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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Idaho State Historical Society Historical Markers

Markers of the Idaho Highway Historical Marker Program administered by the Idaho State Historical Society in cooperation with the Idaho Transportation Department.
 
Airmail Service Marker at BSU image, Touch for more information
By Rebecca Maxwell, September 24, 2009
Airmail Service Marker at BSU
1 Idaho, Ada County, Boise — 72 — Airmail Service Reported permanently removed
U.S. commercial airline service began with a Varney Airlines flight from Pasco to Boise which landed here on April 6, 1926. Army planes had delivered airmail before that time. After Varney Airlines was merged with newer companies to become United . . . Map (db m22734) HM
2 Idaho, Ada County, Boise — 376 — Arrowrock Dam
Higher than any other dam from 1915 until 1934, Arrowrock Dam still is an essential part of Boise Valley's irrigation system. Located six miles upstream from here, Arrowrock is 350 feet high and 1,150 feet wide. Built at a cost of $4,725,000 . . . Map (db m22597) HM
3 Idaho, Ada County, Boise — 379 — Basque Country
Idaho has a large Basque community that preserves it's ancient European traditions in a new land of opportunity. Coming here originally to herd sheep on mountain and desert ranges, they shifted into other occupations as quickly as possible, making . . . Map (db m31680) HM
4 Idaho, Ada County, Boise — 359 — Beaver Dick's Ferry
In 1863 and 1864, overland packers hauling supplies from Salt Lake City to Idaho City crossed here and took a direct route northward to More's Creek. They cut a steep grade from the Oregon Trail down to Beaver Dick's Ferry, which served a . . . Map (db m22641) HM
5 Idaho, Ada County, Boise — 402 — Boise State University Reported permanently removed
Expanding from a two-year community college (1932-1965) to a campus with a graduate program, Boise State was designated as a university in 1974. Originating as an Episcopalian academy founded in 1892, this institution was located a mile north of . . . Map (db m22735) HM
6 Idaho, Ada County, Boise — 343 — Diversion Dam
Diversion Dam was completed in 1909 to lift water into an already constructed New York canal system, greatly expanding its irrigated farmlands. After a quarter century of failure to dig a large canal above Diversion Dam, United States Reclamation . . . Map (db m22586) HM
7 Idaho, Ada County, Boise — 318 — More's Creek
More's Creek is named for J. Marion More, leader of the party of miners who founded Idaho City, October 7, 1862. Like most of Idaho's early miners, he came originally from the South. Unlike most of them, he struck it rich. During the Idaho gold . . . Map (db m22595) HM
8 Idaho, Ada County, Boise — 375 — Oregon Trail
Indians, trappers, and emigrants who came this way before 1900 used a more direct route to get between Boise and Glenns Ferry. Their road still can be seen at Bonneville Point 5 miles from here. Following close to a line of hills bordering a . . . Map (db m22181) HM
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9 Idaho, Ada County, Boise — 151 — The Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is still clearly visible coming off the rimrock across the river. Here the west bound emigrants after 1840 came gratefully down into this green valley. The first cart passed here with Spalding and Whitman, pioneer missionaries, . . . Map (db m22639) HM
10 Idaho, Ada County, Meridian — 193 — Initial Point
All Idaho land surveys refer to a beginning point --"Initial Point"-- 16 miles directly south of here. When he began surveying Idaho in 1867, Lafayette Cartee, first surveyor general of Idaho Territory, established the initial point on a . . . Map (db m53439) HM
11 Idaho, Adams County, Council — 420 — Old Railroads
An ambitious railroad project to a high Seven Devils copper mine (elevation 6800 ft.) created a lot of excitement here in 1898-1899. This would have been Idaho's highest mountain railroad if funding had been available to complete it. Construction . . . Map (db m23226) HM
12 Idaho, Adams County, Meadows — 183 — Packer John's Cabin
