Here is a great fun thing to do while on your Idaho vacation. Look for one of more than 240 large historical highway markers. Idaho is chock full of history and the major sites are marked.
Did you know Owyhee county was named for trappers from Hawaii? Do you know that Lewiston was the first state capitol of Idaho? Where did Butch Cassidy rob a bank in Idaho? - Montpelier.
The Idaho Historical Highway Marker Guide has the above answers and hundreds more in a compact travel guide. The Idaho Historical Society has teamed up with the Idaho Department of Transportation to place highway markers at over 240 sites around the state. The guide documents their locations.
Highway travel can be tough on kids if they are not involved in the trip. Help them learn a bit of history and reduce figiting and boredom as they travel. You will find new pleasure in traveling and be rewarded for the effort.
A cooperative effort started in 1956 to standardize, mark, and maintain an array of historical site markers that had been placed by numerous individuals and organizations.
The Idaho Historical Society evaluates and proposes sites and prepares the information to be placed on the signs. The Idaho Transportation Department is responsible for the site preparation, installation, and maintenance of the markers. Each marker is located in turnouts, thus, avoiding having to park on the shoulder of the road. Signs announcing the historical markers are placed approximately 1000 feet from the markers to allow for slowing and a safe turn out.
The markers are each 4 feet by 8 feet with heavy wood timbers surrounding the markers and providing support posts. Each marker is also numbered for easier reference.
Many travelers like to record trip details. Creating a log of Historical Highway Markers you visit can be a good way to "waymark" your Idaho travels.
A number of organizations have websites with databases of historical markers. The marker locations can be accessed within counties, states, or countries, or by the organization that sponsored the marker, depending on the organization. Many of these encourage reporting historical sites for inclusion into their databases. Some also have facilities for recording and reporting your visits to any historical marker. Some of these organizations will be featured in upcoming posts. Check back here for links.
Have fun and give purpose to your travels. Learn a bit more about Idaho history on your Idaho vacation. Make a log of places visited, report markers not currently in databases. There are lots of things to do in Idaho.
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