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Boise - Idaho - History |
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In 1834 Fort Boise, owned by the Hudson Bay Company, was established by British fur traders. The fort, now known as Old Fort Boise, was located at the mouth of the Boise River, 40 miles from present day Boise. In 1854, due to frequent Indian raids, the fort was abandoned. Despite this, the military desired to build another fort in the area but before this plan could go into effect, gold was discovered in the Boise Basin in 1862. It was now necessary, more than ever, to protect the vast number of travellers coming to the area. On July 4th, 1863, the military chose a location for the new Fort Boise and construction began soon afterward. A townsite was located next to the fort and with the protection of the military, the town grew quickly. A major reason for this growth, other than the gold rush, was its location along the Oregon Trail. The Oregon Trail was a thoroughfare for thousands of travellers heading for the Oregon Territory. Of all the western roads, the Oregon Trail was the longest at 2,020 miles. It began in Independence, Missouri and ended at Oregon City, Oregon. Its route in Idaho began at the Idaho-Wyoming border, crossed through Bear Valley, turned north toward Fort Hall and followed the Snake River until reaching the Boise River. It followed the south side of the river winding through what is now the southern part of Boise. To this day, wheel ruts can still be seen along various spots of its path. Adding to this major thoroughfare were the routes to the Boise Basin and Owyhee mines. These routes cross the Oregon Trail at the Fort Boise location. Because it was located at these major crossroads, Boise became a prosperous commercial center. In 1864, when the territorial legislature held its second session in Lewiston, Boise was incorporated as a city and proclaimed the capital of the Idaho Territory. This same year on July 26, the Idaho Statesman newspaper produced its first publication and became the second newspaper in Idaho. After the gold rush, Boise's population declined from 1,658 citizens in 1864 to 995 in 1870. With new construction like the territorial prison in 1869 and the United States Assay Office in 1872, Boise began to grow again. The Capitol Building was completed in 1886 and in 1887 Boise built a street car system. In 1890 Idaho became a state.
In the late 1930's Boise saw a large migration of Basques from their native home in the Western Pyrenees Mountains. These proud people became our primary sheep herders, a large industry at the time, and gradually moved into the mainstream of city life in Boise bringing their colourful culture with them. As the Great Depression ravaged a majority of the cities in the United States, Boise enjoyed growth. And during World War II, multitudes of airmen trained at Gowen Field, Boise's major airbase. |
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In
the early 1900's, Boise once again enjoyed rapid growth. This growth came
with the expansion of irrigation in the valley in 1902. This led to the
construction of Arrowrock Dam which was the tallest dam in the world from
1915 to 1932.
