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152-782: Pioneer Cemetery in Boise is one of the oldest burial places in the state of Idaho . In continuous use since 1863, it is the resting place of 11 mayors, eight local county sheriffs, and several governors. Located north of Warm Springs Avenue, the cemetery was rededicated following a refurbishment in 1990. The pioneer cemetery was located on a branch of the Oregon Trail . The oldest legible grave marker in Pioneer Cemetery belongs to Carrie Logan, who died on August 22, 1864, only weeks before her sixth birthday. The cemetery has 1,796 marked graves, and contains many more that are unmarked. The cemetery
304-498: A City Hall and a new Union Pacific passenger station, constructed when service was finally extended to downtown, were all built during the 1890s. Falk's Department Store sponsored a semi-professional baseball team representing Boise from at least 1892 and the city supported other organized sports as they became popular. The 12th Census of the United States lists the population of Boise in 1900 as 5,957, up from 2,311 in 1890, when Idaho
456-474: A bank vice president. Their trials, which received sensational coverage in the local press, resulted in lengthy prison sentences; one man was sentenced to life in prison. In 2019, the city council approved the renaming of a park and natural preserve to names in the Shoshoni language to recognize their significance to local indigenous peoples. Boise is in southwestern Idaho , about 41 miles (66 km) east of
608-556: A baseball complex, and swimming pools were developed around the Simplot Sports complex. The fields are built over an old landfill and dump, and the fields and gravel parking lot allow radon gases to escape through the ground. The most recent planned community is the 35-acre (14 ha) Bown Crossing, which has easy access to the Boise Greenbelt . On August 25, 2008, at about 7:00 pm, a fire started near Amity and Holcomb during
760-641: A dome of rock they named Independence Rock and started their long trek on foot to the Missouri River. Upon arriving back in a settled area they bought pack horses (on credit) and retrieved their furs. They had discovered the route that Robert Stuart had taken in 1813—eleven years before. Thomas Fitzpatrick was often hired as a guide when the fur trade dwindled in 1840. Smith was killed by Comanche natives around 1831. Up to 3,000 mountain men were trappers and explorers , employed by various British and United States fur companies or working as free trappers, who roamed
912-518: A former U.S. Army Captain and fur trader who was contracted to guide the train to Fort Hall for $ 1 per person. The winter before, Marcus Whitman had made a brutal mid-winter trip from Oregon to St. Louis to appeal a decision by his mission backers to abandon several of the Oregon missions. He joined the wagon train at the Platte River for the return trip. When the pioneers were told at Fort Hall by agents from
1064-439: A letter to her sister, Lucy P. Griffith, described how travelers responded to the new environment they encountered: The mountains looked like volcanoes and the appearance that one day there had been an awful thundering of volcanoes and a burning world. The valleys were all covered with a white crust and looked like salaratus . Some of the companies used it to raise their bread. While women experienced many deaths and hardships on
1216-523: A major retail/dining focus like Seattle and Portland, the area has a variety of shops and growing option for dining choices. Centrally, 8th Street contains a pedestrian zone with sidewalk cafes and restaurants. The neighborhood has many local restaurants, bars, and boutiques and supports a vibrant nightlife. The area contains the Basque Block, which gives visitors a chance to learn about and enjoy Boise's Basque heritage. Downtown Boise's main attractions include
1368-433: A major windstorm. It destroyed ten houses and damaged nine. One person died in the fire. The Bench, generally bounded by Federal Way to the east, Cole Road to the west and Garden City to the north, sits on an elevation approximately 60 feet (18 m) higher than downtown Boise to its northeast. Orchard Street is a major north–south thoroughfare in the neighborhood. The Bench is so named because of this sudden rise, giving
1520-432: A park in the name of his wife Julia. Commercial agriculture continued to expand, but was slowed by the lack of reliable rail links to regional and national markets and by a lack of large scale irrigation projects, which themselves were often tied to hoped-for railroad projects for financing. A.D. Foote, a successful mining engineer, drew up plans to irrigate up to 500,000 acres immediately south of Boise in 1882, but progress
1672-403: A popular focus on a range of tree planting projects. Thomas J. Davis planted several thousand fruit trees in 1864 and several other early businessmen either founded nurseries or orchards of their own. In the 1870s tree planting began in earnest in downtown Boise led by prominent hotels as well as businessmen and residents. In 1907 Davis donated 43 acres of his orchard property to the city for use as
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#17328917263231824-489: A rendezvous a year's worth of trading and celebrating would take place as the traders took their furs and remaining supplies back east for the winter and the trappers faced another fall and winter with new supplies. Trapper Jim Beckwourth described the scene as one of "Mirth, songs, dancing, shouting, trading, running, jumping, singing, racing, target-shooting, yarns, frolic, with all sorts of extravagances that white men or Indians could invent." In 1830, William Sublette brought
1976-526: A result of toll road franchises awarded by the territorial legislature starting in the 1860s. These first ran from Fort Boise to the mining centers in the Boise Basin and east to Rocky Bar and to Rattlesnake Station where they connected to the Oregon Trail. Territorial census records from a special 1864 enumeration list the population of Boise as 1,658, and an act of December 12, 1864, was the first attempt by
2128-555: A similar aesthetic to the North End. Downtown is minutes away, as is Veteran's Memorial Park and easy access to the Boise Greenbelt . Across the river sits the Boise Bench and to the west are the bedroom communities of Eagle, Star , and Middleton . Warm Springs is centered on the tree-lined Warm Springs Avenue and contains some of Boise's largest and most expensive homes (many of which were erected by wealthy miners and businessmen around
2280-475: A trail through heavy timber. The wagons were stopped at The Dalles , Oregon, by the lack of a road around Mount Hood. The wagons had to be disassembled and floated down the treacherous Columbia River and the animals herded over the rough Lolo trail to get by Mt. Hood. Nearly all of the settlers in the 1843 wagon trains arrived in the Willamette Valley by early October. A passable wagon trail now existed from
2432-698: Is 41 miles (66 km) east of the Oregon border and 110 miles (177 km) north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's elevation is 2,704 feet (824 m) above sea level . The Boise metropolitan area , also known as the Treasure Valley , includes five counties with a combined population of 749,202, the most populous metropolitan area in Idaho. It contains the state's three largest cities: Boise, Nampa , and Meridian . The Boise–Nampa Metropolitan Statistical Area
2584-656: Is a triangular neighborhood immediately adjoining BSU. The rest of Southeast Boise was developed over the decades, largely by a variety of suburban -style homes. Columbia Village subdivision and the older Oregon Trail Heights were the first major planned communities in Southeast Boise with an elementary and middle school all within walking distance from all homes. The subdivision is at the intersections of Interstate 84, Idaho 21, and Federal Way (former U.S. Highway), which are all major arteries to get anywhere in Boise. The subdivision,
2736-498: Is home to Boise Towne Square Mall, the largest in the state, as well as many restaurants, strip malls, and residential developments ranging from new subdivisions to apartment complexes. The Ada County jail and Hewlett-Packard 's printing division are also here. It is relatively the flattest section of Boise, with sweeping views of the Boise Front. West Boise also borders the city of Meridian . Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail
