Idaho Constitution returns to the state following four-month restoration

The Idaho Constitution has returned to the state after the 130-year-old document went through a 4-month-long cleaning and repair. According to Idaho Public Television, with the 1889 Idaho Constitution’s binding broken, and dirty, dog-eared, torn, and loose pages, the Idaho State Historical Society in 2018 decided the document needed serious care. The Foundation for Idaho History raised 25-thousand dollars to have the constitution undergo a thorough repair and cleaning at the University of Utah.  Governor Brad Little this week welcomed the constitution back to Idaho, repaired and re-bound, with a new goatskin cover. The fully restored document will be on public display from March 10 to April 11 at the Idaho State Archives in Boise. Idaho Public Television’s documentary, “Idaho’s Constitution Revealed,” features the Idaho Experience episode premiering March 8th, following the four-month Utah restoration work, the conservators who performed the repairs, and the Idaho staff that cares for the constitution. The documentary also traces the history of the constitution from its drafting in 1889 to the teachers, lawyers, and lawmakers who study it today.  (Idaho Public Television)