Everyone knows that Idaho is famous for its potatoes. Potatoes are at the core of its history, dating back to the 1800s when the first potato crop was grown. Since then, the agriculture in East Idaho, especially, has grown into one of the most important roles in Idaho’s economy.
Potatoes keep our state thriving, so it’s only right that it be highlighted. In the midst of Blackfoot sits a little gray building that highlights Idaho’s long history of agriculture.
The Idaho Potato Museum opened inside of this little gray building in 1988 to showcase the history of potatoes in the area, but before that, the museum was a railroad station for many years.
In 1912, the railroad station was built by the Oregon Short Line Railroad and a year later was completed. Over the years, countless passengers and tons of freight passed through this railroad stop until it shut down, and later the building was donated to the City of Blackfoot in 1985.
The idea of opening a potato museum in the area came after a group of people had put together the Idaho Potato Expo that took place in the building. “It was so popular, they garnered over 2,000 visitors that they said, ‘Let's run with it,’” said operations manager Anna Summers. “The museum evolved from there.”
Inside of the museum is a gift shop and a collection of exhibits showcasing various potato artifacts, many of which were donated from members of the community. The museum houses the world’s biggest potato crisp, which was made by the Pringle company in 1991, and an original potato planter from the late 1800s, along with an educational exhibit that walks you through the origins of the potato crop in South America.
During the summer months, this attraction is a hot spot for tourists. The museum sees up to 45,000 visitors who come from all over the world to see the historical exhibits and to eat potato-rich foods. “We get all kinds of tour buses coming over from Asia, from Norway and from Austria,” said Anna. “We see tourists from all over the world.”
The Potato Station Café
At the other end of the museum is the Potato Station Café, located inside of the railroad’s former baggage claim area. The menu items at the cafe are all made with the same core ingredient, the potato.
On the menu are a variety of potato dishes, from waffle fries to french fries to baked potatoes to tater dollars, and a variety of baked goods.
The baked potatoes, or bakers, as Idahoans call them, are cooked to the perfect fluffiness at the café. “We're very specific about the potatoes we order. We don't just go and get, like, the potatoes you can get in the store,” Anna explains. “We get them from a local company here, and we scrub them really well, wrap them, and then we bake them at a high temperature for 69 minutes. They just turn out really, really nice. Then we fluff it with a fork by hand.”
Another popular item on the menu is the tater dollars. “Tater dollars are a whole baked potato that’s cut and baked the day before,” Anna said. “Then we cut it into little rounds, almost like a silver dollar, and then they're refried.”
The bakery even goes as far as to bake their cupcakes from potatoes. And while it might sound like an oddity to some, the cupcakes are a yummy and popular treat, according to café manager, Kat Smythe.
As manager of the café, Kat pours her heart into what she does. “I like to make things that make people smile.”