2888-450: Is located today. The new location was selected because it was near the intersection of the Oregon Trail with a major road connecting the Boise Basin ( Idaho City ) and the Owyhee ( Silver City ) mining areas, both of which were booming. That year, the United States established Idaho Territory , whose boundaries included this region. After a year, with the creation of Montana Territory , Boise
3040-643: Is statistically the deadliest of the Indian Wars in the West in terms of casualties. In the end, 1,762 men were counted as the casualties of this war from both sides. In 1868, Fort Hall Indian Reservation was established in Southeastern Idaho, about 220 miles upstream, according to the terms of Fort Bridger Treaty . The Boise Valley Shoshone and Bannock Tribes were not party to this treaty. Nevertheless, in April 1869,
3192-420: Is the 77th most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States. Downtown Boise is the cultural center and home to many small businesses alongside a number of high-rise buildings. The area has a variety of shops and restaurants. Centrally, 8th Street contains a pedestrian zone with sidewalk cafes and restaurants. The neighborhood has many local restaurants, bars, and boutiques. The area also contains
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#17328917263233344-576: Is the resting place of the first governor of Idaho, George L. Shoup , a cavalry officer in the Civil War . The other former governors buried there include territorial governor Edward A. Stevenson , as well as state governors Frank W. Hunt , Robert E. Smylie , and Cecil D. Andrus . The cemetery also contains a memorial to the fallen men of the American Civil War which was erected on May 30, 1896, by Phil Sheridan Women's Relief Corps. It cost $ 137 and
3496-684: Is to explore the Missouri river, and such principal stream of it, as, by its course and communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean, whether the Columbia, Oregon, Colorado and/or other river may offer the most direct and practicable water communication across this continent, for commerce." Although Lewis and William Clark found a path to the Pacific Ocean, it was neither direct nor practicable for prairie schooner wagons to pass through without considerable road work. The two passes they found going through
3648-637: Is water. The city is drained by the Boise River and is considered part of the Treasure Valley . Boise occupies an area of 64 sq mi (170 km ), according to the United States Census Bureau . Neighborhoods of Boise include the Bench, the North End, West Boise and Downtown. In January 2014, the Boise Police Department (BPD) partnered with the neighborhood blogging site Nextdoor ,
3800-524: The Boise Airport , theaters, shopping, golf and the Boise Bench area. Northwest Boise lies against the Boise Foothills to the north, State Street to the south, the city of Eagle to the west, and downtown Boise to the east. It contains a mix of old and new neighborhoods, including Lakeharbor, which features the private Silver Lake, a reclaimed quarry. Northwest Boise has some pockets of older homes with
3952-581: The California gold rush . It is estimated that about two-thirds of the male population in Oregon went to California in 1848 to cash in on the opportunity. To get there, they helped build the Lassen Branch of the Applegate-Lassen Trail by cutting a wagon road through extensive forests. Many returned with significant gold which helped jump-start the Oregon economy. Over the next decade, gold seekers from
4104-568: The Great Basin to the eastern slope of the Sierras . Upon return in early August, Simpson reported that he had surveyed the Central Overland Route from Camp Floyd to Genoa, Nevada . This route went through central Nevada (roughly where U.S. Route 50 goes today) and was about 280 miles (450 km) shorter than the "standard" Humboldt River California trail route. The Army improved
4256-751: The Idaho State Capitol , the classic Egyptian Theatre on the corner of Capitol Boulevard and Main Street, the Boise Art Museum on Capitol in front of Julia Davis Park , and Zoo Boise on the grounds of Julia Davis Park. Boise's economy was threatened in the late 1990s by commercial development at locations away from the downtown center, such as Boise Towne Square Mall and at shopping centers near new housing developments. Cultural events in Downtown Boise include Alive after Five and First Thursday. To
4408-595: The Midwestern United States and East Coast of the United States dramatically increased traffic on the Oregon and California Trails. The "forty-niners" often chose speed over safety and opted to use shortcuts such as the Sublette-Greenwood Cutoff in Wyoming which reduced travel time by almost seven days but spanned nearly 45 miles (72 km) of the desert without water, grass, or fuel for fires. 1849
4560-513: The Old Idaho State Penitentiary , opened the same month several miles east of town. Mining continued to be important to Boise's economic growth and periodic booms contributed to population growth as well, though production of gold and silver probably peaked in the 1860s. 1882's gold and silver production of $ 3,500,000 declined to $ 1,488,315 (including lead) by 1899. Boise began to earn its City of Trees nickname in this period with
4712-541: The Oregon Dragoons . They carried a large flag emblazoned with their motto " Oregon Or The Grave ". Although the group split up near Bent's Fort on the South Platte and Farnham was deposed as leader, nine of their members eventually did reach Oregon. In September 1840, Robert Newell , Joseph L. Meek , and their families reached Fort Walla Walla with three wagons that they had driven from Fort Hall. Their wagons were
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4864-616: The Oregon Treaty , in which the British gave the region up to the US, thus ending the era of "Joint occupation". This meant that Boise valley and much of Snake Country was claimed as Oregon Territory . With the discovery of gold in California in 1848 and the passage of Donation Land Claim Act , the settler incursions increased exponentially. The increased settler incursions through Shoshone and Bannock territories, and their increased exploitation of
5016-562: The Red River Colony (located at the junction of the Assiniboine River and Red River near present Winnipeg , Manitoba , Canada) into the Oregon territory. This attempt at settlement failed when most of the families joined the settlers in the Willamette Valley, with their promise of free land and HBC-free government. In 1846, the Oregon Treaty ending the Oregon boundary dispute was signed with Britain. The British lost much of
5168-759: The Rocky Mountains , Lemhi Pass , and Lolo Pass , turned out to be much too difficult. On the return trip in 1806, they traveled from the Columbia River to the Snake River and the Clearwater River over Lolo Pass again. They then traveled overland up the Blackfoot River and crossed the Continental Divide at Lewis and Clark Pass, as it would become known, and on to the head of the Missouri River. This
5320-496: The U.S. Army as its source. After trekking for weeks through dry and rough terrain , his exploration party reached an overlook with a view of the Boise River Valley . The place where they stood is called Bonneville Point, located on the Oregon Trail east of the city. According to the story, a French -speaking guide, overwhelmed by the sight of the verdant river, yelled " Les bois! Les bois! " ("The woods! The woods!")—and
5472-427: The U.S. Army's Corps of Topographical Engineers and his guide Kit Carson led three expeditions from 1842 to 1846 over parts of California and Oregon. His explorations were written up by him and his wife Jessie Benton Frémont and were widely published. The first detailed maps of California and Oregon were drawn by Frémont and his topographers and cartographers in about 1848. In 1834, The Dalles Methodist Mission
5624-523: The United States Army . Starting from early 1840s, developments further West, in modern Oregon, meant significant changes to the region of Boise. At this time, HBC and the British started moving their operations further North into British Columbia , while there was a slow and steady rise in number of settlers in Oregon Country , who demanded annexation. These developments eventually culminated in
5776-593: The United States Military embarked on a campaign of "Removal, rounding up of natives in the region including in and around Boise, and expelling them with cavalry escort to Fort Hall Indian Reservation . This period is known among the Shoshone and Bannock people as Idaho's Trail of Tears . Some of the natives managed to escape, and they ran to either Duck Valley or Fort McDermitt in Nevada. Boise's early growth
