Minidoka County Historical Society Museum

10/12/2026

Meaningful Monday

10/09/2026

🍅 **A Blast from the Past — The Conservo Steamer-Canner!** 🫙

Have you ever seen one of these unusual-looking kitchen appliances? Before electric pressure cookers, freezers, and all the modern conveniences we enjoy today, inventions like this helped families prepare meals and preserve their harvests!

Here at The Minidoka County Museum, we have a wonderful example of an early 20th-century kitchen appliance known as the Conservo Steamer-Canner, manufactured by The Swartzbaugh Manufacturing Company of Toledo, Ohio.

According to our museum records, the Conservo was patented in 1907.

This ingenious contraption was designed to sit over a single stovetop burner, where heat produced steam for cooking and food preservation. Its sturdy metal construction, two separate compartments, and tightly secured doors made it quite an impressive piece of kitchen equipment for its time.

Imagine a farmhouse kitchen more than a century ago, with fresh vegetables from the garden, jars waiting to be filled, and a busy homemaker preparing for the long winter months ahead.

For many families, preserving the summer harvest wasn't simply a hobby. It was an important part of making sure there would be food on the table throughout the year.

And just look at the craftsmanship! The manufacturer's name and hometown are still proudly embossed on both doors.

Although we wouldn't recommend using an antique appliance like this for modern home canning, it remains a fascinating reminder of the resourcefulness and ingenuity of generations past.

❤️ Now we'd love to hear from you!

Do you remember your mother or grandmother spending long summer days canning peaches, tomatoes, green beans, or homemade preserves? Did your family have an unusual old-fashioned canner or cooker?

Share your memories with us! These are the stories that help keep our history alive.

Come visit The Minidoka County Museum, where even an old kitchen appliance has a story to tell!

10/09/2026

Mark your calendar now for this special early Halloween trick and come for the treats, October 22nd at 6 PM.

10/08/2026

🧵 **A Stitch in Time — A Remarkable Piece of Sewing History!** 🪡

Long before electric sewing machines became a household convenience, inventors were experimenting with remarkable mechanical devices that would forever change the way clothing was made.

Here at The Minidoka County Museum, we have a fascinating early-style sewing machine that offers a glimpse into those pioneering days!

With its heavy cast-iron construction, unusual circular sewing surface, and intricate mechanical design, this machine looks quite different from the sewing machines many of us remember in our mothers' and grandmothers' homes.

Our museum records suggest that it may date from approximately 1830–1860, although its exact age and manufacturer have not yet been confirmed.

The machine is described in our records as using a lockstitch and boat-shuttle mechanism. This ingenious development allowed two threads to interlock, creating strong, dependable stitches.

During the mid-1800s, sewing-machine inventors such as Elias Howe and Isaac Singer helped revolutionize an industry that had depended for centuries on hand sewing. Their inventions also sparked fierce competition and numerous patent disputes!

Imagine the excitement of watching a machine stitch fabric at a speed that would have seemed almost unbelievable to someone accustomed to sewing everything by hand.

A special thank-you to the Remsberg family, who donated this wonderful piece of history, and to John Remsberg, who refurbished it.

Although the machine is not presently operational, it remains a fascinating reminder of American ingenuity and the changing world of work and home life.

❤️ We would love to hear your memories! Did your mother, grandmother, or another family member own a treadle sewing machine? Perhaps you even learned to sew on one!

Come visit The Minidoka County Museum and discover the wonderful stories waiting to be told through the objects of everyday life.

10/07/2026

We recently received this wonderful piece of local history - a 1912 wall-mounted drill press.

This drill press was used by the donor's grandfather, John S. Feldhusen, and great-grandfather on their farms during the 1920s, southwest of Amalgamated Sugar in Idaho. His great-grandfather, bought the farm from I.B. Perrine of Kimberly which was an apple orchard at the time.

Tools like this give us a glimpse into the equipment local farmers relied on more than a century ago. We are grateful to have it donated to the museum, where it can be preserved and shared for generations to come.

10/06/2026

Tricky Tuesday! 🔑
We have hidden skeleton keys throughout this photo. How many can you find? Look closely—some are easier to spot than others!
Comment below with how many you found, but do not give away their locations!

10/05/2026

10/05/2026

Have you ever read this historical marker? Do you know where it is located?

10/03/2026

Here is a special invitation to a special night.