Let's Get Territorial in Eastern Idaho!

On the morning of March 4, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln (Idaho has a county named for him) signed a congressional act creating Idaho Territory.

On July 3, 1890, President Benjamin Harrison (Idaho has a city and a street in Boise named for him) 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. 

“Get Territorial: Idaho at 150” is a statewide, grassroots effort. Bannock County invites all surrounding counties to get participate in the celebration! We will be using this website to post all the special events in Southeast Idaho and to provide links to other websites about Southeast Idaho History. Use your imagination to plan your own commemoration.

Eastern Idaho 150 Kickoff Celebration was a Great Success!

Office of the Governor Proclamation
Idaho Sesquicentennial Day Proclamation
The Idaho 150 Celebration Committee of Southeast Idaho at the new Shoshone-Bannock Hotel & Events Center in Fort Hall had a great turnout with 11 Eastern Idaho counties present.

News articles about the celebration

Idaho Celebrates 150th Anniversary - by the Idaho State Journal

150th Territorial Event: Fort Hall Crowd Learns Idaho’s Role in Civil War
Article and Video  by the Idaho State Journal

Maj. Alvord Deserves Recognition - by the Idaho State Journal

Idaho at 150 Celebration Video on KPVI News

Click on the image on the left to read the Idaho Sesquicentennial Day Proclamation signed by Governor Butch Otter.
 

Fifteen Things to do in Your Community

  1. Hang a “Get Territorial: Idaho at 150” banner over a main street in your community.
  2. Have your local elected officials present a proclamation supporting the “Get Territorial: Idaho at 150” commemoration.
  3. Research and photograph territorial buildings in your community and post them on the Idaho State Historical Society website.
  4. Have a booth at your county fair to share interesting historical facts and engage your community.
  5. Work with your local historical society to organize special events, collect oral histories and donations, etc.
  6. Participate in Archaeology and Preservation Month (May) activities in your community.
  7. Create an exhibit on your community history to display in your library or other public building.
  8. Research farms and ranches that have been in your community for 150 years and nominate them to be recognized by the Century Farm and Ranch program.
  9. Post your Idaho at 150 community events on the statewide “Get Territorial” calendar on the Idaho State Historical Society website.
  10. Create a community publication that will be a lasting legacy of the “Get Territorial: Idaho at 150” commemoration; cook books and local histories make great options.
  11. Theme your local annual events around “Get Territorial: Idaho at 150”.
  12. Invite a local elected official or a state legislator to speak at your event.
  13. Create a walking heritage tour in your town.
  14. Travel one of Idaho’s scenic byways.
  15. Think of fifteen more things to do to commemorate “Get Territorial: Idaho at 150.”