Society Information

The Gooding County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and sharing of the history of Gooding County. The Society meets once a month and listen to a variety of speakers on different subjects dealing with this area. The Society is in charge of the antiques at the annual Gooding County Fair and Rodeo, along with supervising the school house. We maintain and update a grave register for the Gooding Cemetery and try to keep updated records for the other nearby Gooding County towns. The Society is present at several cemeteries on Memorial Day to assist the patrons in search of their families. We collect family histories and antiques to display in the museum. A database of over 17,000 names has been acquired to assist people in search of their Gooding County ties. We maintain a website with information on the area and special events along with new acquisitions at the museum.

Our current museum, located in the original post office building on Main Street, has deteriorated to the point of being unsafe and therefore is closed to the public. With the recent heavy rains, part of our ceiling has collapsed endangering many of our antiques. For the past several years, the focus of the Society has been raising funds to build or purchase a new building to house the museum. The City of Gooding donated .91 acres on a prominent hill south of town. This year our funds totaled $52,000 in cash and $30,000 in stocks. The Society will be seeking grants to help complete the building and sponsor educational displays. For more information about our Museum Project, go to our Museum Page.

Gooding Leader, Gooding, Idaho February 3, 1972

Officers Elected For Society

Elected president of the newly formed Gooding County Historical Society Monday night was the originator of the idea, Mrs. K.T. Butler.

Elected to serve with her was Robert Meyer, vice president and Mrs. Frank Stone, secretary-treasurer.

These three officers will serve the organization until the annual meeting in June.

Mrs. Dorothy Grieve, chairman for the meeting said the county commissioners had levied $1000 for the society, but in order for the money to be used a budget would have to be set by the officers and presented to commissioners before Feb. 14.

Mrs. Ted Chu and Mrs. Grieve reported that the state parks board was very enthusiastic about building an historical museum in the Malad Canyon state park.

Mrs. Chu said the board discussed the possibility of housing such a museum in one of the park buildings to have park patrol oversee nighttime care.

Mrs. Grieve noted that there are five state parks on the drawing board at the present time and indicated a year might elapse before actual work begins.

On display were a picture of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Bauscher taken 76 years ago, a bedspread made by Mrs. Bauscher's mother, a homespun sheet made by Mr. Bausher's mother and rocking chair belonging to Mrs. Bauscher.

Mrs. Butler related the story of Mr. Bauscher giving a pistol to his wife for protection when they lived on Camas Prairie. Mrs. Bauscher had traded that pistol for the rocking chair.

Special speaker was Rex Painter, discussing ghost towns of the region, including Bonanza, Bullion, Rock Creek and Delamar.

Painter had on display five paintings of some 40 he has done reconstructing these old towns from photos and conversations of former residents.

Of interest to the society was a painting of the old city of Bliss.