The gray building that now hosts the Idaho Potato Museum was once known as the Oregon Short Line Railroad Depot. Construction for this building began in 1903 and finished in 1913. At a later date Union Pacific Railroad bought the depot. Countless tons of freight and passengers passed through the doors of this railroad station over the years.
A group of people in the potato industry had been talking and brainstorming for years about a way to showcase potatoes and their importance to the local economy. Then Union Pacific donated the old railroad station in Blackfoot to Blackfoot City. The question of what to do with the building was answered by the idea of turning it into a potato museum.
That original group of planners was composed of people from all parts of the potato industry in Blackfoot, as well as city and county officials. They were Dean Yancey, Allan Larsen, Keith Hinckley, Brian Finnigan, Dean Hill, Walter Gay, Rex Call, Claude Johnson and Maureen Hill. They had no money, no manpower, and no idea how to make it happen. But they had big dreams.
Not everyone was enthusiastic about the idea. “People won't come to Idaho just to look at a potato museum”, was a frequently heard comment. Not to be deterred, promotional work was undertaken in the home community of Blackfoot. Arrangements were made for the director of the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, Wyoming, to come speak at a general Chamber of Commerce meeting in February 1988. He addressed the specific topic of specialized museums. This was a well-attended meeting with an upbeat message. As Rex Call said “Sometimes we don't see the gold in our own backyard.”
Considerable discussion went into the selection of the name. The term “museum” conjured up the negatives of old, dusty relics. Also they wanted to appeal to a broader audience, so “Idaho’s World Potato Exposition” was finally chosen.
It was decided to have a trial opening the summer of 1988. But first tons of elbow grease had to be expended to clean the building and get it in shape for use. After many years of disuse it was dirty, dingy, and had no usable restrooms. Everyone rolled up their sleeves and got to work, cleaning, sweeping, repairing, etc.
The two-week trial opening was held in June 1988. Approximately 2000 people attended, most of them local or from the immediate area. There were no real displays, only dividers borrowed from the Blackfoot School District with ideas written out as to what the planned displays would show.
Maureen Hill volunteered to act as an unpaid director at this time and also for the next year when the Expo was open for tourists. That year some 5000 visitors came through.
Most of the financial support for the beginnings of the Expo came from the potato industry. Places like Basic American Foods and Nonpareil, local potato growers, and others in the industry. There was also support from the county. The city of Blackfoot, of course, provided the building.
Displays came from three basic sources. First, there were specific items donated by a myriad of people. Second, money was donated specifically earmarked for display improvement. Third, there were corporate donors of money and display items, such as the world’s largest potato crisp donated by Pringles of Procter & Gamble.
Nancy Batchelder was the first full-time paid director, serving in that position for the next four years. Maureen and Nancy are given credit for deciding to serve baked potatoes as the “free taters for out-of-staters”. The equipment for the kitchen was donated and the freight room was turned into a mini-restaurant. It was difficult to run and never paid its way. A broken pope during the winter of 2002 caused enough damage that the kitchen had to be closed.
The Spud Seller gift shop started small with a few items taken on consignment. In recent years gift shop items have been purchased from multiple wholesalers, as well as those taken on consignment. This provides a greater variety of merchandise with a potato or Idaho theme.
Several ideas of the original board were tried. Some succeeded, some did not. There were a lot of dreams, but not enough money in most cases. Multiple potato boards managed the Idaho Potato Museum over the years.
Two other paid directors followed Ms. Batchelder. Up until the summer of 2000, when Sandi Thomas took over. By this time the Expo was in financial trouble and Sand deserves the credit for stepping in and saving it from being closed.
In May 2002 Mayor Scott Reese approached the Blackfoot Chamber of Commerce executive director Merlin Wright about the possibilities of the Chamber taking over the operation of the Expo an moving the Chamber offices into the building. After considerable discussion with all parties involved, the move took place in mid-June 2002. The old corporation was dissolved and new papers were drawn up and filed as of September 17, 2002. It is now legally known at the Potato Museum, Inc. dba Idaho Potato Expo.
Under the direction of the Chamber of Commerce a new board of directors for the Potato Museum, Inc., was appointed. Deby Barrington served as president of that board. Merlin Wright served as director for both Idaho Potato Museum, Inc. and Blackfoot Chamber of Commerce.
In 2007 Merlin Wright retired as director from both Idaho Potato Museum, Inc. and Blackfoot Chamber of Commerce. This is when Stephanie Govatos took over. She served at director for 4 years before retiring to Florida with her family.
The museum’s exhibits include the world’s largest potato crisp, measuring 25 inches, and a timeline history of potato consumption in the U.S. (including the introduction of French fries to the White House cuisine during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson).[1] Also on display are 1,600-year-old vessels made in Peru, which are believed to be the first equipment used specifically for potato storage.[2] The museum also maintains its own Hall of Fame that pays tribute to individuals who made significant contributions to the potato industry.[3]