John Welch -- always known as Packer John -- hauled supplies from Lewiston to Idaho City during a major Boise Basin gold rush of 1863-1864. He built a cabin (1/4 mile north of here) that immediately became an historic Idaho landmark. Territorial . . . Map (db m37957) HM
13 Idaho, Adams County, Mesa — 374 — Mesa Orchards
For more than half a century, after 1910, an apple orchard of nearly 1400 acres, thought to be the largest in the United States under one management, covered this area. Investors, mostly from the eastern U.S., bought 10-acre shares to finance the . . . Map (db m23222) HM
14 Idaho, Bannock County, Downey — 171 — Red Rock Pass
You are standing in the outlet of ancient Lake Bonneville, a vast prehistoric inland sea, of which Salt Lake is modern remnant Covering over 20,000 square miles when it overflowed here about 14,500 years ago, its winding shoreline would have . . . Map (db m105831) HM
15 Idaho, Bannock County, Inkom — 17 — Idaho's 1st Railroad
Through this canyon once puffed the wood-burning locomotives of the narrow-gauge Utah and Northern Railway. Construction, undertaken by a Mormon Co-op, came northward from a junction with the transcontinental line, but stopped in 1874 at . . . Map (db m108284) HM
16 Idaho, Bannock County, Lava Hot Springs — 13 — Lava Hot Springs
Long before white men discovered these springs, Sept. 9, 1812, Indians gathered here to use the free hot water. Except wheen they found hot springs, pre-historic Indians had a hard time getting hot water. The wove watertight baskets into . . . Map (db m124585) HM
17 Idaho, Bannock County, Pocatello — 503 — Chief Pocatello
In an era of emigrants, Mormon settlers and the military, Pocatello emerged as a strong leader of the the Hukenduka Shoshone. Born after 1810, Pocatello claimed this area and surrounding territories as his homeland. He soon watched his . . . Map (db m108286) HM
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18 Idaho, Bannock County, Pocatello — 289 — Idaho State University
This great institution began here on Sept. 22, 1902, with 4 teachers and 40 students. Originally the Academy of Idaho, it became Idaho Technical Institute in 1915, the Southern Branch of the University of Idaho in 1927, and Idaho State . . . Map (db m108306) HM
19 Idaho, Bear Lake County, Bloomington — 319 — British SettlersBear Lake — LDS Church —
Most early Bear Lake settlers came from Britain. One was the first woman convert to the LDS church in Europe. Born in Preston, England, Aug. 24, 1806. Ann Elizabeth Walmsley Palmer was baptized July 30, 1837. An invalid, she was carried into the . . . Map (db m99318) HM
20 Idaho, Bear Lake County, Fish Haven — 384 — Bear Lake
Discovered in 1812 by trappers returning home from Astoria, Oregon, this valley and its large lake soon became an important fur trade center. Donald Mackenzie, Jim Bridger and a host of famous beaver hunters operated here. Two major summer . . . Map (db m105867) HM
21 Idaho, Bear Lake County, Georgetown — 499 — First Public Building
In 1870, Brigham Young appointed Ezra T. Clark, David Hess, and Nicholas Barkdull to colonize this area. Originally known a Twin Creeks, Joseph C. Rich surveyed the site in 1871. In 1872, the new settlement was named Georgetown in honor . . . Map (db m140244) HM
22 Idaho, Bear Lake County, Montpelier — 446 — Bank Robbers
On Aug. 13, 1896, Butch Cassidy and his infamous Wild Bunch of gunmen invaded Montpelier's bank and scooped up more than $16,500 in gold, silver and currency. Leaving a surprised cashier and his terrified customers, they calmly rode away. A . . . Map (db m90806) HM
23 Idaho, Bear Lake County, Montpelier — 335 — Big Hill
On their way west to Oregon and California, emigrant wagons often crossed high ridges in order to avoid gullies and canyons. When he came here in 1843, Theodore Talbot noted that he "had to cross a very high hill, which is said to be the . . . Map (db m90807) HM
24 Idaho, Bear Lake County, Montpelier — 456 — McAuley's Road
Coming west with Ezra Meeker in 1852, Thomas McAuley decided to build a road to let emigrants bypass Big Hill. Worst of all Oregon Trail descents, Big Hill needed replacement. Eliza McAuley reported that her brother Tom "fished awhile, . . . Map (db m90808) HM