5928-623: The Yellowstone River to the Sweetwater River. They were looking for a safe location to spend the winter. Smith reasoned since the Sweetwater flowed east it must eventually run into the Missouri River. Trying to transport their extensive fur collection down the Sweetwater and North Platte Rivers, they found after a near-disastrous canoe crash that the rivers were too swift and rough for water passage. On July 4, 1824, they cached their furs under
6080-473: The foothills of the Rocky Mountains . About 34 miles (55 km) southwest of Boise, and about 26 miles (42 km) southwest of Nampa , the Owyhee Mountains lie entirely in neighboring Owyhee County . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has an area of 80.05 square miles (207.33 km ), of which 79.36 square miles (205.54 km ) is land and 0.69 square miles (1.79 km )
6232-461: The 1840s, the Great Plains appeared to be unattractive for settlement and were illegal for homesteading until well after 1846—initially, it was set aside by the U.S. government for Native American settlements. The next available land for general settlement, Oregon, appeared to be free for the taking and had fertile lands, disease-free climate ( yellow fever and malaria were then prevalent in much of
Pioneer Cemetery, Boise - Misplaced Pages Continue
6384-418: The Basque Block, which showcases Boise's Basque heritage. Downtown Boise's main attractions include the Idaho State Capitol , the classic Egyptian Theatre on the corner of Capitol Boulevard and Main Street, the Boise Art Museum on Capitol in front of Julia Davis Park , and Zoo Boise on the grounds of Julia Davis Park. The origin of the name is uncertain. One account credits Capt. B. L. E. Bonneville of
6536-630: The British government pressured the two companies to merge. The newly reconfigured HBC had a near monopoly on trading (and most governing issues) in the Columbia District, or Oregon Country as it was referred to by the Americans, and also in Rupert's Land . That year the British parliament passed a statute applying the laws of Upper Canada to the district and giving the HBC power to enforce those laws. From 1813 to
6688-556: The British had an official policy of discouraging American settlers, and settler incursions into Boise Valley along the Oregon Trail remained low until the early 1840s. The HBC established a fort in the region, the Old Fort Boise , 40 miles (64 km) west, near Parma , down the Boise River near its confluence with the Snake River at the Oregon border. The HBC was present at the fort until 1844, and afterward handed it over to
6840-504: The California gold rush , and sex ratios did not reach essential equality in California (and other western states) until about 1950. The relative scarcity of women gave them many opportunities to do many more things that were not normally considered women's work of this era. After 1849, the California gold rush continued for several years as the miners continued to find about $ 50,000,000 worth of gold per year at $ 21 per ounce. Once California
6992-499: The Columbia River aboard the merchant ship Tonquin , the other dispatched overland under an expedition led by Wilson Price Hunt . Hunt and his party were to find possible supply routes and trapping territories for further fur trading posts. Upon arriving at the river in March 1811, the Tonquin crew began building what became Fort Astoria . The ship left supplies and men to continue work on
7144-587: The Father of Oregon. The York Factory Express , establishing another route to the Oregon territory, evolved from an earlier express brigade used by the North West Company between Fort Astoria and Fort William , Ontario on Lake Superior . By 1825 the HBC started using two brigades, each setting out from opposite ends of the express route—one from Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River and the other from York Factory on Hudson Bay—in spring and passing each other in
7296-483: The French trappers to call the area " la rivière boisée " ("the wooded river"). Most local and longtime residents use the pronunciation /ˈbɔɪsiː/ (BOY-see), as given on the city's website. The pronunciation is sometimes used as a shibboleth , as those from elsewhere tend to pronounce the city's name as /ˈbɔɪziː/ (BOY-zee). In French , the name of the city is pronounced /ˈbwaz/ (Bwaz). The area of Boise valley
7448-558: The HBC, tried to discourage any U.S. trappers, traders, and settlers from work or settlement in the Pacific Northwest. By overland travel, American missionaries and early settlers (initially mostly ex-trappers) started showing up in Oregon in the late 1820s. Although officially the HBC discouraged settlement because it interfered with its lucrative fur trade, its manager at Fort Vancouver, John McLoughlin , gave substantial help, including employment, until they could get established. In
7600-525: The Hudson's Bay Company that they should abandon their wagons there and use pack animals the rest of the way, Whitman disagreed and volunteered to lead the wagons to Oregon. He believed the wagon trains were large enough that they could build whatever road improvements they needed to make the trip with their wagons. The biggest obstacle they faced was in the Blue Mountains of Oregon where they had to cut and clear
7752-551: The Idaho Territorial Legislature to incorporate the city. This was rejected by voters the following March. Two more unsuccessful attempts were made to organize a city administration by election before the 1866 version of the city charter was approved by voters on January 6, 1868. The growing number of homes and businesses, for which owners wanted proper legal title, may have contributed to the eventual success of incorporation. All of these rejected efforts to incorporate
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#17328917263237904-521: The Missouri River to The Dalles. Jesse Applegate's account of the emigration, " A Day with the Cow Column in 1843 ," has been described as "the best bit of literature left to us by any participant in the [Oregon] pioneer movement..." and has been republished several times from 1868 to 1990. In 1846, the Barlow Road was completed around Mount Hood, providing a rough but completely passable wagon trail from
8056-605: The Missouri River to the Willamette Valley: about 2,000 miles (3,200 km). In 1843, settlers of the Willamette Valley drafted the Organic Laws of Oregon organizing land claims within the Oregon Country. Married couples were granted at no cost (except for the requirement to work and improve the land) up to 640 acres (2.6 km ) (a section or square mile), and unmarried settlers could claim 320 acres (1.3 km ). As
8208-543: The Missouri River, finally arriving in St. Louis in the spring of 1813. The route they had used appeared to potentially be a practical wagon route, requiring minimal improvements, and Stuart's journals provided a meticulous account of most of the route. Because of the War of 1812 and the lack of U.S. fur trading posts in the Pacific Northwest, most of the route was unused for more than 10 years. In August 1811, three months after Fort Astoria
8360-655: The Missouri and Mississippi River drainage), extensive forests, big rivers, potential seaports, and only a few nominally British settlers. Fur trappers, often working for fur traders, followed nearly all possible streams looking for beaver in the years (1812–40) when the fur trade was active. Fur traders included Manuel Lisa , Robert Stuart, William Henry Ashley , Jedediah Smith , William Sublette , Andrew Henry , Thomas Fitzpatrick , Kit Carson , Jim Bridger , Peter Skene Ogden , David Thompson , James Douglas , Donald Mackenzie , Alexander Ross , James Sinclair , and other mountain men . Besides describing and naming many of
8512-425: The Mormon emigrants followed the main Oregon/California/Mormon Trail through Wyoming to Fort Bridger , where they split from the main trail and followed (and improved) the rough path known as Hastings Cutoff , used by the ill-fated Donner Party in 1846. Between 1847 and 1860, over 43,000 Mormon settlers and tens of thousands of travelers on the California Trail and Oregon Trail followed Young to Utah. After 1848,
8664-410: The North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 to the early 1840s. They usually traveled in small groups for mutual support and protection. Trapping took place in the fall when the fur became prime. Mountain men primarily trapped beaver and sold the skins. A good beaver skin could bring up to $ 4 at a time when a man's wage was often $ 1 per day. Some were more interested in exploring the West. In 1825,
