Nell Shipman, a pioneering filmmaker and animal rights advocate, once roamed the wilderness of Idaho with a camera in hand and a dog by her side. Shipman’s trailblazing spirit is now showcased in a new exhibit in Albertsons Library at Boise State University.
Visitors can explore her contributions to early cinema and her deep connection to nature as well as take part in the rich archives of the BSU library, showcasing rare documents, photographs and films that bring Shipman’s adventurous legacy to life for a new generation.
Kate Howk, a Boise State master of history student, crafted an exhibit titled “The Story Girl of Priest Lake: Nell Shipman’s Idaho Movieland, 1922-1925” that reveals Shipman’s unique journey as a filmmaker and her enduring love for the natural world. Drawing from Boise State’s extensive archives, Shipmans story as a domineering female filmmaker in Idaho is brought back to life.
“When she [Shipman] is starting her career as an actor is also around the same time that moving pictures are getting more and more popular in the United States,” Howk said. “So in a lot of ways she’s of that first generation of filmmakers who were really making it up as they went.”
Shipman is a Canadian-born silent film actress who set up camp within Northern Idaho’s Priest Lake; it was there that Shipmans hidden history was made.
“She wasn’t just an actress, I feel like that’s important. She wrote her own films and she directed them and she produced them, she was wearing all of the hats,” Howk said. “But I think she was a really talented actress, and she kind of liked being the center of attention so that worked out well for her.”
In the 1970s, Boise State professor Tom Trusky discovered Shipmans work. He then spent decades studying her and eventually publishing an autobiography about the filmmaker’s life.
“He [Trusky] took her films to international film festivals … 60 years after she went bankrupt and fled the scene and was heartbroken, she was devastated about how things ended in Idaho,” Howk said. “Because she died in 1970 he kind of resurrected her and brought her back to everything.”
The Boise State archives bring forgotten corners of history to life. These archival resources are available to any and all students on campus.
Cheryl Oestreicher, professor and head of Special Collections and Archives as well as University Archivist, oversees Boise State University’s archives and offers students a unique resource for exploring history and conducting research.
The Boise State archives house a variety of rare documents and materials, giving students the opportunity to engage with original sources and uncover lesser-known stories such as Nell Shipman’s.
“We’re an area of the library, where we keep the non circulating items, because they’re rare and unique items, which often are one of a kind,” Oestreicher said. “And we have materials in three areas. We collect books about Idaho by Idaho authors, and that can run just about any topic.”
The archives carry old local yearbooks, literature, newspapers, city plans and hundreds of other rare and original documents, all available to students.
“We collect local and regional and state history, so we have papers and records from people or organizations who have a connection to Idaho or made significant contributions to Idaho, a lot of the people have lived here or from here,” Oetricher said.
Students are encouraged to visit the exhibit and explore the archives starting Oct. 29, where they can discover the fascinating story of Nell Shipman and the rich resources available at Boise State University.