25 Idaho, Bear Lake County, Montpelier — 159 — Smith's Trading Post
In 1848, Pegleg Smith established a trading post on the Oregon Trail at Big Timber somewhere near here on the river. Some travelers called it "Fort Smith", though it had only four log cabins and some Indian lodges. Packing a plow and tools . . . Map (db m90805) HM
26 Idaho, Bear Lake County, Montpelier — 157 — Thomas Fork
A bad ford gave trouble to wagon trains crossing this stream on the trail to California and Oregon in 1849. In that year, gold-seeking 49'ers developed a shortcut that crossed here. Then emigrants built two bridges here in 1850. But an . . . Map (db m90804) HM
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27 Idaho, Bear Lake County, Paris — 275 — Paris
This pioneer Idaho town was founded Sept. 26, 1863 when a wagon train brought more than 30 families of Mormon colonizers. More pioneers soon followed, some living in huts of quaking aspen and others building log cabins for the mild first . . . Map (db m105836) HM
28 Idaho, Bear Lake County, Paris — 386 — Paris Tabernacle
Designed by one of Brigham Young's sons, this imposing Romanesque tabernacle was built between 1884 an 1889 by skilled local craftsmen. Swiss stone masons cut and carved red sandstone that horse and ox teams hauled from a canyon 18 miles . . . Map (db m105848) HM
29 Idaho, Benewah County, DeSmet — 248 — DeSmet Mission
When their annual Montana plains buffalo hunt proved futile in 1876, North Idaho's Coeur d' Alene Indians needed to move from Cataldo to a better farming area.  So in 1877 their Jesuit mission was relocated here.  After their community grew . . . Map (db m122035) HM
30 Idaho, Benewah County, DeSmet — 425 — McCroskey Park
Dedicated in memory of pioneer women, Mary Minerva McCroskey State Park has a forested skyline drive that offers spectacular views of forest, farms, and distant mountains. Virgil T. McCroskey devoted his life to preserving trees and . . . Map (db m122036) HM
31 Idaho, Benewah County, Saint Maries — 286 — John Mullan
John Mullan was the Army officer who in 1859-1862 surveyed and built the Mullan Road from Walla Walla, Washington to Fort Benton, Montana. The road was to connect the Missouri and the Columbia, and Congress approved in 1855. Indian . . . Map (db m110031) HM
32 Idaho, Benewah County, St. Maries — 42 — Saint Joseph Indian Mission
Established November 4, 1842, by Father Nicolas Point, S.J. Eagerly sought by the Coeur d'Alene Indians, the Black Robed missionaries supervised the building of a log cabin, and in the spring, began to teach "the mysteries of plowing and . . . Map (db m122109) HM
33 Idaho, Benewah County, St. Maries — 285 — The Mullan Road
Designed to connect the Missouri and the Columbia, this military wagon road was constructed past here in 1859. Swamps in the St. Joe valley has to be corduroyed with logs, and 70 men spent a week digging out sidehills south of here and . . . Map (db m122114) HM
34 Idaho, Bingham County, Blackfoot — 436 — Big Butte
Big Butte Towering 2500 feet high, two over lapping rock domes form a 300,000 year-old butte that dominates this lava plain. After a hot flow of molten rhyolite (acidic rock) boiled up through older lava, a second rhyolite dome pushed up a . . . Map (db m103820) HM
35 Idaho, Bingham County, Blackfoot — 287 — Lava Formations
Molten rock, forced upward for 30 to 50 miles through fissures in the earth, has cooled into the hard lava found here. Continued pressure from below has made great cracks in the contorted surface. This lava solidified only a few thousand . . . Map (db m108346) HM
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36 Idaho, Bingham County, Blackfoot — 428 — Three Buttes
Three Buttes Rising above this level plain of lava flows and windblown soils these high landmarks are recent additions to Idaho’s landscape. East Butte (farthest east) flowed up and cooled quickly about 600,000 years ago, while Big Southern . . . Map (db m103818) HM
37 Idaho, Blaine County, Bellevue — 413 — Magic Reservoir
Water from deep snow that falls on high mountain ridges north of here is stored each Spring in this reservoir to irrigate farm land near Shoshone and Richfield. Big Wood River flows past some hills that separate this valley from a broad plain . . . Map (db m110116) HM