8816-413: The North End, South Boise and across the river on Front St. A loop line, completed in 1912, ran as far as Caldwell and Nampa, providing transport throughout the valley. Three early trolley companies merged in 1912 to form the Idaho Traction Company with a depot at 7th and Bannock Streets downtown. Additional services and urban amenities arrived in the 1890s as Boise grew. Exploratory drilling for hot water
8968-452: The Oregon Trail and wrote extensively about their explorations. Captain Benjamin Bonneville on his expedition of 1832 to 1834 explored much of the Oregon trail and brought wagons up the Platte, North Platte, Sweetwater route across South Pass to the Green River in Wyoming. He explored most of Idaho and the Oregon Trail to the Columbia. The account of his explorations in the West was published by Washington Irving in 1838. John C. Frémont of
9120-448: The Oregon border and 110 miles (177 km) north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's elevation is 2,704 feet (824 m) above sea level . Most of the metropolitan area lies on a broad, flat plain, descending to the west. Mountains rise to the northeast, stretching from the far southeastern tip of the Boise city limits to nearby Eagle . These mountains are known to locals as the Boise foothills and are sometimes described as
9272-416: The PFC management at Fort Astoria of the destruction. The next day, the ship was blown up by surviving crew members. Under Hunt, fearing attack by the Niitsitapi , the overland expedition veered south of Lewis and Clark's route into what is now Wyoming and in the process passed across Union Pass and into Jackson Hole , Wyoming. From there they went over the Teton Range via Teton Pass and then down to
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#17328917263239424-488: The Rocky Mountains to the Hawaiian Islands , and from Russian Alaska into Mexican-controlled California. At its pinnacle in about 1840, the manager of Fort Vancouver watched over 34 outposts, 24 ports, 6 ships, and about 600 employees. When American emigration over the Oregon Trail began in earnest in the early 1840s, for many settlers the fort became the last stop on the Oregon Trail where they could get supplies, aid, and help before starting their homesteads. Fort Vancouver
9576-460: The Shoshone warriors. In response, the United States Army launched the Winnas Expedition , which involved raids on Native encampments for a period of several months during Summer of 1855. In the period between 1846 and 1856, 700 white settlers were killed along the entire length of the Oregon Trail due to attacks and raids by Native warriors on their caravans while intruding native land. American military intrusion and retaliation only further angered
9728-459: The Snake River into modern Idaho . They abandoned their horses at the Snake River, made dugout canoes, and attempted to use the river for transport. After a few days' travel, they soon discovered that steep canyons, waterfalls, and impassable rapids made travel by river impossible. Too far from their horses to retrieve them, they had to cache most of their goods and walk the rest of the way to the Columbia River where they made new boats and traveled to
9880-399: The Snake country fur trade after 1818, the most prominent of the Boise Shoshone, Peiem (a Shoshoni rendition of "Big Jim", their leader's English name), became the most influential leader of the large composite Shoshoni band that white trappers regularly encountered in the Snake Country . In 1811, Wilson Hunt , employed as an agent in the fur trade under John Jacob Astor , organized and led
10032-441: The United States most of what it wanted, a "reasonable" boundary and a good anchorage on the West Coast in Puget Sound. While there were few United States settlers in the future state of Washington in 1846, the United States had already demonstrated it could induce thousands of settlers to go to the Oregon Territory, and it would be only a short time before they would vastly outnumber the few hundred HBC employees and retirees living in
10184-448: The West and western migration in the same way. Whereas men might deem the dangers of the trial acceptable if there was a strong economic reward at the end, women viewed those dangers as threatening to the stability and survival of the family. Once they arrived at their new Western home, women's public role in building Western communities and participating in the Western economy gave them a greater authority than they had known back East. There
10336-483: The Willamette Valley, as well as various locations in the future states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. On May 1, 1839, a group of eighteen men from Peoria, Illinois , set out with the intention of colonizing the Oregon country on behalf of the United States of America and driving out the HBC operating there. The men of the Peoria Party were among the first pioneers to traverse most of the Oregon Trail. They were initially led by Thomas J. Farnham and called themselves
10488-405: The age of 13, mentioned the fascination she and other children felt for the graves and loose skulls they would find near their camps. Anna Maria King, like many other women, also advised family and friends back home of the realities of the trip and offered advice on how to prepare for the trip. Women also reacted and responded, often enthusiastically, to the landscape of the West. Betsey Bayley, in
10640-414: The appearance of a step, or bench. The Bench (or Benches, there are three actual benches in the Boise Valley) was created as an ancient shoreline to the old river channel. The Bench is home to the Boise Union Pacific Depot . Like the North End, the Bench has older residential areas such as the Central Rim, Morris Hill, and Depot Bench neighborhoods. Due south of the Bench is the Boise Airport . West Boise
10792-423: The area include the Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts and ExtraMile Arena . Broadway Avenue to the east and south of the BSU campus features many college-themed bars and restaurants. The North End, generally defined as the part of Boise north of State Street, contains many of the city's older homes. It is known for its tree-lined drives such as Harrison Boulevard, and for its quiet neighborhoods near
10944-460: The area known as Oregon and its surroundings, with traffic especially thick from 1846 to 1869. The eastern half of the trail was also used by travelers on the California Trail (from 1843), Mormon Trail (from 1847), and Bozeman Trail (from 1863) before turning off to their separate destinations. Use of the trail declined after the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, making
11096-771: The assassination of their prophet Joseph Smith in 1844, Mormon leader Brigham Young led settlers in the Latter Day Saints (LDS) church west to the Salt Lake Valley in present-day Utah. In 1847 Young led a small, fast-moving group from their Winter Quarters encampments near Omaha , Nebraska, and their approximately 50 temporary settlements on the Missouri River in Iowa including Council Bluffs . About 2,200 LDS pioneers went that first year; they were charged with establishing farms, growing crops, building fences and herds, and establishing preliminary settlements to feed and support
11248-402: The canal now bearing his name from his uncle William Morris in 1878 and later partnered with Rossi to expand the sawmill capacity under the name Rossi and Ridenbaugh Lumber Company. Their materials supported bridge building and the rapid expansion of Boise in the 1890s. As with many early infrastructure ventures, electrification succeeded only after at least one false start. July 4, 1887, marked
11400-518: The city came after Boise had been controversially made the state capital in 1864 over strong opposition from northern Idaho interests. This decision reflected the rapid shift of population growth from north to south after the discovery of gold in southern Idaho. By 1868 Boise had over 400 permanent buildings with a wide range of commercial services. 1868 also marked the formal beginning of a long advocacy for railroad connections to other Idaho communities and, just as importantly, to other growing cities in
11552-536: The city in late 1965, the neighborhood is mostly filled with homes constructed in the 1970s, as well as the golf course of Crane Creek Country Club. Southwest Boise contains sparsely populated neighborhoods built from the 1960s to the early 1980s. Many include acre-sized plots and the occasional farmhouse and pasture. In the 1980s, growth in the area was stunted to prevent urban sprawl . Since this has been lifted, there has been widespread growth of new homes and neighborhoods. The area lies near Interstate 84, and features,
