A Concise History of Idaho
History in Idaho began when the White Man discovered it, and that’s that! Well, no, of course that’s not true. But unfortunately the recorded history of Idaho does begin with the appearance of Europeans in the early 19th century. Everything prior is based on fossil records and legends. So, the known story of Idaho is largely one of conflict between settlers and Native Americans, and of the struggle to populate and live off some of the continent’s wildest land.
15,000 to 6,000 B.C. – The appearance of humanity, with Big-Game Hunters on the trail of woolly mammoths and mastodons establishing a presence in Idaho.
6,000 B.C. to A.D. 500 – The so-called Archaic Period sees a major warming of the earth, which creates massive rivers. The Archaic people, hunters and gatherers, begin to trade with one another.
500 to 1805 – Not much is known about the 1300 years before the arrival of the Europeans, referred to as the Late Period. The modern Indian tribes such as the Nez Perce, the Bannock and the Shoshone, took shape and flourished.
August 12, 1805 – Lewis & Clark enter Idaho, making it the last of the 50 states to be explored.
1810 – The fur trade leads to the establishment of Fort Henry on the Snake River, abandoned just a year later.
1832 – Aided by the Nez Perce tribe, fur trappers engage the migratory Gros Ventre people in a bloody battle at Pierre’s Hole.
1836 – Henry H. Spalding establishes a protestant mission in Lapwai, writes Idaho’s first novel, opens its first school, and plants its first potato.
1846–1869 – Tens of thousands of settlers pass through Idaho on the Oregon Trail, though very few choose to settle here.
1860 – A gold rush leads to the illegal establishment of Lewiston, squarely situated in territory given to the Nez Perce tribe in a treaty.
Nice synopsis. The mining industry might take exception though to your obsservation. They have had some rejuvination with the current value of gold and silver. I’d also like to point out that the media attention to a few rehensible extremists which were ultimately sued and expelled has been the problem. You are correct in the assessment that the remoteness of Idaho allows for a few nut bags to seek a place where they can reside without alot of scrutiny since ther e is so much privacy and people tend to mind their own business.
Thanks for those clarifications! We hope to visit a mine or two while we’re here — I read about an opal mine which is open to the public, and sounds awesome. The fewer extremists we meet, the better — but so far, the people have been nothing but wonderful!