38 Idaho, Blaine County, Bellevue — 154 — Wood River Mines
Rich strikes in 1879 led to a rush in the lead and silver mines of this valley. The famous Minnie Moore Mine alone produced a total of $8.4 million worth of ore. Mining quickly brought a railroad and prosperity. The Ketchum smelter pioneered . . . Map (db m110115) HM
39 Idaho, Blaine County, Carey — 305 — Goodale's Cutoff
An old emigrant road headed west across Camas Prairie and then descended to the valley below on its way to rejoin the Oregon Trail 28 miles west of here. This route, discovered by Donald Mackenzie's fur trade party in 1820, came into use for . . . Map (db m125602) HM
40 Idaho, Blaine County, Ketchum — 302 — Alexander Ross Reported permanently removed
Searching the mountain wilderness for beaver, Alexander Ross came up Wood River and discovered this summit, Sept. 18, 1824. Leading a large brigade of Hudson's Bay Company trappers, he wondered whether he ever could get through unknown . . . Map (db m110051) HM
41 Idaho, Blaine County, Ketchum — 484 — Galena
After Warren P. Callahan located a rich lead-silver mine here, April 26, 1876, thousands of eager treasure-hunters joined in a rush to Wood River in 1880 Successful prosectors discovered valuable lodes from here to Bellevue. Galena has a . . . Map (db m110052) HM
42 Idaho, Blaine County, Ketchum — 292 — Salmon River
Rising as a small stream in the valley to the south, the Salmon winds 420 miles across Idaho before flowing into Snake River. Discovered in 1895 by Lewis and Clark, and explored with great difficulty by fur traders and prospectors, the . . . Map (db m110050) HM
43 Idaho, Blaine County, Ketchum — 364 — Sawtooth City
Gold discoveries on Beaver Creek in 1879 led to mining activity near here that summer, but major production was delayed until 1886. By 1885, Sawtooth City had three saloons, two restaurants, a meat market, a store, a Chinese laundry, and . . . Map (db m110045) HM
44 Idaho, Blaine County, Ketchum — 329 — Ski Lifts
When Sun Valley Lodge was built in 1936, Union Pacific engineers developed chair lifts to transport skiers uphill. Starting with two modest ski slopes on Dollar Mountain and Proctor Mountain, chair lifts were used for all Sun Valley ski . . . Map (db m110054) HM
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45 Idaho, Blaine County, Ketchum — 235 — Vienna
Levi Smiley found gold on Smiley Creek in 1878, and E.M. Wilson discovered a still richer lode 8 miles above here near Vienna, on June 4, 1879. Before shutting down in 1886, Vienna was a thriving mining camp with a $200,000 twenty-stamp . . . Map (db m110048) HM
46 Idaho, Boise County, Grandjean — 435 — Emile Grandjean
An immigrant from Denmark where he had studied forestry, he came to this part of Idaho in 1883 to mine, hunt and trap. Before Idaho became a state in 1890, he built a winter cabin below Grandjean Peak on a site later occupied by Grandjean Ranger . . . Map (db m22638) HM
47 Idaho, Boise County, Horseshoe Bend — 278 — Horse Shoe Bend
Gold was struck in Boise Basin (over the ridge to the east) in 1862, and the rush to these new mines came through here. Traffic came by steamer up the Columbia to Umatilla, and thence overland. At first there were only pack and saddle trains, but . . . Map (db m23235) HM
48 Idaho, Boise County, Idaho City — 188 — Grimes' Creek
Named for George Grimes who, with Moses Splawn, led the party which on August 2, 1862 made the strike that started the Boise basin gold rush. The party was searching for a rich basin described to Splawn a year earlier by an Indian. Farther up . . . Map (db m22600) HM
49 Idaho, Boise County, Idaho City — 186 — Idaho City
This roaring metropolis was founding early in October, 1862, about ten weeks after gold was discovered in Boise basin. By the next summer, this was the largest city in the Northwest, with 6,275 people -- 5,691 of them men! Families followed, and . . . Map (db m22601) HM
50 Idaho, Boise County, Idaho City — 266 — The Old Toll Road
The Old Toll Road to Idaho City crossed the ridge from Boise through the lowest point you can see in the skyline across the valley. Climbing the More's creek canyon wall, it crossed this highway about here and swung north. The road was built and . . . Map (db m22599) HM
