Boise is the capital of the State of Idaho in the United States. It was the 43rd state admitted into the union in 1890. I had a chance to visit the city recently and visit a couple of sites. These included the Idaho State Capitol, and the Old State Penitentiary. Whenever I visit the capital city of a state, I make it a point to visit the capitol building. These buildings offer free admission, and often contain historical displays and art specific to that state. They are appointed with beautiful decor, such as marble columns, grand staircases, bronze reliefs, statuary, stained glass, etc. They are about the closest thing you can get to a ‘palace’ in terms of viewing classical style architecture within the United States.
1: The basement of the Boise State Capitol building has this mosaic of the Seal of the State of Idaho. The seal was designed by designed by Emma Edwards Green and instituted in 1891 . She was the only woman to design a state seal. Each state within the US has its own unique seal, which is placed on buildings and official documents.2: This is the interior of the main dome of the building. The main dome is 208 feet tall. You can find more information about the building here: https://capitolcommission.idaho.gov/3: A view of the rotunda from above. You an see all the way down to the inlaid floor on the first floor.4: A birds eye view of one of the house chambers.5: The exterior of the capitol building. The building was completed in 1912. It’s an imposing part of the Boise skyline.6: From the capitol building I proceeded to the Old Idaho State Penitentiary. The penitentiary was opened in 1872, and ceased operations in late 1973. It was later converted to a museum and historic site.7: These are the ruins of the prison dining hall, which were destroyed along with a cell block during a 1973 prison riot. The riot was sparked over deteriorating conditions in the 100 year-old prison. These riots were a major factor in the prisons closing a few months later.8: A view of one of the dilapidated cell blocks. 9-10: The gallows and trap door below. There were 10 executions total over the course of the prisons history, and only 4 were conducted using this gallows.