11704-540: The conclusion of the war of 1812, until the 1840s, Oregon , while officially "jointly administered", was solely dominated by the British Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), which had a land connection to the inland of the Canadian Prairies via York Factory Express . Snake Country, including Boise Valley remained independent and relatively free of settler passage and incursion. There were two main reasons for this. Firstly,
11856-446: The cost of traveling the trail by roughly $ 30 per wagon but decreased the speed of the transit from about 160 to 170 days in 1843 to 120 to 140 days in 1860. Ferries also helped prevent death by drowning at river crossings. In April 1859, an expedition of U.S. Corps of Topographical Engineers led by Captain James H. Simpson left Camp Floyd, Utah , to establish an army supply route across
12008-593: The downtown area. Downtown Boise is visible from Camel's Back Park . On 13th Street, Hyde Park is home to restaurants and other businesses. The North End also hosts events such as the annual Hyde Park Street Fair. In 2008, the American Planning Association designated Boise's North End one of 10 Great Neighborhoods. The Boise Highlands is just north of the North End; its location is generally defined as north of Hill Road and east of Bogus Basin Road. Annexed by
12160-620: The early 1840s the British, through the NWC and HBC, had nearly complete control of the Pacific Northwest and the western half of the Oregon Trail. In theory, the Treaty of Ghent , which ended the War of 1812, restored possession of U.S. property in Oregon territory to the United States. "Joint occupation" of the region was formally established by the Anglo-American Convention of 1818 . The British, through
12312-446: The early 1840s thousands of American settlers arrived and soon greatly outnumbered the British settlers in Oregon. McLoughlin, despite working for the HBC, gave help in the form of loans, medical care, shelter, clothing, food, supplies and seed to U.S. emigrants. These new emigrants often arrived in Oregon tired, worn out, nearly penniless, with insufficient food or supplies, just as winter was coming on. McLoughlin would later be hailed as
12464-559: The early Oregon Trail pioneers. When the fur trade slowed in the 1840s because of fashion changes in men's hats, the value of the Pacific Northwest to the British was seriously diminished. Canada had few potential settlers who were willing to move more than 2,500 miles (4,000 km) to the Pacific Northwest, although several hundred ex-trappers, British and American, and their families did start settling in what became Oregon and Washington. In 1841, James Sinclair , on orders from HBC Governor Sir George Simpson , guided nearly 200 settlers from
12616-491: The exception of dairy, most livestock products were exported from Idaho, unlike other agricultural products which were still largely scaled to support local markets. The timber industry also increasingly thrived in the Boise market in the 1880s and 1890s. Large quantities of timber were exported from elsewhere in Idaho, but a growing Boise supported the expansion of Alexander Rossi's sawmill, first established in 1865. Prominent early Boisean William Ridenbaugh had inherited control of
12768-483: The expedition confirmed that there was no "easy" route through the northern Rocky Mountains as Jefferson had hoped. Nonetheless, this famous expedition had mapped both the eastern and western river valleys (Platte and Snake Rivers) that bookend the route of the Oregon Trail (and other emigrant trails ) across the continental divide—they just had not located the South Pass or some of the interconnecting valleys later used in
12920-552: The first city in the Northwest and the 137th city in the U.S. to do so. Since the app, which enables the city's police, fire, and parks departments to post to self-selected, highly localized areas, first became available in October 2011, 101 neighborhoods and sections of neighborhoods have joined. Downtown Boise is Boise's cultural center and home to many small businesses as well as a growing number of high-rises. While downtown Boise lacks
13072-685: The first significant American Rendezvous occurred on the Henry's Fork of the Green River . The trading supplies were brought in by a large party using pack trains originating on the Missouri River. These pack trains were then used to haul out the fur bales. They normally used the north side of the Platte River—the same route used 20 years later by the Mormon Trail . For the next 15 years, the American rendezvous
13224-520: The first to reach the Columbia River over land, and they opened the final leg of the Oregon Trail to wagon traffic. In 1841, the Bartleson-Bidwell Party was the first emigrant group credited with using the Oregon Trail to emigrate west. The group set out for California, but about half the party left the original group at Soda Springs , Idaho, and proceeded to the Willamette Valley in Oregon, leaving their wagons at Fort Hall. On May 16, 1842,
13376-509: The first wagons carrying his trading goods up the Platte, North Platte, and Sweetwater rivers before crossing over South Pass to a fur trade rendezvous on the Green River near the future town of Big Piney , Wyoming. He had a crew that dug out the gullies and river crossings and cleared the brush where needed. This established that the eastern part of most of the Oregon Trail was passable by wagons. In
13528-649: The formerly very popular beaver felt hats and prices for furs rapidly declined and the trapping almost ceased. Fur traders tried to use the Platte River, the main route of the eastern Oregon Trail, for transport but soon gave up in frustration as its many channels and islands combined with its muddy waters were too shallow, crooked, and unpredictable to use for water transport. The Platte proved to be unnavigable. The Platte River and North Platte River Valley, however, became an easy roadway for wagons, with its nearly flat plain sloping easily up and heading almost due west. Several U.S. government-sponsored explorers explored part of
13680-523: The forms of bridges, cutoffs, ferries, and roads would make the trip faster and safer. From various starting points in Iowa, Missouri, or Nebraska Territory , the routes converged along the lower Platte River Valley near Fort Kearny , Nebraska Territory. They led to fertile farmlands west of the Rocky Mountains . The Oregon Trail and its many offshoots were used by about 400,000 settlers, farmers, miners, ranchers, and business owners and their families to get to
13832-515: The future Canada–U.S. border). The fort quickly became the center of activity in the Pacific Northwest. Every year ships would come from London to the Pacific (via Cape Horn ) to drop off supplies and trade goods in its trading posts in the Pacific Northwest and pick up the accumulated furs used to pay for these supplies. It was the nexus for the fur trade on the Pacific Coast; its influence reached from
13984-507: The general region east of the Cascades and west of the Rockies was described at the time in the media and literature of the eastern US as the " Great American Desert ", an arid unproductive region, unsuitable for habitation. This discouraged settlers from traveling to the region of Boise; however, Oregon Country , on the other side of the Cascades, was a desirable destination for them. Nevertheless,
14136-544: The greater part of a group of about 60 men on an overland expedition to establish a fur trading outpost at the mouth of the Columbia River . This expedition passed through the Boise valley, and was the first ever time a white American has entered the region. Because of the War of 1812 and the lack of U.S. fur trading posts in the Pacific Northwest, most of the route was not used in the following two decades, and thus Snake Country remained free of settler incursions. After
14288-464: The group was a provisional government with no authority, these claims were not valid under United States or British law, but they were eventually honored by the United States in the Donation Land Act of 1850. The Donation Land Act provided for married settlers to be granted 320 acres (1.3 km ) and unmarried settlers 160 acres (0.65 km ). Following the expiration of the act in 1854 the land
14440-585: The high country. They did show the way for the mountain men , who within a decade would find a better way across, even if it was not an easy way. Founded in 1810 by John Jacob Astor as a subsidiary of his American Fur Company (AFC), the Pacific Fur Company (PFC) operated in the Pacific Northwest in the North American fur trade . Two movements of PFC employees were planned by Astor: one sent to
