Idaho Museum of Natural History
The Idaho Museum of Natural History on the ISU Campus
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| Established | 1934 |
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| Location | Pocatello, Idaho, United States |
| Coordinates | 42°52′01″N 112°26′00″W / 42.866859°N 112.433312°W |
| Type | Natural history museum |
| Director | Dr. Leif Tapanila |
| Website | www.imnh.isu.edu |
The Idaho Museum of Natural History (IMNH) is the official state natural history museum of Idaho, located on the campus of Idaho State University (ISU) in Pocatello. Founded in 1934, it has collections in anthropology, vertebrate paleontology, earth science, and the life sciences. Additionally, it contains an archive of documents and ethnographic photographs.
The founding of the IMNH can be traced back to 1934 when a group of dedicated professors and researchers decided to collect, preserve, and display the region's natural and cultural heritage. The Museum was originally established as the Historical Museum at the Southern Branch of the University of Idaho. In the beginning, the Museum’s collection consisted of 5,000 objects that were primarily anthropological, archaeological, and historical artifacts that were donated by the Pocatello Chamber of Commerce, faculty, and supporters of the university's Southern Branch.
The Museum was governed by a 17 member Historic Museum Committee until the mid-1950s when it was renamed the Idaho State College Museum. By 1963, the Idaho State College was renamed Idaho State University and the Museum changed its name to the Idaho State University Museum.
In 1977, the museum shifted its focus toward natural history, the Ray J. Davis Herbarium, and zoological collections. A majority of the collections were transferred from the Idaho State University Department of Biological Sciences to the museum. Also during this time, the Idaho State University Museum acquired historical collections from the Idaho State Historical Society, the Bannock County Historical Society, and the Idaho State University Library.
In May 1977, the Idaho State Board of Education adopted a resolution requesting that Governor John V. Evans designate the Idaho State University Museum as the Idaho Museum of Natural History (IMNH) and signed into law on July 1, 1977. In 1986, the Idaho State Legislature confirmed the IMNH as Idaho’s official state museum of natural history.
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