Library screens new exhibit for silent film star

Nell Shipman (center) with cast and crew, 1924

The Story Girl of Priest Lake: Nell Shipman's Idaho Movieland, 1922-1925, an exhibition commemorating the silent film star's work in Idaho one hundred years ago, is now open to campus and the community on the first floor of Albertsons Library.

The exhibition was curated from the library's archival collections by Kate Howk (MA Public History '25), and Associate Professor and Librarian/Archivist Gwyn Hervochon. The display features movie reels, photographs, handwritten letters and more that tell the fascinating story of Shipman's Idaho film production venture.

Canadian-born silent film writer, director, producer and star Nell Shipman moved from Hollywood to Priest Lake, Idaho, in 1922 believing she could turn the wilderness of northern Idaho into the film studio of her dreams. The reality that unfolded, however, was as dramatic as the forest adventures Nell wrote, produced and starred in while living there. Nell's dream lasted less than three years, yet it remains one of the most important pieces of Idaho's cinematic history.

In 1924 Nell left Idaho abruptly and never returned. Her Idaho story was largely forgotten until the work of Boise State Professor Tom Trusky brought it into the spotlight in the 1980s. His research helped piece together and preserve Shipman's Idaho legacy, and led to the rediscovery of some of her Idaho films. Trusky's papers and several other Shipman-related collections are now part of the Albertsons Library's Special Collections and Archives.

Graduate student Howk encourages other students to seek opportunities to engage with the unique resources held in Special Collections and Archives.

"I hope that students who walk by [the exhibition] want to dip their toes into it, and if any are interested in doing this themselves, they should talk to the Archives," she said.

The exhibit will be on display through the end of the 2024.

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