14592-400: The hostile bands of Idaho Territory be called in (they will not be caught in any other manner) to attend a grand treaty; plenty of blankets and nice little trinkets distributed among them; plenty of grub on hand; have a real jolly time with them; then just before the big feast put strychnine in their meat and poison to death the last mother's son of them. At the same time, native warriors around
14744-476: The land for Britain and stating the intention of the North West Company to build a fort on the site. When the War of 1812 broke out, the managers at Fort Astoria were concerned the British navy would seize their forts and supplies, and in 1813 they sold out to the North West Company. By 1821, intense competition between the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and the North West Company reached the point of armed hostilities, and
14896-435: The land they had so long controlled. The new Canada–United States border was established at the 49th parallel to the Pacific Coast, then dipping south around Vancouver Island. The treaty granted the HBC navigation rights on the Columbia River for supplying their fur posts, clear titles to their trading post properties allowing them to be sold later if they wanted, and left the British with a good anchorage at Victoria. It gave
15048-530: The late 1830s, the HBC instituted a policy intended to destroy or weaken the American fur trade companies. The HBC's annual collection and re-supply Snake River Expedition was transformed into a trading enterprise. Beginning in 1834, it visited the American Rendezvous to undersell the American traders—losing money but undercutting the American fur traders. By 1840 the fashion in Europe and Britain shifted away from
15200-422: The limited springs and acceptable camping places on the trail. The much larger presence of women and children meant these wagon trains did not try to cover as much ground in a single day as Oregon and California-bound emigrants, typically taking about 100 days to cover the 1,000 miles (1,600 km) trip to Salt Lake City. (The Oregon and California emigrants averaged about 15 miles (24 km) per day.) In Wyoming,
15352-524: The many thousands of emigrants expected in the coming years. After ferrying across the Missouri River and establishing wagon trains near what became Omaha, the Mormons followed the northern bank of the Platte River in Nebraska to Fort Laramie in present-day Wyoming. They initially started in 1848 with trains of several thousand emigrants, which were rapidly split into smaller groups to be more easily accommodated at
15504-403: The middle of the continent. This established a "quick"— about 100 days for 2,600 miles (4,200 km) one way— to transport personnel and transmit messages between Fort Vancouver and York Factory on Hudson Bay. The HBC built a new much larger Fort Vancouver in 1825 about 90 miles upstream from Fort Astoria, on the north side of the Columbia River (they were hoping the Columbia would be
15656-424: The multiple deaths experienced by her traveling group: But listen to the deaths: Sally Chambers, John King, and his wife, their little daughter Electa and their babe, a son 9 months old, and Dulancy C. Norton's sister are gone. Mr. A. Fuller lost his wife and daughter Tabitha. Eight of our two families have gone to their long home. Similarly, emigrant Martha Gay Masterson , who traveled the trail with her family at
15808-467: The name stuck. The name may also derive from earlier mountain men who named the river that flows through the city. In the 1820s, French Canadian fur trappers associated with the British-owned Hudson's Bay Company set trap lines in the vicinity. Set in a high-desert area, the tree-lined valley of the Boise River became a distinct landmark, an oasis dominated by cottonwood trees. This led
15960-499: The native tribes and escalated the conflict, which forced the United States Army to abandon Old Fort Boise . Intensified attacks against passing caravans made travel impossible for settlers except with US Army escort, which started from 1858. The decline of the California gold rush prompted white settlers to search for gold elsewhere, including much of Idaho . The 1860 discovery of gold in Nez Perce territory near Pierce, Idaho and
16112-512: The newly established Fort Astoria. The expedition demonstrated that much of the route along the Snake River plain and across to the Columbia was passable by pack train or with minimal improvements, even wagons. This knowledge would be incorporated into the concatenated trail segments as the Oregon Trail took its early shape. Pacific Fur Company partner Robert Stuart led a small group of men back east to report to Astor. The group planned to retrace
16264-523: The newly-found gold mines continued unabated. In order to resolve the matter of ownership and sovereignty over land, Caleb Lyon , the second governor of Idaho, negotiated with the Boise Valley Shoshone Tribe, and concluded the "Treaty of Fort Boise" on October 10, 1864. This treaty stipulated that the tribe will give up lands to 30 miles on each side of Boise River , land upon which Boise is located, while allowing an equal right to fishing in
16416-610: The party accompanied American fur traders going to the 1836 rendezvous on the Green River in Wyoming and then joined Hudson's Bay Company fur traders traveling west to Fort Nez Perce (also called Fort Walla Walla ). The group was the first to travel in wagons to Fort Hall, where the wagons were abandoned at the urging of their guides. They used pack animals for the rest of the trip to Fort Walla Walla and then floated by boat to Fort Vancouver to get supplies before returning to start their missions. Other missionaries, mostly husband and wife teams using wagon and pack trains, established missions in
16568-537: The path followed by the overland expedition back up to the east following the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Fear of a Native American attack near Union Pass in Wyoming forced the group further south where they discovered South Pass, a wide and easy pass over the Continental Divide. The party continued east via the Sweetwater River , North Platte River (where they spent the winter of 1812–13), and Platte River to
16720-546: The region. Reports from expeditions in 1806 by Lieutenant Zebulon Pike and in 1819 by Major Stephen Long described the Great Plains as "unfit for human habitation" and as "The Great American Desert ". These descriptions were mainly based on the relative lack of timber and surface water. The images of sandy wastelands conjured up by terms like "desert" were tempered by the many reports of vast herds of millions of Plains Bison that somehow managed to live in this "desert". In
16872-542: The resultant arrival of settlers raised tensions significantly. In September of that year, the Utter Party Massacre happened about 100 miles Southeast of Boise, where 29 out of a group of 44 settlers were either killed or captured in an intense and organized ambush. The discovery of gold around the Boise valley in 1863, together with ongoing fighting prompted the US Military to establish a new Fort Boise, where Boise
17024-524: The river to both the Shoshone and the settlers. The treaty has not been ratified by the US senate to this date, and the tribe hasn't ever received any treaty payments. Backlash from the perceived friendliness of Caleb Lyon in his dealing with the tribes led to an escalation of pressure and agitation among the White Settlers in Boise and the print media in the city, in demanding either genocide or removal of
17176-491: The rivers and mountains in the Intermountain West and Pacific Northwest, they often kept diaries of their travels and were available as guides and consultants when the trail started to become open for general travel. The fur trade business wound down to a very low level just as the Oregon trail traffic seriously began around 1840. In the fall of 1823, Jedediah Smith and Thomas Fitzpatrick led their trapping crew south from
17328-599: The sagebrush with his decaying carcass.' ...if the Indians refused to move there, 'they will be killed or put on the reservation by force, and certainly shot if they don't stay there.' Furthermore, the editor continues, 'The idea that the Indians have any right to the soil is ridiculous. ...They have no more rights to the soil of the Territories of the United States than wolves or coyotes...' This would be our plan of establishing friendship upon an eternal basis with our Indians: Let all
