Owyhee County Historical Society Museum

This weekend I had to the chance to drive the treacherous roads to Murphy, Idaho. Apart from it being a learning experience for me, since I am just learning how to drive, it was a trip that was packed with information about the Owyhee Indians. Much of what remains of the historical things that these Indians used are in this museum, preserved for all to see. I really wished that I had my camera, so I could show you what the museum looked like, but I forgot it. I should really start carrying it around with me, so because it seems lately you never know what I'm going to come across in this great land. Just in case you don't know where Owyhee county is, I've included a map. Its the biggest county in the state of Idaho.

Any who, I loved this museum. It was small and personal, which are the exact museums that I like. There were so many things to looks at when you first walked in, but it was not overwhelming, so I read it all! First there was the history of the Horny Toads that populate the land, then a day in the life of an Indian that would have lived there, then there was the history of what happened when the westerners came over and displaced the Indians, and even an first eye account of how the Indians fought back.
My favorite part of the museum was, well I actually had several, but I think that the one that resignated with me the most was the exhibit that included around 200 spurs and 500 or so bits for horses. I liked this one the best because I am an avid horse rider, and love the metal work that goes into these pieces of art, or at least that is how I view them. I thought that many of the pieces were wonderfully crafted and you could tell that they were made with expertise. The most amazing thing that I found out while I was there was the fact that all of these artifacts were collected by one man, and he kept record of everyone that he had, as well as where he got them from, and if the history was given about how old it was, who used it and such, he had it down. I truly believe that if we did not have people like this man that collected all of these things, and really searched for the history of each item in his collection, a lot of our history about this land would be gone. We have already lost so much history, it a shame, but without individuals like this, much more would be gone.
I thought that this was a really interesting museum and it held a lot of old art and artifacts that I think have become so everyday to us in our society that we quickly forget to realize the art in everything.