Agriculture and Homesteading

Homesteading and agriculture began slowly in Idaho, where the success of agriculture is closely linked to the availability of water and the development of irrigation systems. Our holdings include records for individual farmers and ranchers in the form of homestead applications, chattel mortgages, and livestock indexes, as well as statewide agricultural statistics. We also have interviews with farmers and ranchers and photos of agriculture and homesteading in Idaho.

• P1991.007 is the Brady Stewart photograph collection, which documents homesteading near Twin Falls around 1910. This collection includes 320 photos, some black and white and some hand-colored.  

• P1994.013 is a collection of Bureau of Land Management photographs from 1940-1979.  This collection includes 279 photos of sheep ranching and grazing in Idaho.

 

Farmers feeding alfalfa to ewes. Wood River Grazing District, near Hailey. ISHS Photos: 1994.13.43