Correspondence, meeting minutes, photographs, and maps – they all tell a story. And like all good stories, their survival requires a collective commitment to maintain and care for them. The Boise City Department of Arts & History’s Archives program was created for this purpose.

An archive is an essential component of a successful and lasting community. Archival records exist all over the country, but those created by local governments reflect and touch the lives of citizens in a multitude of ways. The Boise City Archives documents the City of Boise from its creation to the present, and serves as a crucial memory bank for the government and its people. The Boise City Archives is full of primary source documents that await innovative and meaningful analysis from researchers and curious community members. Examples of these documents include this 1912 public works map of the city of Boise and a map from 1930, which together help you see how the city has grown!

COLLECTIONS

The Boise City Archives is committed to making records available for use by researchers. All processed collections have a published finding aid that provides details on the provenance, scope, and arrangement of each collection.

• Explore our Digital Collections here. Please note that many of our collections are still being worked on and are being added to this site as they are processed. 
• Explore our Finding Aids for processed archival collections here. Be sure to check back regularly as we continue to process more collections and publish additional finding aids!

ACCESS

Interested in viewing materials? The Boise City Archives is open for research by advanced appointment only. Schedule a research appointment by contacting us artsandhistory@cityofboise.org or head to our Donation Submission form and a member of our team will reach out to you shortly.

BE PART OF THE ACTION

PRESERVE LOCAL HISTORY

Do you have materials related to Boise's history? Would you like to see them preserved and made available for public access, research, and future generations? We welcome your offer of materials of enduring historical value specific to Boise, including documents, photographs, scrapbooks, objects/artifacts, maps, multimedia, and more, in any format.

Donation Submission Form

BOISE CITY ARCHIVES MISSION STATEMENT

The Boise City Archives supports the goals of the City of Boise by identifying, preserving, and making available to both the public and City employees, records and papers of enduring value. Its mission is twofold:

• City of Boise Municipal Records: To collect and maintain records of lasting value created or received by City departments, offices, and elected officials.
• Special Collections: To collect and maintain non-municipal documents, such as personal papers, maps, and photographs that educate and enrich the City of Boise's historical record. Areas of collecting interest are specified in the Collections Policy.