51 Idaho, Boise County, Lowman — 442 — Emma Edwards
A talented artist, Emma Edwards went to work in 1890 to to design Idaho's state seal when she was only 18 years old. Although her father had moved to California after serving as governor of Missouri (1844 to 1848), Emma preferred to spend much of . . . Map (db m22637) HM
52 Idaho, Boise County, Lowman — 444 — Lowman
In 1907, Nathaniel W. Lowman settled here, and four years later, when he started a post office in his large log house, this community was named for him. Only a few scattered settlers lived here then. Lowman got all its supplies once a year from a . . . Map (db m22616) HM
53 Idaho, Bonner County, Hope — 148 — Kullyspell House
Idaho’s fur trade began in the fall of 1809 when David Thompson built a trading post 2½ miles southwest of here. Kullyspell House (Thompson spelled “Kalispell” that way) was the earliest fur trade post in the American Pacific . . . Map (db m112927) HM
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54 Idaho, Bonner County, Hope — 320 — Lake Pend Oreille
When the last of the continental ice sheets blocked this valley, a great lake extended over 200 miles into Montana. Ice about as high as the mountain ridges held back water as deep as 800 to 1000 feet at Missoula, ten to twenty thousand years . . . Map (db m73490) HM
55 Idaho, Bonneville County, Idaho Falls — 224 — Eagle Rock Ferry
On June 20, 1863, Bill Hickman started a ferry 9 miles up Snake River for thousands of gold hunters headed for mines that now are in Montana. Named for an eagle that had a nest on a rock there, his ferry flourished until James Madison . . . Map (db m70584) HM
56 Idaho, Bonneville County, Idaho Falls — 365 — Elephant Hunters
Early day big game hunters who occupied lava caves around here more than 12,000 years ago, had a diet that included elephants, camels and giant bison. When a gradual change to a warmer, drier climate made local grasslands into more . . . Map (db m174239) HM
57 Idaho, Bonneville County, Idaho Falls — 223 — Taylor's Bridge
Idaho’s earliest toll bridge spanned Snake River at this rocky site in 1865, replacing Eagle Rock Ferry, 9 miles upstream. James Madison Taylor (a relative of Presidents Madison and Taylor and a founder of Denver, Colorado) settled here in . . . Map (db m70583) HM
58 Idaho, Boundary County, Bonners Ferry — 165 — Bonner's Ferry
Gold miners rushing to Wild Horse in British Columbia in 1863 were paddled across this river by Indians; in 1864 E.L. Bonner established a proper ferry here. This ferry and its trading store served the Wild Horse packtrains for many years. . . . Map (db m122203) HM
59 Idaho, Boundary County, Bonners Ferry — 160 — David Thompson
Coming from Canada, the famous map maker and trader for the North West Company explored this area and river in 1808. On May 8 somewhere near here, Thompson's famished party, all sick from eating a "much tainted" antelope, met ten lodges of . . . Map (db m122201) HM
60 Idaho, Boundary County, Bonners Ferry — 321 — Glacial Lakes
Moving from the north down this valley, the edge of the continental ice sheet blocked rivers and formed glacial lakes. Then as the ice gradually melted, a lake rose here behind the receding ice dam, and extended up Kootenai valley into . . . Map (db m122174) HM
61 Idaho, Boundary County, Bonners Ferry — 491 — Kootenai Tribe of Idaho
The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho has lived in their aboriginal homeland of Idaho, Montana and British Columbia for thousands of years. A unique culture, the Kootenais are known for their distinctive sturgeon-nose canoe and their linguistically . . . Map (db m122202) HM
62 Idaho, Boundary County, Bonners Ferry — 150 — Wild Horse Trail
Thousands of eager miners came by here in an 1864-65 gold rush to Wild Horse, BC. Parts of their pack trail still can be seen. An extension of North Idaho's earlier gold excitements, Wild Horse was served by a pack trains that hauled . . . Map (db m122176) HM
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63 Idaho, Butte County, Arco — 152 — Atoms for Peace