17480-428: The second organized wagon train set out from Elm Grove, Missouri, with more than 100 pioneers. The party was led by Elijah White . The group broke up after passing Fort Hall with most of the single men hurrying ahead and the families following later. In what was dubbed "The Great Migration of 1843" or the "Wagon Train of 1843", an estimated 700 to 1,000 emigrants left for Oregon. They were led initially by John Gantt,
17632-630: The south of downtown Boise is Boise State University and its surrounding environs. The area is dominated by residential neighborhoods and businesses catering to the student population. The unique blue playing field at the 37,000-seat Albertsons Stadium on the BSU campus, home to the Boise State Broncos football team, is a major city landmark. The campus is also home to the Benjamin Victor Gallery and Studio. Other cultural and sports centers in
17784-582: The south-central Idaho mountains, the Boise River, the Boise Foothills, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Southeast Boise ranges from Boise State University to Micron Technology between Federal Way and the Boise River. Its oldest neighborhood, Original South Boise, was platted in 1890, and accordingly has variegated housing (assiduously maintained by zoning ); it consists of 33 blocks bordered by W Beacon Street, S Boise Avenue, and S Broadway Avenue, and hence
17936-549: The start of electrical transmission from a plant located on the Bench. William Ridenbaugh provided expertise and manpower for the water supply and several months were spent rigging poles and lines from the Bench to the service area across the river. Additional electrical supplies allowed the building of an electric streetcar line in 1891. This ran without interruption until buses replaced the lines in 1927, tracking—and sometimes driving—the development of Boise and nearby communities. This system expanded over several decades, reaching into
18088-424: The station and ventured north up the coast to Clayoquot Sound for a trading expedition. While anchored there, Jonathan Thorn insulted an elder Tla-o-qui-aht who was previously elected by the natives to negotiate a mutually satisfactory price for animal pelts. Soon after, the vessel was attacked and overwhelmed by the indigenous Clayoquot, killing many of the crew. Its Quinault interpreter survived and later told
18240-575: The trail for use by wagons and stagecoaches in 1859 and 1860. Starting in 1860, the American Civil War closed the heavily subsidized Butterfield Overland Mail stage Southern Route through the deserts of the American Southwest. In 1860–1861, the Pony Express , employing riders traveling on horseback day and night with relay stations about every 10 miles (16 km) to supply fresh horses,
18392-533: The trail, the trail was also a place for women to take on roles they had previously not been allowed to take on back east. Women started to use their journals on the trails to express themselves as “reporters, guides, poets, and historians.” They would jot down botany and different species on the trail to help feed their family. Women used their resourcefulness and creativity on the trail. Following persecution and mob action in Missouri , Illinois , and other states, and
18544-668: The travelers headed to California or Oregon resupplied at the Salt Lake Valley, and then went back over the Salt Lake Cutoff , rejoining the trail near the future Idaho–Utah border at the City of Rocks in Idaho. Along the Mormon Trail, the Mormon pioneers established several ferries and made trail improvements to help later travelers and earn much-needed money. One of the better-known ferries
18696-460: The tribes, was and remains a sacred site." Boise Valley Bannock tribes belonged to the "tuuˀagaidɨkaˀa" (black trout eaters). Boise Valley Shoshone belonged to the "Yahandeka" (groundhog eaters) grouping. They were among the early mounted Shoshone bands. They traveled over a considerable range by the beginning of the nineteenth century, with their main hunting lands along the lower Boise River and Payette River . When Donald MacKenzie developed
18848-423: The tribes. Settler violence against Boise Valley native tribes increased considerably, with some going as far introducing bounties to murder any native. Idaho Statesman , the daily newspaper of Boise, which started publishing in 1864, reflected many such incitements and demands: ...that the military should continue killing Indians 'until the last Indian in the Territories was either on his reservation or enriched
19000-577: The trip west substantially faster, cheaper, and safer. Since the mid-20th century, modern highways, such as Interstate 80 and Interstate 84 , follow parts of the same course westward and pass through towns originally established to serve those using the Oregon Trail. The first land route across the present-day contiguous United States was mapped by the Lewis and Clark Expedition between 1804 and 1806, following these 1803 instructions from President Thomas Jefferson to Meriwether Lewis : "The object of your mission
19152-454: The turn of the 20th century; Victorian styles feature prominently). The area gets its name from the natural hot springs that flow from Boise's fault line and warm many of the area's homes. The Natotorium public swim center is here. The far-east end of Warm Springs was once known as Barber Town, featuring a hotel with hot springs nestled into the foothills. It now has some new residential developments, with easy access to Highway 21, which leads to
19304-541: The valley's game and resources on their trip, resulted in an increasing sense of frustration among the Indigenous bands along the entire Oregon Trail. Thus, starting from early 1850s, to deter settler caravans from using the route and trespassing on their lands, Native peoples along the entire length of the trail, from modern Eastern Idaho to modern Central Oregon started staging low-intensity attacks against passing caravans. One such attack, referred to as "Ward Massacre",
19456-465: The valley, under the leadership of Howluck also known as "Bigfoot" among white settlers, among others, waged an escalating and intensified guerrilla campaign of harassment of passerby caravans along the Oregon Trail. The United States Army also escalated and intensified "punitive expeditions" against formations of warriors and against civilian communities as well. This marked the start of the "unofficial" Snake War in 1866. This war lasted until 1868, and
19608-522: The west such as Portland, Oregon. Competing railroad and western state government interests frustrated these efforts for many years. Designed by Alfred B. Mullett , the U.S. Assay Office at 210 Main Street was built in 1871 and today is a National Historic Landmark . It first began accepting gold and silver for purchase on March 2, 1872, largely eliminating the need to transport ore to the mint in San Francisco. A territorial penitentiary, now known as
19760-697: The while upholding the virtues of the Culture of Domesticity . Some of the additional tasks women had on the wagon trail included collecting "buffalo chips" for fire fuel, unloading and loading up the wagons, driving teams of oxen, pouring bullets to help in Indian attacks, and striving to keep their men and children at peace. They were the backbones of life on the wagon trail and took up not only their regular duties but many duties of men as well. However, feminist scholarship, by historians such as Lillian Schlissel, Sandra Myres, and Glenda Riley, suggests men and women did not view
19912-659: The years many ferries were established to help get across the many rivers on the path of the Oregon Trail. Multiple ferries were established on the Missouri River, Kansas River , Little Blue River , Elkhorn River , Loup River , Platte River, South Platte River , North Platte River, Laramie River , Green River, Bear River , two crossings of the Snake River, John Day River , Deschutes River , Columbia River, as well as many other smaller streams. During peak immigration periods several ferries on any given river often competed for pioneer dollars. These ferries significantly increased speed and safety for Oregon Trail travelers. They increased
20064-473: Was a "female frontier" that was distinct and different from that experienced by men. Women's diaries kept during their travels or the letters they wrote home once they arrived at their destination support these contentions. Women wrote with sadness and concern about the numerous deaths along the trail. Anna Maria King wrote to her family in 1845 about her trip to the Luckiamute Valley Oregon and of
