Anchors of Freedom

Mon Oct 13th, 2025

by CAROLINE LOBSINGER Hagadone News Network | October 13, 2025 1:09 AM

SANDPOINT — Did you know the U.S. Navy is older than America itself?

While Idaho’s maritime history doesn’t date back to the founding of the Continental Navy — the precursor to the U.S. Navy — on Oct. 13, 1775, the state’s naval ties are extensive and have played a key role in national defense.

In celebration of the Navy’s 250th birthday, Oct. 13 — and Idaho’s naval connections — a showing of "Anchors of Freedom: Celebrating America250 and America’s Sagebrush Navy" will be held in three North Idaho communities: Sandpoint, Coeur d’Alene and Moscow.

Each evening features a tailored program that highlights both local and national stories of service, innovation and patriotism.

The trio of free events will be held in honor of the Navy’s 250th birthday, with programs scheduled in Moscow on Monday, Oct. 13; Sandpoint on Tuesday, Oct. 14; and Coeur d’Alene on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

The Sandpoint event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave. The Coeur d’Alene event will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front St.

The events aim to honor the intertwined histories of America’s maritime heritage and Idaho’s unique naval legacy. They will celebrate America250 — the semi-quincentennial of the country’s founding — through film, discussion and community engagement.

Crafted by Idaho Public Television, the documentary tells the story of Idaho’s naval connections despite its landlocked geography.

“I think it surprises people given that we are a landlocked state,” said HannaLore Hein, Idaho state historian and vice chair of the America250 in Idaho task force. “But I think the story that Idaho Public Television crafted through their documentary ‘America’s Sagebrush Navy’ tells that history really well.”

From nuclear programs in the deserts of southeast Idaho to sailors training at Farragut during World War II to submarine testing at the south end of Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho’s naval history is extensive, Hein said.

“I think what the documentary does is place the state’s rich and robust local story into a national context,” she said.

Segments of the documentary will be shown in each community, touching on the development of the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Farragut’s role as one of the Navy’s largest training facilities, and the Navy’s submarine testing site near Bayview.

“At the time, several hundred thousand individuals lived at Farragut over the course of its existence,” Hein said. “I think the content is going to really highlight the local story and is something that clearly has a national impact.”

Hein said officials with the Idaho State Historical Society are pleased to help tell what may be a little-known segment of the state’s history.

The film originated from renovations at INL that meant some historic structures would be lost. To preserve that history, IPTV and the historical society partnered to produce the documentary.

“As hard as we often try to preserve all of the historic structures across the state of Idaho, sometimes that can’t happen for whatever reason,” Hein said. “In an effort to mitigate those losses, projects like this often emerge and give a chance for folks who aren’t in eastern Idaho to learn that story.”

Projects like the documentary also highlight the importance of collaboration across stakeholder groups, from state organizations to communities. Also involved is the USS Idaho Commissioning Committee, which is leading efforts to celebrate the USS Idaho — a Virginia-class, nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarine christened in March 2024 and expected to be commissioned in 2026.

The USS Idaho (SSN 799) is the fifth ship to bear the state’s name in U.S. history. Perhaps the most famous of the previous ships is the USS Idaho (BB-42), a New Mexico-class battleship launched in 1917 and commissioned in 1919, which spent much of the 1920s and 1930s as part of the Pacific Fleet.

These ships are part of Idaho’s naval history and among the stories that will be shared during the North Idaho events, which are the result of a coalition of cultural, educational and media organizations. Among them are Idaho Public Television, the Idaho State Historical Society, the USS Idaho Commissioning Committee, the University of Idaho, the Museum of North Idaho, the Coeur d’Alene Public Library and the West Bonner Library District.

Hein said each night’s program will include a screening of "America’s Sagebrush Navy," which tells the tale of Idaho’s unique naval legacy, as well as segments from Ken Burns’ upcoming documentary series "The American Revolution." Following the program, attendees are invited to participate in a question-and-answer session and hear from task force members, elected officials and members of the USS Idaho Commissioning Committee.

Next week’s events serve as a precursor to America250, the semi-quincentennial celebration of America’s founding.

Both "America’s Sagebrush Navy" and the Ken Burns series aim to connect Americans to the country’s history — and to each other, Hein said.

“Any time you think about the Revolutionary War or moments from the past where we don’t have living witnesses, it’s just an added kind of complexity to the storytelling,” Hein said. “The documentarians have to embrace history to bring that story to life.”

Coupling the American Revolution with Idaho’s naval history offers a look at how things have changed over time.

“It shows the components that have influenced, really, the making of modern-day America,” she added.

Hein said she hopes the community walks away with both an appreciation and a love for America’s history — and for what is a significant milestone.

“I hope this inspires everyone to make deeper and more connections across generations, whether that’s grandparents to grandchildren or parents to children,” she said. “I hope that we recognize that so many of those ideals from the Revolutionary era are things that we are still aspiring to as a country, and that it takes everyone’s educated participation in the system of democracy to keep it moving forward and to bring us one step closer to what our founding fathers really believed we were capable of doing.”

To register for the event and ensure a ticket, go to bit.ly/3KLbAz5.