Idaho Museum of Natural History

The Idaho Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum at Idaho State University in Pocatello with over 500,000 specimens in its collections. The exhibits feature materials about rocks and fossils, animal and plant remains, and archaeological finds from the surrounding region and beyond.

The museum was founded in 1934 as part of the University of Idaho's Southern Branch and received its current name in 1986 through state legislation. This renaming marked the official recognition of the institution as an important science museum in the region.

The museum displays Native American collections that show traditional crafts and daily practices through objects spanning multiple eras. You can observe how people in this region lived and worked across centuries.

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday and provides accessible entry for all visitors. Plan time for a comfortable walk through the different exhibit areas.

The plant collection contains about 70,000 pressed specimens and represents one of the most complete archives documenting Idaho's plant diversity. This pressed collection allows researchers and visitors to explore the region's natural world in rare detail.

Location: Idaho

Inception: 1934

Website: http://imnh.isu.edu

GPS coordinates: 42.86690,-112.43300

Latest update: December 12, 2025 16:43