To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory. Isaiah 61:3

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Idaho's Sesquicentennial


On Monday, March 4th, 2013, Idaho celebrated the 150th anniversary of being signed into a territory by President Abraham Lincoln and the Governor of Idaho, the Honorable Butch Otter held a Birthday Party for us!  It was held at noon at the Statehouse and may I just say that it was fabulous!!!!  The day was sunny and warm, the festivities were remarkable, the people were happy, the entire Idaho Legislature was in attendance, school children sang, American Indian Tribal Leaders from the Nez Perce and Shoshone nations were there, and of course I was finally able to wear my 1863 dress!!!

It was so very memorable, the whole experience.  The speeches were nicely said and I learned a lot more about the connection between this Idaho Territory, President Lincoln and the Civil War.  By signing the law that created the Idaho Territory, President Lincoln stopped any Westward expansion of the South and slavery during the Civil War and the gold and silver mined from our hills paid for weapons, ammunition and soldiers' salaries.  What a wonderful moment in time!

I am very proud of my Idaho and I love living here, and Monday just strengthened that pride in my home state!  


Another fun thing about the day was that I finally got to wear my 1863 outfit!  After working on this baby for 1.5 months, it was finally able to be worn in public!!  I loved every  minute of it!  I could not believe how utterly comfortable this whole outfit was!  The only thing that I did not like was wearing the heeled boots...which is no surprise as I hate wearing heels of any kind.    


I played around with Picasa and attempted to make a daguerreotype....didn't work so well, but at least it is black and white!


My wonderful friend Tammy and I inside the Capitol building.  We had so much fun on this day!!


The "Oregon" President Lincoln.  He had written a speech in the manner and words that the real President Lincoln may have written if he had been addressing the crowd in Boise.  It was a really fabulous speech and it made me cry!


Tammy and I with the Governor of Idaho, the Honorable Butch Otter.  He was a really nice man with a lovely sense of humor.  He even danced a little bit with Tammy!



Tammy and I with the "Idaho" President Lincoln.  He is the president of the Idaho Civil War Volunteers re-enactment group.


Sitting in the center star at the bottom center of the Statehouse.  There are three different types of marble in that star.  The red came from Georgia, the gray from Alaska, and the black came from Italy.  


The first time I saw Katherine Coran-Greig (Koshka the Cat) sitting like this at Costume College I have wanted to do the same thing.  It just looks so cute and fun!  I had the though of doing this outside, but then Tammy did it in the very center of the star!  Well, that idea sounded better to me as the inside is dry and the grass would probably have been wet!!


I wanted a pose that would look something like the ladies in the Victorian era would do.  They were so fun and cute!


Standing next to the newly appointed Abraham Lincoln Auditorium in the Capitol.  At 9:39 am on March 4, 2013, the Senate voted to approve Resolution HCR 5.  This would rename the Capitol Auditorium the Abraham Lincoln Auditorium.


 “Idaho was born out of political conflict, slavery, political disputes concerning Washington’s eastern boundary,” Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis told the Senate. “President Lincoln hoped that the creation of the Idaho Territory would serve as a further hedge against the spread of slavery and provide its ultimate abolition.”

The Senate voted unanimously in favor of the resolution.



We got to have our pictures taken in the Governor's Ceremonial Office.


I love this picture of Tammy and me on the Capitol steps.  You can see our petticoats!!  How fun!

22 comments:

  1. I am like crazy in love with that dress. It turned out so gorgeous! And I'm glad that it was fun and comfortable to wear... nothing like finishing a huge project that you feel great in :)

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    1. Oh Miss Tarleton, you have made me blush! I love it when I finish a project and everything about it feels "right"! Thank you!!

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  2. Beautiful dresses and fun event! Can't wait for Summer!

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    1. Thank you my friend!! I can't wait for Summer!!! YOU will be here!! hahahaha!!!

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  3. What lovely dresses! I like the picture with you in the middle of the star the best. :)
    -Veronica

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    1. Thank you! That picture is one of my favorites!!

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  4. I enjoy your blog and while I am not a sewer, love seeing the wonderful things that sewers like you make. I really like the way this dress has been finished - the soutache, ribbon and buttons around the hem are the perfect touch. I also love the hat you styled to make up the outfit. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. I just found your blog and have spent the last few hours happily perusing every entry! I sew historical costumes for the local high school's competition plays and I try to get them as historically correct as possible. I was born and raised in the Treasure Valley, so I especially enjoyed your visits to local attractions. I just missed the Nampa train depot event by a couple of days when I was there last summer. My mom and I love to visit some of the same thrift shops that you mention. Thanks for sharing your creations!

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  6. Merrian! Thank you so much for all your wonderful words! I am happy to hear that while you are not a seamstress you enjoy seeing the things that seamstresses make! And thank you for liking my dress! You are most welcome!

    Patricia, thank you! I would love to see the costumes you make for you high school! I had the chance on a couple of occasions to work with Northwest Nazarene University's theater group on some plays and it was most enjoyable! That is wonderful that you were born in the Treasure Valley! I love this place! How fun that you were able to "know" where we play dress up! I hope that the Nampa Depot does their event again this year! That was very fun! And maybe you will be there? Perhaps we will be able to meet!

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  7. your dress looks AMAZING! and i found your blog! yay!!!!!! :D

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  8. Yeah! Thank you Samantha the Great! You are my bar to which I measure my hoop skirt attempts!

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  9. Lovely dress! I was googling fashion plates of 1863 and your blog post popped up and I clicked on it, read all about the dress, and to my delight discovered that it's finished and here you are wearing it! Great job! The fit is impeccable, and I give you kudos for doing all that trim work.

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  10. Wow Amy!! Thank you so much for your wonderful comments!! This has truly delighted me to read all you have written!

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  11. Hi Gina, my students at Boise High are working on a Boise 150 video project and would like permission to use the photo of you and "Idaho" Abe Lincoln for our video. We would give you credit in the film. Please let me know if this is ok. Thanks, Doug StanWiens, boisearchitecture.org

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    1. Dear Doug,

      What a most fun honor! I would love for your Boise High Students to use the picture for their Boise 150 video project! A video is a wonderful idea for our City's celebration!

      Sincerely,

      Gina

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  12. Thanks Gina! I appreciate your help with this. Please email me at boisearchproject@gmail.com the name you'd like us to credit.

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  13. Gosh this dress is freaking amazing!

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    1. Thank you so very much! I can't believe it has been this long ago that I wore this! Time sure does fly!
      Blessings!
      g

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