‘You have to understand the past to know the present,’ Carl Sagan.
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In 2022, Idaho Heritage Trust took up residence in part of the Governor John T. Morrison House in the heart of Boise’s State Street Historic District. This signaled both a new era of expansion and outreach for the Trust, but also a return to where our journey began more than 30 years ago, in the building next door.
The seeds of our current grassroots efforts were sewn back in the late 1980s as Idaho was preparing to celebrate our 100th year of statehood. At that time, Rick Ardinger (Executive Director Emeritus of the Idaho Humanities Council) was the Public Information Officer for the Centennial Commission charged with planning for the momentous occasion. Among his many responsibilities at the time were writing a bi monthly newsletter chronicling the Centennial from 1988 to 1991, writing news releases, planning press conferences, penning speeches for Commission Chair Harry F. Magnuson, and traveling throughout the state to meet with county committee members about their local Centennial projects and celebrations.
Mr. Ardinger generously provides his insight into Idaho’s Centennial Celebration, what led to the creation of Idaho Heritage Trust, and how IHT continues to honor the vision of the Centennial Commission to this day.
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Planning to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Idaho’s statehood officially began in 1985 when Governor John Evans appointed Harry Magnuson of Wallace, Idaho, head of the Centennial Commission. Magnuson was to ‘head a committee of one million people,’ a reference to Idaho’s population at the time, envisioning several years of newsworthy events all across the Gem State. Governor Evans designated a grand total of $6,000 to the Commission and work began in earnest.
With just enough money to get started, the Commission created the Centennial Foundation as a separate nonprofit organization to serve as the fundraising arm of the operation. Inspired by other states, the Foundation identified commemorative license plates as a primary way to generate funding. They enlisted the services of Elgin Syferd Drake to design the Centennial Plate in 1987, creating the now ubiquitous ‘Celebrate Idaho’ red, white, and blue design as an optional alternative to the green and white “Famous Potatoes” plate that was the standard at the time. This was the first tricolored license plate in the United States, which required investing in a new type of press to create the unique design. The plate was rolled out in 1987 and was a smashing success with Idaho residents, as well as garnering national acclaim among license plate enthusiasts. It was lauded as the best in the nation at the time, and the original pressings remain collectors’ items to this day.
It was also the first license plate to have a trademarked design, which helped the Foundation raise funds in two ways. The first was through the sale of the license plates themselves, where residents paid about $25 more than the standard “Famous Potatoes” plate, of which the Centennial Foundation received $0.50 per plate for the new trademarked design. Second, the Foundation made similar arrangements with many other merchandise vendors who paid a licensing fee to print and produce items with the wildly popular ‘Celebrate Idaho’ logo and license plate motif. Soon there were all sorts of t-shirts, hats, keychains, medallions, and even milk cartons that were both Celebrating Idaho and helping fund the Commission’s plans.
With funding taking shape, focus shifted to how best to ‘Celebrate Idaho’ in the coming years. The success of the Foundation’s fundraising created enough capital to fund something special in each of Idaho’s 44 counties. Rick Ardinger often accompanied Harry Magnuson to meet with county committees, experiences that left a lasting impression on Mr. Ardinger.
“We went all over the place and met so many people, I felt like I really got to know the state in a practical way. People loved Harry Magnuson and he loved meeting them, and we were able to hear what was important in each community, what efforts were already being made, and it was fascinating to see how everyone had a different focus. Whether it was preserving an historic landmark, putting on a play or cultural event, dedicating a park or greenspace, or publishing books and documents. Because we were able to meet folks in their own community, we were able to learn firsthand their needs, priorities, and what resonated with them.”
The results were a true plurality of projects in keeping with the vision of a ‘Committee of One Million’. A number of Centennial Commission subcommittees, each with their own funding dedicated to special projects, were developed to support special initiatives, such as Publications, Native American concerns, Ethnic Heritage, and the Lasting Legacy Committee. Many of the projects from the committees still flourish to this day, one being the establishment of a 900-mile Idaho Centennial Trail from Nevada to Canada, and it is truly remarkable how many of our local, regional, and statewide attractions bear the Centennial name and can be traced back to the eventful four years leading up to and shortly following Statehood Day.