An important page in atomic history was written here on July 17, 1955, when the lights of Arco were successfully powered from atomic energy. Chosen by the Atomic Energy Commission as an experiment in the peaceful use of atomic power, Arco, Idaho . . . Map (db m68916) HM
64 Idaho, Butte County, Arco — 304 — Lost River
When its water is not diverted for upstream irrigation, Lost River flows past here into a sink 14 miles to the northeast. Lava flows in the Snake River plains buried old channels of Lost River, Little Lost River, and Birch Creek. No longer able . . . Map (db m70448) HM
65 Idaho, Butte County, Arco — 297 — Nuclear Reactors
Since 1949, more nuclear reactors – over 50 of them – have been built on this plain than anywhere else in the world. This 900-square-mile Idaho National Laboratory is the birthplace of the Nuclear Navy. Commercial power reactor . . . Map (db m70447) HM
66 Idaho, Butte County, Howe — 227 — John Day’s River
John Day’s River Fur traders named this stream for John Day, a pioneer trapper who died in the valley north of here, Feb. 16, 1820 John Day had started west with John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company that discovered Snake River . . . Map (db m103827) HM
67 Idaho, Camas County, Fairfield — 277 — Bannock War
Angered by white encroachment on Camas Prairie lands which had been guaranteed to the Bannock Indians by treaty, Buffalo Horn's band went to war May 30, 1878 Trouble had been brewing on the reservation for years, and the government had . . . Map (db m110141) HM
68 Idaho, Canyon County, Caldwell — 455 — Emigrant Crossing
After reaching Boise River, emigrant wagons had to travel 30 miles to find a good crossing about 1/4 mile north of here. They had to avoid a wide zone of shifting channels, so they descended Canyon Hill where the route is still visible. In . . . Map (db m22326) HM
69 Idaho, Canyon County, Caldwell — 291 — The College of Idaho Reported missing
Planned by the Presbyterians of southern Idaho in 1884 and opened with 19 students in 1891, this is Idaho's oldest college. William Judson Boone, the founder, remained president 45 years. From a modest beginning with a faculty of 8 (including two . . . Map (db m26193) HM
70 Idaho, Canyon County, Givens Hot Springs — 358 — Givens Springs
Natural hot water available here has been a popular attraction for thousands of years. A winter village site for about 5000 years, these hot springs had large pit houses typical of plateau communities northwest of here from 4,300 to about . . . Map (db m47336) HM
71 Idaho, Canyon County, Middleton — 75 — The Ward Massacre
Only 2 young boys survived the Indian attack on Alexander Ward's 20 member party, Oregon bound on August 20, 1854. Military retaliation for the slaughter so enraged the Indians that Hudson's Bay Co. posts Fort Boise and Fort Hall had to be . . . Map (db m22328) HM
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72 Idaho, Canyon County, Nampa — 415 — Northwest Nazarene University
In 1913, Eugene Emerson started a Christian school that his church developed into an accredited college on a campus he donated. The college, located on a campus 2 mile southwest of here, moved to university status in 1999. Northwest Nazarene . . . Map (db m73204) HM
73 Idaho, Canyon County, Notus — 361 — Lower Boise
Confederate refugees from Missouri started farming in this area in 1863 and 1864, when gold and silver mining camps created a great demand for flour and cattle. Driven out from their Missouri River homes below Kansas City by extremely bitter Civil . . . Map (db m21988) HM
74 Idaho, Canyon County, Parma — 78 — Marie Dorion
An Iowa Indian who came through here with Wilson Price Hunt's fur trappers in 1811, Marie Dorion spent an incredible winter in this region in 1814. She and her two infant children were sole survivors of a mid-January Bannock Indian clash at John . . . Map (db m21995) HM
75 Idaho, Canyon County, Parma — 85 — Old Fort Boise
An important Hudson's Bay Company fur trade post was established in 1834 four miles west of here on the bank of the Snake River. Fur trading declined, but this British post became famous for its hospitality to American travellers on the Oregon . . . Map (db m21992) HM
