Mini-Cassia Style
Story and photos by Dianna Troyer
A hand-sewn 1776 flag with its 13 colonial stars as beacons of freedom welcomes America250 celebrants to a special exhibit at Cassia County Museum in Burley.
The flag hangs over the entrance to the museum’s America250 display. Inside a spacious room, 2 large posters focusing on the preamble of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence stand on easels. They flank a massive golden eagle with its wings spread inside a glass display case.
“We invite the community to come and see our special America250 display,” museum Curator Tosha Pincock says. “It’s amazing to see an eagle’s size up close. It was a gift from 1 of our board members whose family found it deceased.”
Tosha says the America250 celebration reminds her of the Founding Fathers’ vision for a new nation and the county’s pioneers who turned a sagebrush steppe into productive farmland.
“We’re grateful for this country and glad we have a museum like this to celebrate our heritage and remind us to keep the American dream alive,” she says. “People who moved west fulfilled their dreams here and established our county in 1906. We’re fairly young as a county compared to the nation, but we share timeless values of freedom. The celebration reminds us of how blessed we are to live here and be part of the United States.”
Assistant Curator Joyce Bringhurst points out another display detailing the young nation. A scale replica of the USS Constitution frigate, built by Galan Rogers, is in an adjacent room that focuses on the United States during wartime.
More than a decade after the Revolutionary War ended, Congress authorized construction of the ship in 1794 to defend the United States. 3 years later, it was launched. The ship earned the nickname “Old Ironsides” during the War of 1812, was retired from service in 1881, and became a museum ship in 1907.
The USS Constitution is moored at a permanent berth in Boston and is the oldest commissioned warship still afloat.
Joyce says America250 celebrations remind people to pause and reflect.
“We made it this long as a nation despite the Civil War and 2 world wars,” she says. “We’re still here doing some good for all. Hopefully, the U.S. will be here in another 250 years.”
A local America250 committee in Burley planned a variety of activities: a window-decorating contest, a children’s scavenger hunt to teach the nation’s history, and a youth essay contest with the topic of writing a letter to a Founding Father.
The Burley Freedom Boat Parade is at 4 p.m. July 3, at the Boathouse, 197 West Highway 30, on the Snake River. Boaters decorate their vessels with red, white, and blue.
To celebrate the Fourth of July, festivities begin at 4 p.m. at Rivers Edge Park, 131 Highway 81. A free concert features Heath Owens. Food vendors, entertainment and activities for all ages are scheduled. A fireworks show begins at dusk.
A Pocket of History in Rupert
In Rupert, Minidoka Historical Society Museum displays a timely connection to Benjamin Franklin, an iconic national leader during and after the Revolutionary War.
A gleaming, golden pocket watch Franklin gifted to the nation’s first postmaster dangles from inside a protective glass cloche.
Franklin is the only Founding Father to have signed all 3 foundational documents establishing the United States: the Declaration of Independence, the 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the war, and the U.S. Constitution.
During the 8-year war, Franklin was remembered for his crucial contributions, including helping edit the Declaration of Independence and securing funding from France as a diplomat.
After the war, Franklin expressed his patriotism in practical ways to help his new country function efficiently. In 1789, he served as postmaster general of the Continental Congress and gave a pocket watch to Samuel W. Osgood, the first postmaster general of the United States.
The watch was kept in the Osgood family, who lived in Rupert and donated it to the museum.
To celebrate America250 in Rupert, a committee planned 5 days of activities with the theme of “America! 250 Years Strong.” The events culminate on July 4.
Besides fireworks, festivities feature bands, a carnival, a pickleball tournament, bike races, breakfast, a tribute to veterans, and a special showing of “May We All,” a country musical at Wilson Theatre.
The celebration’s main events on July 4 are an 11 a.m. parade with grand marshals George and Dona Maas and a family rodeo at 6 p.m. at Minidoka County Fairgrounds.