The Route of the Oregon Trail in Boise

The Route of the Oregon Trail in Boise. . West panel of monument , Oregon Trail Memorial , This is the historic pathway of the Oregon Trail through the city of Boise. Follow the footsteps of Native Americans, fur traders, pioneers, soldiers, and entrepreneurs, from our past to our future and discover Boise City’s beginnings., North panel of monument , Exploring the Oregon Trail in Boise , In the second half of the 19th century, thousands of emigrants traveled west on the Oregon Trail. The route came through southern Idaho and what later became the City of Boise., Boise’s Oregon Trail monuments can be found throughout Boise, from Hill Rd. to Highway 21. Locations are marked with a [monument] symbol on the drawing at the left., East panel of monument , Boise: a city along the Trail , Old Fort Boise was orginally built (near current day Parma) as a fur trading fort by the British Hudson's Bay Company. By the 1840's, the fur trade was declining and the emigrants were increasing. The fort served the wagon trains throughout the 40s but floods continually plagued the area, and by 1855 old Fort Boise was gone. , Eight years later, a new Fort Boise was built 50 miles to the east, and in 1863 the City of Boise grew up alongside. Boise City quickly established itself as a major distribution site for supplies and provisions to overland emigrants and miners. Except for the start and the finish, Boise was the largest city on the Oregon Trail. Over a century later - it still is. , [Acknowledgements], South panel of monument , Slaughterhouse Gulch , Welcome to Hill Road , Near this street and traversing the foothills, along what is now Hill Road, emigrants, packers and miners traveled as they crossed the Boise Valley to connect with the emigrant trails north and west of Eagle., This area north of Harrison Boulevard became known as "Slaughterhouse Gulch", the name taken from the meat packing businesses that were located here for many years. In 1901, Idaho Provision and Packing Company was organized here, just outside city limits. In addition to the slaughterhouse, a brick manufacturing facility and kiln was established which produced fired bricks for many of Boise's early buildings. Following World War II, this area was subdivided and houses were constructed.