76 Idaho, Caribou County, Bancroft — 337 — Chesterfield
In 1879, Mormon farmers from Utah settled Chesterfield, 16 miles north of here. Based on Joseph Smith's Zion Plat, Chesterfield was laid out on an orderly grid of large blocks separated by wide streets with the Meeting House on the highest . . . Map (db m106773) HM
77 Idaho, Caribou County, Bancroft — 161 — Hudspeth's Cutoff
In the summer of 1849, the California Gold Rush was diverted this way in search of a more direct route to the mines. Stampeding 49'ers would try anything to save miles and time in their rush for California's gold: the regular Oregon and . . . Map (db m106774) HM
78 Idaho, Caribou County, Soda Springs — 220 — Bear River Lava
Until about 28,000 years ago, Bear River used to flow northwest from here through Portneuf Canyon into Snake River. Then these lava eruption blocked that route, diverting Bear River south into what now is Salt Lake. At that time a large . . . Map (db m106728) HM
79 Idaho, Caribou County, Soda Springs — 218 — Camp Connor
Col. P.E. Connor set up the old town of Soda Springs, now mostly flooded, and an adjacent army post near here May 20, 1863. The gold rush to Idaho had greatly increased traffic on the Oregon Trail, and the post was needed to protect travelers . . . Map (db m105972) HM
80 Idaho, Caribou County, Soda Springs — 385 — Hooper Spring
Free clear sparkling soda water still is available in a beautiful Soda Springs city park located 2 miles from here. A prime attraction for more than 160 years, soda water from these springs was marketed nationally after rail service . . . Map (db m106256) HM
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81 Idaho, Caribou County, Soda Springs — 219 — John Bidwell
In 1840, John Bidwell began to assemble emigrants from Missouri to open a road to California; and a year later, he set out with a party of 69 Pacific Coast pioneers. When they reached here, August 12, 1841, half of this group decided to go . . . Map (db m106729) HM
82 Idaho, Caribou County, Soda Springs — 158 — Soda Springs
In this area are a group of springs famous to Oregon Trail travelers, most of whom stopped to try the "acid taste and effervessing gasses" of the waters. Earlier, fur traders often -- less elegantly -- called the place "Beer Springs" after . . . Map (db m105967) HM
83 Idaho, Caribou County, Wayan — 433 — Cariboo Mountain
Rising to an elevation of more than 9,800 feet, Cariboo Mountain -- visible north of here -- has two of Idaho's highest gold camps. Jesse "Cariboo Jack" Fairchild discovered gold high on Cariboo Mountain in August, 1870, and a mining rush . . . Map (db m105965) HM
84 Idaho, Caribou County, Wayan — 362 — John Grey
Discovered this valley in 1818 or 1819 while hunting beaver for Donald MacKenzie's Northwest Company trappers. An Iroquois leader -- he also explored Grey's River nearby in Wyoming. Aside from his trapping skills, he was noted for his unusual . . . Map (db m105964) HM
85 Idaho, Cassia County, Albion — 490 — Albion State Normal School
Established in March, 1893, by the Second Idaho State Legislature. Residents of Albion erected and furnished a two-story stone building on five acres of donated land, and the very successful teacher-training school opened on September 11, . . . Map (db m138484) HM
86 Idaho, Cassia County, Albion — 306 — Diamondfield Jack
J.L. Davis... Diamondfield Jack... spent most of 6 years in the Cassia County jail while the courts and pardon board were trying to figure out what to do with him. By far the best known of the gunmen who fought in Idaho's sheep and cattle wars, he . . . Map (db m31639) HM
87 Idaho, Cassia County, Burley — 208 — Milner Dam
When completed in 1904, Milner Dam raised Snake River 38 feet to divert water into major north and south side canals. A gravity system unmatched in size in national reclamation development, this project irrigates 360,000 acres of land. Twin . . . Map (db m31636) HM
88 Idaho, Cassia County, Burley — 28 — Starrh's Ferry
In 1880, George Starrh, a Snake River placer miner, started a ferry across Snake River one mile north of here. From 1880-2, freighters hauling supplies for a mining rush to Wood River used Starrh's ferry (powered by river current when stiff winds . . . Map (db m31635) HM
