Established for the state in 1934, the Idaho Museum of Natural History collects, preserves, and interprets objects found in Idaho and the Northern Intermountain West. A unique resource for the entire region, the museum has displays of basketry, beadwork, and hidegoods; an exhibit explaining the process of fossilization; a rock and mineral exhibit; a "Discovery Room"; and the exciting, animated dinosaur exhibit "Dinosaurs and More."
More than 410,000 objects form the basis of interpretive research programs used by university faculty, museum curators, and students. Many university courses in anthropology, biology, and geology use the museum collection as a teaching resource. Classes taught at the museum include anthropology, archaeology, vertebrate paleontology, and museology. The museum's educational programs serve public school students from the entire region. A gift shop offers a unique variety of natural history books and related items.