20216-557: Was a 2,170-mile (3,490 km) east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory . The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what is now the states of Kansas , Nebraska , and Wyoming . The western half crossed the current states of Idaho and Oregon. The Oregon Trail was laid by fur traders and trappers from about 1811 to 1840 and
20368-461: Was admitted as the 43rd state. In 1925, with the construction of Chicago - Portland railway line, Boise Union Pacific Depot was established in the city. This train station served passengers until 1997. A "homosexual panic" erupted in the city in 1955 during the lavender scare . Police interrogated hundreds of Boise citizens, arresting sixteen men whom police believed were part of a "homosexual ring." Arrests included prominent citizens, including
20520-412: Was an annual event moving to different locations, usually somewhere on the Green River in the future state of Wyoming . Each rendezvous, occurring during the slack summer period, allowed the fur traders to trade for and collect the furs from the trappers and their Native American allies without having the expense of building or maintaining a fort or wintering over in the cold Rockies. In only a few weeks at
20672-620: Was erected in 1843 and became the headquarters of operations in British Columbia, eventually growing into modern-day Victoria , the capital city of British Columbia. By 1840, the HBC had three forts: Fort Hall (purchased from Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth in 1837), Fort Boise and Fort Nez Perce on the western end of the Oregon Trail route as well as Fort Vancouver near its terminus in the Willamette Valley . With minor exceptions, they all gave substantial and often desperately needed aid to
20824-656: Was established as a prosperous state, many thousands more emigrated there each year for the opportunities. The trail was still in use during the Civil War , but traffic declined after 1855 when the Panama Railroad across the Isthmus of Panama was completed. Paddle wheel steamships and sailing ships, often heavily subsidized to carry the mail, provided rapid transport to and from the East Coast and New Orleans , Louisiana, to and from Panama to ports in California and Oregon. Over
20976-402: Was established, David Thompson and his team of North West Company explorers came floating down the Columbia to Fort Astoria. He had just completed a journey through much of western Canada and most of the Columbia River drainage system. He was mapping the country for possible fur trading posts. Along the way, he camped at the confluence of the Columbia and Snake Rivers and posted a notice claiming
21128-520: Was founded by Reverend Jason Lee just east of Mount Hood on the Columbia River . In 1836, Henry H. Spalding and Marcus Whitman traveled west to establish the Whitman Mission near modern-day Walla Walla , Washington. The party included the wives of the two men, Narcissa Whitman and Eliza Hart Spalding , who became the first European-American women to cross the Rocky Mountains. En route,
21280-409: Was halting and smaller farms were the norm until after the turn of the century with most located near to the river bottom where soil was productive and irrigation more easily achieved. Fruit orchards proliferated and sugar beets, still an important agricultural industry in Idaho, began to be widely cultivated in the 1890s. Cattle and sheep farming became increasingly important as the century closed. With
21432-508: Was in Boise Valley, about 20 miles west of modern Boise. On August 20, 1854, Alexander Ward's five-wagon caravan of 20 emigrants was passing through, when a group of Shoshone and Bannock warriors ambushed the caravan. The goal of the ambush was initially to take away the horses of the caravan. However, the shooting of one of the Shoshone warriors with a revolver, resulted in the killing of everyone except for two of Alexander Ward's children by
21584-518: Was inhabited by Boise Valley Shoshone and Bannock tribes, a part of the " Snake Country ". According to the City of Boise's "History of Boise" report, "they gathered annually in the valley to participate in trading rendezvous with other tribes and catch salmon in the Boise River runs to help sustain them year-round. They spent winters in the valley where the climate was milder and visited the hot springs for bathing and healing. Castle Rock, called Eagle Rock by
21736-456: Was initially only passable on foot or horseback. By 1836, when the first migrant wagon train was organized in Independence, Missouri , a wagon trail had been cleared to Fort Hall , Idaho. Wagon trails were cleared increasingly farther west and eventually reached the Willamette Valley in Oregon, at which point what came to be called the Oregon Trail was complete, though further improvements in
21888-409: Was made the territorial capital of a much reduced Idaho in a controversial decision which overturned a district court ruling by a one-vote majority in the territorial supreme court along geographic lines in 1866. There was no treaty and no agreement with any of the native tribes up to this point, and the violent resistance against incursion and settlement onto their territory along the Oregon Trail and at
22040-573: Was no longer free but cost $ 1.25 per acre ($ 3.09/hectare) with a limit of 320 acres (1.3 km )—the same as most other unimproved government land. Consensus interpretations, as found in John Faragher's book, Women and Men on the Overland Trail (1979), held that men's and women's power within marriage was uneven. This meant that women did not experience the trail as liberating, but instead only found harder work than they had handled back east, all
22192-488: Was significantly driven by its role in supplying the nearby gold towns that sprung up in the 1860s northeast and then southwest of the town. Miners sometimes wintered in Boise and a number of early prominent businessmen were miners who settled in town in the years after the gold rush waned. By 1864 substantial agricultural production was underway on easily irrigated lands near the river and three canal companies had been incorporated. Early transportation improvements were largely
22344-565: Was successful in 1890 and by the end of the decade many homes along Warm Springs avenue were being heated by this source. A natatorium was built in 1892 close to the source of the hot water near the Idaho State Penitentiary. Churches serving several denominations, a Jewish synagogue, a major hardware store and department store, a Masonic hall, the Columbia Theater, Saint Alphonsus' Hospital, a number of parochial and secular schools,
22496-642: Was the Mormon Ferry across the North Platte near the future site of Fort Caspar in Wyoming which operated between 1848 and 1852 and the Green River ferry near Fort Bridger which operated from 1847 to 1856. The ferries were free for Mormon settlers while all others were charged a toll ranging from $ 3 to $ 8. In January 1848, James Marshall found gold in the Sierra Nevada portion of the American River , sparking
22648-474: Was the first year of large scale cholera epidemics in the United States, and thousands are thought to have died along the trail on their way to California—most buried in unmarked graves in Kansas and Nebraska. The adjusted 1850 U.S. census of California showed this rush was overwhelmingly male with about 112,000 males to 8,000 females (with about 5,500 women over age 15). Women were significantly underrepresented in
22800-402: Was the main re-supply point for nearly all Oregon trail travelers until U.S. towns could be established. The HBC established Fort Colvile in 1825 on the Columbia River near Kettle Falls as a good site to collect furs and control the upper Columbia River fur trade. Fort Nisqually was built near the present town of DuPont , Washington, and was the first HBC fort on Puget Sound. Fort Victoria
22952-461: Was ultimately a shorter and faster route than the one they followed west. This route had the disadvantages of being much too rough for wagons and controlled by the Blackfoot tribes. Even though Lewis and Clark had only traveled a narrow portion of the upper Missouri River drainage and part of the Columbia River drainage, these were considered the two major rivers draining most of the Rocky Mountains, and
23104-407: Was unveiled on May 9, 1896. Boise, Idaho Boise ( locally / ˈ b ɔɪ s i / BOY -see , also / b ɔɪ z i / BOY -zee ) is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County . As of the 2020 census , there were 235,684 people residing in the city. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho , it
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