| ‘Inventing
Idaho’ is lecture subject
On the morning of March 4, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed a congressional act creating Idaho Territory. 
On July 3, 1890, President Benjamin Harrison signed a congressional act
establishing Idaho as the 43rd state. The 27-year territorial era between
those two presidential signatures was perhaps the most significant quarter
century in Idaho’s history, shaping who we are as a state today. March
4 of this year marked the 150th anniversary of the creation of Idaho Territory
by President Abraham Lincoln.
This Thursday, October 31, as the final lecture of the 14th Annual Historical Museum at St. Gertrude Fall Lecture Series, State Historian Keith Petersen will give a presentation called "Inventing Idaho." In commemoration of this year's territorial sesquicentennial, the presentation looks back at critical decisions made in the early territorial period that impact Idahoans every day. Keith Petersen is the Idaho State Historian with the Idaho State Historical Society. He is the author of several books and articles about Idaho and the Northwest, and is the only author to have twice won the Outstanding Book on Idaho Award. He is currently writing a biography of Northwest road builder John Mullan, who hoped to become Idaho’s first territorial governor. His research into records of the Idaho territorial era has taken him to repositories from coast to coast. The lecture begins at 7:00 p.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m. A Q&A session will follow and light refreshments are provided. The event will be held in the Johanna Room at Spirit Center at the Monastery of St. Gertrude located at 465 Keuterville Road, Cottonwood, Idaho. Suggested donations for the lectures are $5.00 for singles and $7.50 for couples. For further information on the Lecture Series, contact the Museum at 208-962-2050.  |
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