89 Idaho, Cassia County, Delco — 449 — Idahome
After wheat crops flourished in the dry farm area, Idahome sprang up here in 1916 as a railroad terminal. Irrigation projects boosted its Economy. When wheat farms disappeared and highway traffic replaced rail service here, Idahome became . . . Map (db m123849) HM
90 Idaho, Cassia County, Malta — 169 — Hudspeth's Cutoff
This shortcut to the California goldfields, followed by most of the 49'ers, came out of the hills to the east and joined the old California trail just about here. Opened by "Messrs. Hudspeth & Myers, of the Jackson County, Missouri, Company," who . . . Map (db m31638) HM
91 Idaho, Cassia County, Oakley — 344 — City of Rocks
A vast display of towering granite rocks (16 miles southeast of here) attracted emigrants who were on their way to California. A gold rush visitor, July 14, 1849, reported that "you can imagine among these massive piles, church domes, spires, . . . Map (db m31637) HM
92 Idaho, Clark County, Dubois — 427 — Nez Perce War
When General O.O. Howard tried to get more than 600 Nez Perce Indians to settle on a North Idaho reservation in 1877, he ran into a lot of trouble here. On their way to Yellowstone Park, Chief Joseph's Nez Perce people reached Hole in the . . . Map (db m124339) HM
93 Idaho, Clark County, Spencer — 222 — Beaver Canyon
After Montana's Gold Rushes began in 1862, thousands of miners came past here and a Beaver Canyon stage station was built here. Freighters and travelers on stage lines from Salt Lake to Montana stopped at this station until Utah and . . . Map (db m124337) HM
94 Idaho, Clearwater County, Lenore — 316 — Indian Houses
Indians have lived here next to this good fishing hold for 10,000 years. As long as 3,000 years ago, they had large oval houses, 28 feet long by 24 feet wide. To build these houses, they put a bark and mat covering over a frame of 50 or so . . . Map (db m121416) HM
95 Idaho, Clearwater County, Lenore — 486 — Lenore Tram
In 1898, after rail service from Lewiston reached Lenore, a tramway was begun to ship grain from Camas Prairie (1600 feet above) to a new freight stop directly across the river. Previously, grain wagons descended a long steep hill from the . . . Map (db m109760) HM
96 Idaho, Clearwater County, Lenore — 250 — SlatervilleServed as the steamboat port for the Clearwater Gold Rush — which followed mineral discoveries at Pierce in 1860 —
Founded by Seth S. Slater, May 6, 1861, Slaterville (permanent population, 50) had 5 edifices – built mainly of colored blankets – 2 stores, 2 houses, and a saloon. When the Colonel Wright “snapped her tow-line on the Grand Rapids . . . Map (db m110703) HM
97 Idaho, Clearwater County, Orofino — 249 — Lewis and ClarkOn their way West, in 1805 — Lewis and Clark descended into Clearwater Canyon on an old Indian trail across from here —
After more than a month’s search, they finally had reached a westward river where they could use canoes. From here they continued another 16 miles with their pack horses before they found a campsite with trees suitable for making canoes. But at . . . Map (db m109757) HM
98 Idaho, Clearwater County, Pierce — 153 — Canal Gulch
The fabulous Gold Rush days of Idaho began on September 30, 1860, when W.F. Bassett struck gold just about here. E.D. Pierce, who knew the country, had led twelve prospectors, including Bassett, out from Walla Walla in August. After news of . . . Map (db m121518) HM
99 Idaho, Clearwater County, Pierce — 307 — Chinese Hanging
Charged with hacking a prominent local merchant to pieces, five Chinese were hanged here by vigilantes Sept. 18, 1885. They were just setting out on a long, hard 240 mile trip from Pierce to face trial at the county seat in Murray when the . . . Map (db m121442) HM
100 Idaho, Clearwater County, Pierce — 156 — Oro Fino City
Commercial center of Idaho's earliest mining district in the great days of 1861. It flourished here for more than a year. Pierce City was only 2 miles away but another town sprang up near some rich gold strikes. In its first few weeks, Oro . . . Map (db m121517) HM

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Mar. 18, 2024