miles of biking and walking trails that line both sides of the Boise River. The history of the Greenbelt (see SHRA blog from the summer of 2012) is interesting on its own merit, for it is the story of… Read the Rest »
10/6/14 – Current Troubles with Wilderness
As we honor the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Wilderness Act, it is easy to celebrate the habitats, wild places, and recreational opportunities that it has protected. But it is also important to consider all sides of wilderness and wilderness conservation. In his well-known 1995 essay “The Trouble with Wilderness,” William Cronon tackles the idea… Read the Rest »
10/3/14 – The Penniless Billionaire, a Legacy of Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie is famous for many things, not least of which were his many philanthropic ventures and the legacy of libraries he left across the entire United States. Recently, the British media have been carrying the story of Charles “Chuck” Feeney, an Irish-American billionaire who is making a similar effort to give away his entire… Read the Rest »
9/26/14 – Wilderness Cartoon, 1962-1963
This cartoon,[i] originally printed in the Washington Daily News, was reprinted in the winter of 1962-63 in Living Wilderness, the publication of the Wilderness Society. As conservationists fought to pass the Wilderness Act, the issue of wilderness and wilderness conservation became part of mainstream conversations and media coverage. When Congress passed the law in… Read the Rest »
9/26/14 – Wilderness Areas, 1964-2014
When Congress first created the National Wilderness Preservation System in September 1964, (1) they protected nine million acres of National Forest. On this 1964 map, which was published in the Wilderness Society’s magazine The Living Wilderness, stars represent those first federally designated wilderness areas. The other icons denote potential wilderness areas, foreshadowing the tremendous growth… Read the Rest »
8/29/14 – A Brief History of School Summer Vacation
As August draws to a close, most students across the U.S. are heading back to school. We previously looked at the origins of public schools in the U.S. , and SHRA delved into more education-related issues when we researched and wrote the 120-year history of the Idaho Education Association. Because most Americans are a product of… Read the Rest »
8/8/14 – Smallpox in the Archives, a Look at the Spread of Disease in Canyon County, Idaho
In November 1906, a smallpox epidemic broke out in Canyon County, Idaho. It was reported by citizens in Emmett that “people broken out with smallpox were walking the streets,” presumably spreading the disease without knowing it. For the next two years, county physician Dr. William Waldrop traveled extensively around the expansive rural county tending to… Read the Rest »
7/23/14 – World Cup Reflections
In the months leading up to the 2014 World Cup, headlines abounded with speculation on Brazil’s readiness. As thousands of tourists descended upon the various host cities, it was clear that Brazil’s infrastructure was not up to snuff. Barely finished stadiums, hastily constructed airport terminals (one of which was under a tent) and numerous uncompleted… Read the Rest »