Oldest Lincoln Statue in the West

Boise, Idaho

Abraham Lincoln never traveled any further west than Kansas. Nevertheless, a plaque on the base of this statue asserts that "more than any other state, Idaho is related to Lincoln." That's because Lincoln signed off on the name "Idaho" when the territory was created in 1863.

Possibly proud of that heritage, a Boise Civil War vet named R.H. Barton traveled to Detroit in 1915 and bought a Lincoln statue, one of six hammered-copper Abes that were originally made in New Jersey. The statues were inexpensive and lightweight; easy to transport the thousands of miles that Abe himself never traveled. Barton was also the commandant at the Boise Old Soldier's Home, which is where the statue stood until 1970.

In 2009 it was moved to a place of honor in front of Idaho's State Capitol. Despite its relatively spare construction, it's the oldest surviving Lincoln statue in the West.

In January 2018, nighttime pranksters dressed it in a pepperoni pizza slice costume and a rainbow mask. The costume was promptly removed, and the sculpture was undamaged.