Rigby petitioning to get local icon’s statue

Rigby is petitioning to get the Philo T. Farnsworth statue that currently resides in the US Capitol’s Statuary Hall brought to Eastern Idaho and put into the Farnsworth TV and Pioneer Museum.

The statue represents Utah, where Farnsworth was born, but the Utah legislature recently decided to replace it with a statue of Dr. Martha Cannon, the first woman to serve as a state senator in the country. The city has contacted and received support from Idaho representatives. Governor Butch Otter has even sent a letter to Utah Governor Gary Herbert voicing support for Rigby to get the statue.

The Rigby community is excited about the possibility of Farnsworth’s statue calling their city home.

“It would be an incredible way of honoring Mr. Farnsworth’s legacy here in Eastern Idaho,” said Tyson Schwartz, Rigby Planning and Zoning Administrator. “As well as being able to inspire a new generation of innovators. What he was able to do here while he lived in Rigby really set the foundation for all of his work going forward.”

Schwartz says he was told a decision about the statue will likely be made next year.