Idaho

B

Libraries

Some 104 tax-supported public libraries serve the residents of Idaho. Each year libraries circulate an average of 8.2 books for every resident. The city of Boise has the largest municipal library. The library of the University of Idaho, in Moscow, is the largest library in the state. Other notable college libraries are those of the Albertson College of Idaho and of Idaho State University. The repository for state records as well as for old Idaho manuscripts and newspapers is the library and archives of the Idaho State Historical Society, in Boise. The Idaho State Law Library, also in Boise, dates from 1869.

C

Museums

The works of Pacific Northwest artists are housed in the Boise Art Museum. The gallery was opened in 1937 and is the state’s outstanding art museum. The Idaho State Historical Museum, in Boise, includes noted exhibits of early Native American and pioneer life. The Idaho Museum of Natural History, at Idaho State University, features life and earth sciences exhibits. The museum also contains exhibits of archaeology and state history. A collection devoted to the early mining days of Idaho is housed in the Boise Basin Museum, in Idaho City.

D

Communications

By 2002 there were 11 daily newspapers being published in Idaho. Idaho’s first newspaper, the Golden Age, was founded as a weekly at Lewiston in 1862. The oldest continuously published newspaper in the state is the Boise Idaho Statesman, which was founded in 1864 as the Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman. It later became a daily. Other leading dailies are the Lewiston Morning Tribune, the Twin Falls Times-News, the Idaho Falls Post Register, and the Coeur d’Alene Press.

The first radio broadcasts in Idaho were made in 1921 from a station known as 74A, located in Boise. It later became KIDO. The first television stations in the state began operations in Boise in 1953. By 2002 there were 39 AM and 50 FM radio stations and 11 television stations operating in Idaho.

---

---

E

Music and Theater

Most of the early settlements in Idaho had opera houses where plays and musical shows were performed. There are now numerous little-theater groups and community concert organizations in the state.

The Boise Philharmonic is the most prominent of the orchestras in Idaho. Boise Music Week has been held annually for many years. The Idaho International Folk Dance Festival is held annually in Rexburg, featuring authentic folk dancers from around the world.

VI

Recreation and Places of Interest

Idaho’s mountains, lakes, streams, and extensive wilderness areas make it a haven for outdoor activities. Principal ski areas include Silver Mountain, near Kellogg; Schweitzer Basin, near Sandpoint; Brundage Mountain, near McCall; and Bogus Basin, near Boise. The world-famous Sun Valley, opened in 1936 by the Union Pacific Railroad, is an important summer and winter resort. Hunters travel from around the world to search for big game in the state’s backcountry, some of which is accessible only by foot or horseback. Idaho is also renowned for sport fishing, especially in the northern rivers and lakes, where there are several varieties of salmon and trout.

	More from Encarta
	•  Important Notice: MSN Encarta to be discontinued. Learn more. •  Presidential Myths Quiz •  Coffee break: Recharge your brain