Basque Museum Sign – Boise, Idaho

DID YOU KNOW?  Boise, Idaho is home to the largest Basque population outside of the Basque Country – a region in northern Spain roughly double the size of the Treasure Valley!

In downtown Boise, we have a Basque Museum and Cultural Center, which has helped chronicle the history of Basques in Idaho and worldwide.  Their website contains great information about Basques and their culture.  You can check it out here:  https://basquemuseum.eus/visit/who-are-the-basques/

Currently there is a great traveling exhibit at the museum, running until mid-2024, that is a collaborative effort between our own Basque Museum and Euskal Herria Museum in Gernika, Bizkaia.  It highlights the relationship between writer Ernest Hemingway and his love for the Basque country.  Here is the link for more information regarding the exhibit:  https://basquemuseum.eus/see/current-exhibits/hemingway-euskal-herria/

Portrait of Ernest Hemingway

What?!?  You didn’t know about the connection between Papa Hemingway, the Basque country, and Idaho?  That’s okay – we are still learning how deep the connection was!  Hemingway was very instrumental in helping to promote and preserve the Basque culture.  You can read more about this in this article by Drew Dodson in Idahome Magazine, here:  https://issuu.com/idahome/docs/idahome_volume_5_issue_1_for_issuu/30

We hope these fun facts have piqued further interest in our beloved Boise and her history!  And thanks for reading another Fun Fact Friday post!

Basque Museum Mural