Planning for JUMP began in 1999 as a museum of agriculture sponsored by Boise agribusiness magnate J. R. "Jack" Simplot.

[2] The museum was envisioned to include some of the 150 pieces of farm equipment Simplot had purchased in 1998 from the collection of Oscar O.

[5] In 2012, city planners approved construction of a $70 million facility that included an urban park, a 57,000-square-foot (5,300 m2) building, and the tractor exhibit.

[8] The architectural firm of Adamson Associates designed JUMP with five intersecting grid patterns, with components of a 6-story main building slightly skewed around a central ramp area in the parking garage.

[10] In 2018, JUMP received the best overall project award by the City of Boise and the Building Owners and Managers Association of Idaho.