Statehood Day itself was quite the to-do across the state, but especially in the Treasure Valley. Tens of thousands of people gathered for festivities as Governor Cecil Andrus and his retinue rode the Centennial 844 Steam Locomotive across southern Idaho as it made its way from Wyoming to Boise, with whistlestop speeches along the way, followed by parades and speeches by Magnuson and Andrus on the Statehouse steps. Two commemorative cakes weighed in at more than 1,000 pounds combined, and the evening was capped off with a festive fireworks display by the famous Grucci family of New York. It marked the first time local news station KTVB took to the skies in a helicopter as part of their 12 straight hours of live, commercial free coverage, and they made the broadcast free to every network and cable station in the state.
Despite all of the hoopla on the day itself, it was the work of the grassroots committees in the 44 counties that really stuck with Mr. Ardinger.
“The grassroots efforts were really the most memorable to me and later helped inform my work with the Humanities Council. Harry loved meeting the passionate people, the driving forces in the communities–the folks who wear all the hats and do the things that need to be done regardless of compensation or publicity. I made so many connections with folks who would go on to work for the Idaho State Historical Society, Idaho Heritage Trust, the Arts Commission, State Parks and Recreation, and other organizations with common goals, and it was a pleasure to continue to collaborate.”
The establishment of IHT was initially proposed by the Lasting Legacy Committee of the Centennial Commission, with its Articles of Incorporation drafted in the neighboring Centennial House by Commission Chair H.F. Magnuson, Lasting Legacy Chair Glenn Janss of Sun Valley, and Vice Chair Martin Peterson of Boise. In April of 1990, the Idaho Heritage Trust was incorporated as a 501c3 nonprofit organization “uniquely qualified to assist in carrying out the state’s policy of encouraging historic preservation.” Once the Idaho Centennial Foundation was officially dissolved, remaining funds and ownership of the trademarked ‘Celebrate Idaho’ license plate design were passed to IHT. The scenic red, white, and blue plate was adopted as the state standard in 1992, and the $0.50 per plate licensing fee continues to provide a large portion of IHT’s funding.
IHT also inherited the Centennial Commission’s grassroots approach to heritage preservation. We are proud to have supported projects in each of Idaho’s 44 counties, and we take special pride in providing assistance to rural communities. Our regional committees provide a forum for individuals from all areas and walks of life to advocate for the preservation of what is special to them and their communities. It is our mission to serve All Idahoans, and we have learned from Mr. Ardinger and Mr. Magnuson’s examples that listening is the best place to start. Upon our incorporation, former Governor Robert Smylie remarked, “I dare say the Trust will make a consequential mark on the history of the next century.” More than 30 years, 900 projects, and $6.2 million in grant awards later, we believe IHT is well on our way to fulfilling the spirit and will of the Centennial Commission to safeguard Idaho’s heritage for the next 100 years.
At the same time as IHT was being incorporated, Mr. Ardinger’s responsibilities to the Commission were coming to a close. After putting the finishing touches on a book documenting all of the public work’s projects under the Centennial umbrella, he was hired as the Assistant Director of the Idaho Humanities Council. In 1996, Mr. Ardinger became the Director and served as such until 2019. Shortly following his retirement, IHC renamed the Centennial House in his honor, and it is now IHT’s honor to reside next to The Ardinger House and continue the work he helped start.
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Many thanks to Rick Ardinger for his time and thoughts in preparing this article. Since his retirement, Mr. Ardinger and his wife Rosemary have revived Limberlost Press, a letterpress print and publishing outfit “Dedicated to publishing finely printed books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction by both established and emerging writers.” The 2024 Edition of the Limberlost Review is available now and features work by the likes of Sherman Alexie, Karen Woods, Jim Dodge, and many more.
Visit idahohumanities.org for more information on Idaho Humanities Council and their programs, and make sure to follow Idaho Heritage Trust on Facebook for updates on our efforts and pieces of historical interest.
