Idaho Potato Museum facts for kids
The Idaho Potato Museum is a fun place in Blackfoot, Idaho, all about the amazing potato! It's a museum dedicated to showing how important potatoes are, especially in Idaho.
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History of the Potato Museum
Discover how the Idaho Potato Museum came to be, from its beginnings in an old train station to becoming a popular attraction.
From Train Station to Potato Museum
The building where the Idaho Potato Museum now stands was once a busy train station! It was called the Oregon Short Line Railroad Depot and was part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Workers started building it in October 1912, and it was finished on August 15, 1913.
For many years, people in the local potato industry talked about how to show off Idaho's famous potatoes. They wanted to highlight how important potatoes are to Idaho's economy. When the Union Pacific Railway gave the old train station building to Blackfoot City, someone suggested turning it into a potato museum. Everyone thought it was a great idea!
Getting the Museum Started
A group of people from the Blackfoot potato industry and local government worked together to create the museum. They wanted to make sure the museum would be a success.
At first, some people in the community wondered, "Why would tourists come all the way to Idaho just to see a potato museum?" But the working group didn't give up! They kept promoting the idea in Blackfoot.
In February 1988, they invited the director of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center from Cody, Wyoming, to speak. He talked about special museums and told them, "sometimes we don't see the gold in our own backyard." This meant that sometimes the most valuable things are right in front of us, even if they seem ordinary.
As more people started to support the idea, the group decided to pick a name for the museum. Many felt that "museum" sounded like a place with "dusty, old relics." To make sure the potato project appealed to everyone, they chose a new name: the "Idaho's World Potato Exposition."
First Steps and Opening Day
After being empty for many years, the old train station building needed a lot of work. It didn't even have restrooms! Volunteers held a "working-bee" to clean and prepare the building for opening.
A special trial opening happened in the summer of 1988. About 2,000 people from the area came to see it! Even though there weren't any real exhibits yet, the trial was a big success. There were just signs describing what the planned displays would look like.
After the successful trial, a volunteer named Maureen Hill became the unpaid director. She worked hard until 1989, when the expo officially opened to tourists. In its first year, 5,000 people visited the expo!
Many groups helped the museum get started. They received money and materials from:
- Companies in the potato industry
- Local potato farmers
- The local community
- Bingham County
- The City of Blackfoot
How the Museum is Managed
The potato expo has been managed by different groups over the years.
Nancy Batchelder was the first full-time paid director. She and Maureen Hill helped create a famous advertising idea called "Free 'Taters for Out-of-Staters!" This campaign offered free potatoes to visitors from other states.
In 2002, the expo was having money problems. Sandi Thomas became the director and helped solve these financial difficulties, keeping the expo open.
Later in 2002, the Blackfoot Mayor suggested that the expo be managed by the Blackfoot Chamber of Commerce. Everyone agreed, and the staff moved into their new offices. The "Idaho World Potato Exposition Corporation" officially changed its name to "Potato Museum, Inc.," but it still uses the name "Idaho Potato Expo."
A new board of directors was chosen for the Potato Museum, Inc. Deby Barrington became the president of the board. Merlin Wright served as director for both the museum and the Chamber of Commerce. In 2007, Stephanie Govatos took over as director and worked there for four years. Since 2012, Tish Dahman has been the Museum Director.
What You Can See at the Museum
The museum has many interesting exhibits, some donated by the community and others by companies.
One of the most popular displays is the world's largest potato crisp! It was donated by Pringles and measures 25 by 14 inches.
Other exhibits include:
- A timeline showing the history of potato eating in the US. You can learn when French fries first appeared on the White House menu during Thomas Jefferson's time!
- Ancient vessels from Peru, about 1,600 years old. These are believed to be the first containers ever used to store potatoes.
- A Hall of Fame that honors people who have made important contributions to the potato industry.
Gift Shop and Cafe
The museum has a gift shop called "The Spud Seller." Here, you can find all sorts of items with a potato or Idaho theme. The shop started small, selling items on consignment, but now it buys from many different companies, showing how much it has grown!
In 2016, the museum turned the old baggage claim area of the train station into a cafe. It's called the Potato Station Café and opened on Memorial Day weekend. At the cafe, you can enjoy delicious baked potatoes, French fries, and other potato-based treats like potato bread, potato cupcakes, and even chocolate-dipped potato chips!
See also
