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The Nez Percé,
Shoshone, and other Native American Indian tribes moved into
Idaho during the 1700s. One group lived along the Snake
River Plains, and the other in Northern Idaho. The Snake
River Plains Natives evolved into the Bannock and Shoshone
tribes, while the Northern Idaho Natives evolved into the
Nez Perce and other tribes. The Shoshone's settled
throughout the mountains and Snake River Plains of Idaho,
and the other mountains and plains in states near South East
Idaho.
In 1805 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explored the
Oregon Country, which included parts of Idaho. There they
found the land too dry to farm, but many animals that could
be hunted for furs. In 1809, the British opened the first
trading post in Idaho. Soon afterwards fur traders came from
all over to trade with the Indians for furs. In 1846, the
United States signed an agreement with Great Britain for
part of the Oregon Country. This land included the territory
now known as Idaho is an 83,557 square mile expanse of
forest land, prairies, mountains and deep canyons along the
Snake and Salmon rivers.
Farmers in 1860 began to irrigate the land and plant
potatoes. Members of the Mormon religion founded Idaho's
first permanent settlement, Franklin. That same year miners
found gold on the Clearwater River in 1860, on the Salmon in
1861, in the Boise River basin in 1862, and gold and silver
were found in the Owyhee River country in 1863. The usual
rush of settlers followed, along with the spectacular but
ephemeral growth of towns. Most of these settlements are
only ghost towns now, but the many settlers who poured in
during the gold rush—mainly from Washington, Oregon, and
California, with smaller numbers from the east—formed a
population large enough to demand new government
administration, and Idaho Territory and Congress created the
Idaho Territory in 1863.
The United States government forced Native Americans to move
into reservations. Some went peacefully, but others such as
the Paiute fought for many years against the army for their
homeland. Native Americans, mostly Kootenai, Nez Percé,
Western Shoshone, Bannock, Coeur d'Alene, and Pend d'Oreille,
became upset by the incursion of settlers and some resisted
violently. The Federal government had subdued many of these
groups by 1858, placing them on reservations. The Bannock
were defeated in 1863 and again in 1878. In 1876-77 the Nez
Percé, led by Chief Joseph, made their heroic but
unsuccessful attempt to flee to Canada while being pursued
by U.S. troops. By the 1880s, all Native Americans in Idaho
were living on reservations.
Railroads were extending across Idaho Territory during the
late 1800s. Now the minerals, the mines were producing could
be shipped to other states. Many people arrived on the
railroads looking for work.
By 1890, almost 90,000 people lived in Idaho. In 1889, the
Idaho Territory had adopted a constitution. Idaho was
granted statehood on July 3, 1890, with Boise as the state
capital.
During the 1890s, poor working conditions encouraged miners
to join unions, the largest of these being the Western
Federation of Miners. In 1892, violence broke out between
union miners and nonunion men and the mine owners. When a
second strike broke out in 1899, Governor Frank Steunenberg
declared martial law and federal troops were called in to
regulate the situation. That same year, a miner rigged a
bomb that murdered Governor Steunenberg. The murder trial,
held in 1907, attracted worldwide attention. Over time,
miners gained better pay and working conditions.
Idaho became a major logging state in the early 1900s.
Tragedy struck in 1910 when a huge fire raged through
Idaho's forests, killing about 85 people. During this time,
plans were established to irrigate land for farming. In
1905, water was diverted from the Snake River to irrigate
60,000 acres of land. The Minidoka Dam was completed in 1906
and the Arrowrock Dam was completed in 1915. Today, only
three states have more irrigated land than Idaho.
World War I (1914-1918) brought prosperity to Idaho's
farmlands. But, as the war ended, Idaho's economy dropped.
During the Great Depression (1929-1939), Idaho farmers,
loggers, and miners suffered greatly. The federal government
set up programs to help people survive the depression. The
Rural Electrification Administration brought electricity to
farms. The Civil Conservation Corps worked to conserve
Idaho's forests. Many other jobs were created building
bridges, roads, and recreational facilities.
World War II (1939-1945) helped Idaho's economy out of the
depression as food, metals, and soldiers were sent to help
win the war. After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, the
U.S. government was afraid that Japanese-Americans would
help Japan. They forced many into relocation camps. About
10,000 from Washington and Oregon were held in Minidoka
Camp, located near Minidoka, Idaho. These people worked in
potato and sugar beet farms.
After the war, Idaho's economy began to shift from mostly
agriculture to one that included food processing and
manufacturing. In 1949, the National Reactor Testing Station
(now Idaho National Engineering Laboratory) opened near
Idaho Falls. Scientists created, tested, and operated
nuclear reactors and related devices there. In Dec. 1951,
the testing station generated electricity from nuclear
energy for the first time in history. In 1955, Arco became
the world's first town lighted by nuclear energy.
Idaho's farms decreased in number and increased in size
during the 1950s. Many farm workers were replaced by large
machinery. By 1960, half of Idaho's population lived in
cities and towns. The increase in agricultural production
and industry required more hydroelectric power. In 1955, the
Idaho Power Company began construction of three dams along
the Snake River. Brownlee Dam was completed in 1959, the
Oxbow Dam in 1961, and the Hells Canyon Dam in 1968. In
1965, the state parks department, water resource board, and
personnel system were created. That same year, the Nez Percé
National Historic Park was established in north-central
Idaho.
Idaho experienced rapid growth during the 1970s. State
legislature strove to improve water pollution. The Sawtooth
National Recreation Area opened in 1972. However, the 1970s
are known for two major disasters in Idaho. One of the worst
mining accidents in U.S. history happened at the Sunshine
Silver Mine near Kellogg in 1972. Fire killed 91 people. In
1976, the Teton Dam burst. It created a massive flood
resulting in 11 deaths and over $500 million in damage.
Beginning in the mid-1980s, drought and grasshopper
infestation killed crops and hurt the farm economy in Idaho.
Many lost their farms. In 1983, an earthquake measuring 7.3
on the Richter scale killed two children and caused over 4
million in damage. The quake, centered in the Lost River
Valley, was the largest in the continental U.S. in 24 years
and created a 10-foot high, 15-mile shear in the earth.
During the 1990s, many small industries diversified Idaho's
economy from its dependence of agriculture. Large
construction, food processing, lumber, and computer
companies established their headquarters in Idaho. The city
of Boise grew at an amazing rate. The harsh drought ended in
1992. However other disasters brought attention to the
state. In 1992, fire on the State Capitol caused 3.2 million
in damage and Idaho experienced its worst forest fire season
in the state's recorded history. And in 1996, major flooding
encouraged a visit from U.S. President Clinton.
Today, Idaho is expanding its tourism industry. State
leaders are working to clean both air and water pollution
throughout Idaho. They are also striving to solve conflicts
between those who wish to conserve Idaho's natural resources
and those who want to develop them.
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