National Society
Daughters of the American Revolution
Old Fort Hall Chapter
Idaho Falls, Idaho.


This page was last updated: January 5, 2010

Now located in Idaho Falls, the Old Fort Hall Chapter was organized in Blackfoot on  November 7, 1925, with Mrs. J.C. (Lizzie) Ingram as Organizing Regent.  The chapter met in Blackfoot  until it relocated to Idaho Falls in 1981.

The chapter was named for historic Fort Hall,  located near the junction of the Blackfoot and Portneuf Rivers in a shaded bottom land - long a gathering place for the Shoshone-Bannock Indians.  Construction started in 1834 by  Nathaniel  Jarvis  Wyeth and his band of seventy men.  Their goal was  to establish a center for fur-trading with the Native Americans.  

To quote  emigrant Osborne Russell: 
"On the fourth of August, the fort was completed.  And on the fifth the
Stars and Stripes were unfurled to the breeze at sunrise, in the
center of a savage and uncivilized country over an
American trading post."  

The flag was homemade and  its rising was accompanied by a salvo of gunfire which signaled the beginning of  the history of Fort Hall.  The fort served as an important stop on the California and Oregon trails for many years.  It was later sold to the Hudson's Bay Company and eventually abandoned.   The site of the fort  is on the Shoshone-Bannock Indian Reservation and  not accessible to the public.

Old Fort Hall Chapter respects and honors our history while being actively involved in the events of today, and constantly looking towards  improving the future.  



The Snake River at Idaho Falls. 

Our emblem is a gold wheel
Banded with deepest blue
Each shining spoke tipped with a star
The distaff shining through;
The only jewel in the world
That money cannot buy
Without such proof of ancestry
As no one can deny.

NSDAR MOTTO: "God, Home,  and Country"
The goal of DAR  is to promote historic preservation,
patriotism,  and education. 

Eligibility for membership: any woman 18 years or older, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background, who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution
The DAR Insignia is the property of, and is copyrighted by, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Web hyperlinks to non-DAR sites are not the responsibility of the NSDAR, the state organizations, or individual DAR chapters.


DAR Facts:
Founded: October 11, 1890
Incorporated 1890 by an Act of Congress

...Membership:
Over 165,000 members
3,000 chapters in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
International chapters in Australia,
Austria, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the  United Kingdom.

...Awards $150,000 in scholarships and financial aid each year to high school seniors, undergraduate, and graduate students

...Participates in literacy programs for adults and tutoring programs for students preparing for high school GED.

...Supports schools for the underprivileged with annual donations exceeding one million dollars

Volunteers more than 55,000 hours of time annually to veteran patients in VA hospitals and non-VA facilities.

...observes local landmarks and historic structures in communities across the country.

...conserves more than 30,000 objects of our material culture in the DAR Museum, making it one of the foremost collections of Pre-Industrial American decorative arts.

...Archives nearly 5,000 early American manuscripts and imprints in the DAR Americana Collection.

...Donated more than $1M dollars to the Statue of Liberty and Independence Hall restoration projects and the creation of the WWII Memorial.

...Houses the DAR Library, the second largest genealogical research center in the world.


Old Fort Hall - an artist rendition based on surviving  building plans.

State Theme: Be a Star for DAR
State Symbol: Gold and Silver Stars
HERE WE HAVE IDAHO
Written by McKinley Helm & Albert J. Tompkins
Composed by Sallie Hume-Douglas

You've heard of the wonders our land does possess,
Its beautiful valleys and hills,
The majestic forests where nature abounds,
We love every rook and rill.

chorus

And here we have Idaho
Winning her way to fame.
Silver and gold in the sunlight blaze,
and romance lies in her name.
Singing, we're singing of you,
Ah, proudly too.
All our lives thru, we'll go
Singing, singing of you,
Singing of Idaho.

There's truly one state in this great land of ours
Where ideals can be realized.
The pioneers made it so for you and me.
A legacy we'll always prize.

Chorus
Our past: 1954 State Conference hosted by Old Fort Hall

Below, our future is reflected  in our meeting schedule.
Activity Schedule 2009-10

September 17-23CONSTITUTION WEEK: Displays in Idaho Falls Public Library

September 19     State Regent's Visit:
  Joint meeting with Twin Falls, Wyeth, and Old Fort Hall                                                Chapters at 12:30 p.m. Inkom Park Pavilion, Inkom, ID
  Dutch Oven Luncheon.  $15 per person

October 17 Healthy Cinnamon

November 21      Our Patriot Veterans

December 19     Christmas Party  to be held at 1 pm
  December 19 at member, Cheree Steven's home

January 16  Report Preparation

February 20Historic Preservation
  Lock, Stock, and Barrel
  Joe Ruschetti

March 20    To be announced

April 17Adult Protection/Elder Abuse

April 22-24 State Conference: Caldwell, ID

May 15Lilac Tea

June PicnicDate, time and place to be announced