The Lemhi County Historical Society’s responsibility to preserve, protect, exhibit, and interpret local and regional history has fostered two major preservation projects as the organization begins its 51^st year of service to this community.  The society is working to improve the museum for artifact safety and visitor enjoyment and striving to protect and restore a building important in the historical development of the City of Salmon and Lemhi County.  Continue reading →

The March luncheon meeting will be held on Thursday, March 13th, at noon at the Museum. The renowned Dr. Carrington will be offering a presentation on the historical evolution of medical education.  Hope to see you there.

The February Historical Society luncheon will be held on Thursday, February 20th, at noon, at the Museum. Local historian, Mike Crosby, will provide the presentation. We have a new sound system, thanks to the ingenuity of Dale Ford and Todd Nelson, so it will be much easier to hear. Come enjoy the new lighting system, installed by Mike Ernest Electric. With the setup of a more accessible seating arrangement, along with the new lights and sound, this is a must attend luncheon.

Hope to see you there!

Our January luncheon is this Thursday, January 9th, at noon at the Museum. Jim Evans of the Nez Perce Trail Association will be presenting a slide show and author, Larry Gwartney will introduce his most recent publication, Reflections in the River of No Return and autograph any of those purchased.

Hope to see you there.

It is that festive time of year!  The Lemhi County Historical Society December Luncheon will be held this Thursday, December 12, at Noon at the Museum.  In addition to a presentation (regionally and seasonally inspired) by historian, Mike Crosby, we will have a delicious luncheon, a Christmas gift drawing, and a generally swell time!  We hope to see you all there.

It’s time for the first fall Lemhi County Historical Society luncheon held at noon on Thursday, November 14, at the Museum. We’ll catch up on everything we’ve been doing since our last regular luncheon in March, have nominations for officers/board positions, eat delicious food, and have a nice, companionable event. If you want to serve in an office or know someone who would, come prepared with candidate ideas. It is a short but sometimes wicked campaign period from November to December,  Hope to see you there!

By Laura Zuckerman
Reprinted from the Post Register, November 3, 2013 edition.

SALMON — A 103-year-old building in Salmon – built from bricks produced by one of the city’s early entrepreneurs – stands ready to be revamped through the efforts of the Lemhi County Historical Society and Museum.

The building that straddles a corner of Terrace Street north of downtown Salmon was erected near the turn of the last century with sandstone bricks manufactured by founding Lemhi County resident Frank Pollard. It was built in a section of the city that once bustled with Chinese immigrants.

The asymmetric structure once held the offices of a newspaper first known as the Lemhi Herald and later the Salmon Herald. The building faded from public prominence in 1932 when the newspaper relocated to Main Street. But it found new life when it was purchased in 1945 by the Salmon Grange Association.

As membership declined in the fraternal organization, which was tied to small agricultural landholders in the city, the building known as the Salmon Grange was transformed again, first becoming a venue for community concerts and later a soup kitchen.

Hope Benedict, head of the Lemhi County Historical Society and Museum, said the building’s latest uses were designed to prevent the unique structure from languishing with disuse.

“There is a lot of community interest in the building. It has great relevance to the history of Salmon, Lemhi County and the state of Idaho,” she said.

The structure’s importance led the local Rotary Club more than a decade ago to pay for a new roof as Idaho Power installed energy-efficient doors and windows. The Salmon Grange Association eventually sold the building to the historical society for a nominal price with the hope it could be restored and with the promise it would continue to serve the community, Benedict said.

In its latest incarnation, the Salmon Grange building will house the museum’s professional photography department — a moneymaker for the nonprofit — and provide exhibit space that is in short supply. The historical society has targeted renovations that could top $100,000 to address issues such as structural weaknesses and water damage to the ceiling and rear of the structure.

Armed with $35,000 from the Steele Reese Foundation, a Salmon-based philanthropic organization, and another $5,000 accrued from an Idaho Heritage Trust award and museum fundraisers, the society hopes upgrades can get underway in coming weeks. Additional grant requests are pending.

Benedict envisions a future for the historic structure that will celebrate the area’s rich past, with plans in the works for rotating exhibits that either travel from sister institutions or are conceived locally.

Idaho Heritage Trust Executive Director Katherine Kirk said the building’s decorative brick detailing near the edge of the roof and other formal design elements suggest a simple Renaissance architectural style.

The structure’s charm hinges on features such as the corner-angled front door, but its underlying value is tied to the century of service it has provided to the community, Kirk said.

“Saving that building and finding a new use for it will connect it to people of a newer generation in a fresh way,” she said.

Idaho Author Cort Conley Offers Fundraiser for
Lemhi County Historical Society and Salmon River Whitewater Park Association

Renowned Idaho author, Cort Conley, in a generous offer to assist two organizations in Lemhi County, will present “Historic Idaho River Films,” on Friday and Saturday evenings, October 25th and 26th, at the Sacajawea Interpretive Center.  His interest in Idaho history and his love of the Salmon River prompted his suggestion to the Lemhi County Historical Society several years ago that he bring his considerable film collection and other Salmon River memorabilia to conduct a fundraiser for that organization.  Although a minor accident prevented this, Conley again made the offer last spring and suggested a two-night event to help both the Lemhi County Historical Society and the Salmon River Whitewater Park Association. The central role of the Salmon River in the historical, cultural, and economic development of both the City of Salmon and Lemhi County made the combination a natural fit.

Beginning at 6:50 sharp, both evenings, Conley will introduce that night’s film and slide collection, including the important expeditions of the Amos Burg trek from the Snake River to the ocean, the 1935 National Geographic trip down the Main Salmon, and the 1938 Frazier/Swain journey down the Middle and Main in wooden boats.  In all, ten river expeditions will be highlighted over the course of the two evenings.  In addition to the films, Conley’s collection of river artifacts, photos, books, and historic film posters will be on exhibit.  A silent auction will run both nights (so you will naturally want to attend both evenings for the bargain price of $20.00) and refreshments will be served. Tickets will be available at the door, or you can call 208.756.7885.  All proceeds will benefit the Lemhi County Historical Society and the Salmon River Whitewater Park Association.

Conley’s education and experience range from receiving a Jurisprudence Doctorate from the University of California and working as a writer, editor, and publisher, to running rivers throughout the American West as a guide. With over forty years’ residence in Idaho and a series of publications, among them, The Middle Fork and The River of No Return (both co-authored by his friend Johnny Carrey), Idaho for the Curious, and Idaho Loners, Conley will reinforce the very rich history of the Salmon River in the development of Lemhi County.

Don’t miss this once-in-lifetime opportunity to enjoy an historic tour of the Salmon River.  The slides and film footage are no longer in public circulation.

The Lemhi County Historical Society and Salmon Arts Council are proud to present:
The American Cowboy, songs and stories by Sara Grey.

When: Saturday, October 12 at 7 p.m.
Where: Salmon City Center
Admission: Members $8, General $10, Seniors $5, Students Free

Thank you to our sponsors:
Ken Hill
Bob and Nancy Russell
Hope Benedict and Stewart Carrington
U of I Nancy E. Cummings REEC
Skin Sense
Sensations Salon
Idaho Humanities Council
Idaho Commission on the Arts
Art Works.

This atlatl weight was stolen from the Lemhi County Historical Society and Museum in August 2013. It is at least 15,000 years old and possibly as old as 30,000 years. A report has been filed with the FBI and there is a reward for information leading to its recovery.

If you have any information about the atlatl weight, please contact the Salmon Police department at 208.756.8980.