Idaho Women’s History

How to use this page

This Idaho Women’s History Inquiry Kit highlights digital resources curated with Idaho educators in mind. This page features basic context about a specific Idaho historical event or topic, highlighted librarian-curated items, and links to larger collections teachers and students can explore.

The larger collections used in this kit are:

About Idaho Women’s History

The Women’s History of Idaho Inquiry Kit highlights digital collections that highlight the history and contributions of women to the state of Idaho.

K-12 learners are often intrigued to learn more about Idaho’s sometimes surprising history of women’s suffrage. Idaho became the fourth state in the nation to grant women the right to vote in 1896—more than twenty years before the 19th Amendment gave many women voting rights nationwide in 1920. Idaho women, such as Rebecca Mitchell, played an active role in organizing, campaigning, and advocating for suffrage, helping shape both state and national conversations about equality and civic participation.

Mona Graham Hubenthal was a community activist in Lewiston. This image links to an interview in which she recounts her experience with community activism.
Mona Graham Hubenthal was a community activist in Lewiston. This image links to an interview in which she recounts her experience with community activism.
Lola Gamble Clyde was a local historian in Moscow. This image links to a section from an interview in which she discusses the women's rights movement.
Lola Gamble Clyde was a local historian in Moscow. This image links to a section from an interview in which she discusses the women's rights movement.
The University of Idaho Women's Center newsletter Fall Semester 2004 which encourages young women to vote and explains the Women's Center's voter registration campaign.
The University of Idaho Women's Center newsletter Fall Semester 2004 which encourages young women to vote and explains the Women's Center's voter registration campaign.

All of the linked Digital Collections follow a pretty standard format. You can learn more about how to navigate a digital collection, with K-12 teaching in mind, at How To Use.

Rural Women’s History Project

The link below will take you the Rural Women’s History Project. This collection consists of a collection of interviews that were designed and carried out by the University of Idaho Women’s Center in 1974 and selected to be digitized in 1974.

You can learn more about how to navigate a digital collection, with K-12 teaching in mind, at How to Use.

Explore the collection

Highlighted Items

These are some highlighted items from the collection.

A typewritten outline of an interview.
In this interview, Deanna Robbins discusses her life in Moscow. The topics covered include birth, doctors, family life, and the differences between city and country living.
A white woman with gray hair and glasses sits on a couch and looks at the camera.
In this interview, Mabel Louise Scribner discusses her life in Avery and St. Maries. The topics covered include American citizenship, recreation, marriage, and domestic work.
A black-and-white head shot of a white woman with short hair and glasses sitting on a chair.
In this interview, Elsie Nelson discusses her life near Moscow. The topics covered include homesteading, education, and employment.

Latah County Oral History Collection

The link below will take you the Latah County Oral History Collection. This collection contains interviews with over 200 Idahoans which were recorded in the 1970s. The nearly 600 hours of oral history in this collection depict life in the Inland Northwest from the end of the 19th through the early 20th century.”

You can learn more about how to navigate a digital collection, with K-12 teaching in mind, at How to Use.

Explore the collection

Highlighted Items

A young couple sit together in an outdoor area.
An interview with Mi and Marie Lew in which they recount the experiences of a Chinese immigrant family.
The name Oslund in white font on a blue background.
An interview with Anna Marie Oslund in which she recounts the experiences of a Swedish immigrant family.
The name Justice in white font on a blue background.
An interview with Lena Erickson Justice, who discusses her work as a flunkey in a logging camp.

University of Idaho Women’s Center Records

The link below will take you to the University of Idaho Women’s Center Records collection. This digital collection is comprised of about 500 newsletter and photographs from the U of I women’s Center, from the 1970s through 2022.

You can learn more about how to navigate a digital collection, with K-12 teaching in mind, at How to Use.

Explore the collection

Highlighted Items

A young couple sit together in an outdoor area.
An early newsletter from the Women's Center which encourages readers to visit the Center and announces upcoming events.
The name Oslund in white font on a blue background.
Wilma Scott Heide, president of the National Organization for Women, speaking at a program sponsored by the Women's Center in 1973.
The name Justice in white font on a blue background.
Scene from the inauguration of Elizabeth Zinser, the first woman president of the University of Idaho.

Relevant standards

  • 4.SS.1.2.3 Analyze and describe the different immigrant experiences across Idaho.
  • 9-12.US2.2 Evaluate Progressive’s impact, re: Prohibition and Women’s Suffrage
  • 6-12.HT1.4 Construct and/or communicate a historical argument using primary and secondary sources.

Suggest a standard

Are you a teacher in Idaho using this resource in the classroom? Suggest a standard you think might apply

Notes