University of Idaho Campus Photographs Collection

Historical photographs documenting the history of the U of I Campus from 1889 to the present

Contents: About the Collection | Collection Note | Sources | Credits | Tech

About the Collection

The University of Idaho Library’s Campus Photograph Collection is a collection of digitized historical images of the University of Idaho campus, focusing on the physical structures that populate the U of I’s main campus in Moscow, Idaho. This digital collection is mostly taken from the library’s Special Collections and Archive’s U of I Historic Campus Photographs Collection, which is referred to as Photograph Group 1 (PG1). The collection comprises thousands of images spanning from 1889 to the early 1990s and includes photography of buildings that have been demolished, added-on-to, or moved (in a couple cases). Color images of recent buildings added to campus since the 1970s have been added for continuity.

The U of I’s colleges, schools, and organizations have often changed buildings several times in campus history to accommodate cultural change and academic growth. For example, the Armory is a title that has been owned by three different buildings, one of which no longer exists. Thus, it is very important to note the dates for which one is seeking images. For example, if one is looking for a building that is not listed on our buildings page or in the drop-down menu at right, they can use the search box to find the building sought (e.g. ‘infirmary’ or ‘dairy barn’.) This photo collection also includes a limited number of academic activities and individuals. These images can also be found by using a keyword search (e.g. ‘biological’ or ‘Alf Dunn’.)

The U of I Library Special Collections and Archives (Spec) can be found on the first floor of the U of I Library to the far left of the Circulation Desk. Researchers can contact Spec through email: libspec@uidaho.edu; by phone: 208-885-0845; or by visiting the Spec Reading Room.

1937 photograph of Administration Building. Architect's drawing of new wing. [PG1_52-057]
Administration Building, University of Idaho architect's drawing of new wing. [52-57]
1950 photograph of the Golf Course. Players in foreground. [PG1_110-10]
Golf Course, University of Idaho. [110-10]
1928 photograph of Ridenbaugh Hall. View from the northwest. [PG1_58-03]
Ridenbaugh Hall, University of Idaho. [58-3]
1966 photograph of the Wallace Residence Center. A group of students walks away from the building. [PG1_141-11]
Wallace Residence Center, University of Idaho. [141-11]
1923 photograph of Forney Hall. View of construction. [PG1_60-06]
Forney Hall, University of Idaho. Construction. [60-6]
1971 illustration of the Kibbie-ASUI Activity Center. Architect's rendering. Donor: Athletic Dept. [PG1_147-24]
Kibbie-ASUI Activity Center, University of Idaho. Architect's drawing. [147-24]
1906-03-31 photograph of Administration Building. View of the old Administration building on fire. [PG1_51-24b]
Administration Building, University of Idaho (1892-1906) fire scene. [51-24b]
1896 photograph of Armory. View of the rifle lined walls and three cadets. Donor: Gilbert Hogue. [PG1_55-01]
Armory, University of Idaho (1896-1903) interior. [55-1]
1953 photograph of Dairy Farm and Creamery. Sour students use a machine to press a brick of to make cheese. Donor: Publications Dept. [PG1_205-34b]
Cheese making. University of Idaho. [205-34b]
1942 photograph of Kirtley Engineering Laboratory. View of the shop interior. Donor: Publications Dept. [PG1_084-13b]
Kirtley Engineering Laboratory, University of Idaho. [84-13b]

Collection Note

Presently, the Campus Photograph Collection does not include the Greek houses.

This is for two reasons: 1) the PG1 collection contains very few photos of the Greek houses in particular, and 2) though the university has historically owned the land that the Greek houses sit on, the university does not own the structures themselves.

Researchers seeking historic images of Greek houses may wish to investigate the University of Idaho Student Organizations Collection (PG2) or the University of Idaho: Then and Now collection. Additionally, images of Greek houses in the Campus Activities Photographic Collection can be viewed by visiting the Special Collections Reading Room.

Sources

Building records cite “Sources” given with an abbreviation used in the original research:

Initially compiled by Judith Nielsen, 1995. The full original web page can be seen in the archived Campus Buildings list.

Credits

The University of Idaho Library’s Digital Initiatives department digitized all the photos in this collection under the direction of Estelle Sertich and Kevin Dobbins. Almost all of the content in this website was generated, vetted, or compiled via the tireless efforts of Jordan Wrigley, 125th Anniversary Intern in the Special Collections and Archives Department. We are also grateful to Michael McMullin for providing us with geolocation detecting code for the mobile map site.

Technical Credits - CollectionBuilder

This digital collection is built with CollectionBuilder, an open source framework for creating digital collection and exhibit websites that is developed by faculty librarians at the University of Idaho Library following the Lib-Static methodology.

Using the CollectionBuilder-CSV template and the static website generator Jekyll, this project creates an engaging interface to explore driven by metadata.

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Technical Specifications
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