Idaho
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IDAHO - Gem of the Mountains! America's Switzerland. A land of purple and gold. A veritable homeland. The home of happiness. The home of natural beauty.

Such majestic mountains. Such regal peaks. Such azure skies. Such marvelous sunsets. Such mighty rivers. Such dazzling water-falls. Such beautiful forests. Such an assemblage of wild flowers. Idaho - Nature in her most artistic mood.

A strong country. A stern country. A lovely country. A country to be conquered - by the brave. A country of tremendous wealth - for the faithful. A country that endears - the hardy and adventurous.

Pine and fir and spruce. Great timber lands. Bear and deer and elk and moose. Virgin wilderness. Trout by the thousands. Rippling waters. Mossy banks. Carpets of needles. Game trails. Shade and sweet breezes.

A seat of industry. Farm lands. Irrigated acres. Grains. Vegetables. Seed. Bands of sheep. Wool. Mutton. Herds of cattle. Beef Hides. Tallow. Flocks of turkeys. Pens of swine. Pork. Sausage. Spare-ribs. Factories. Sugar. Lumber. Cement. Dairy cattle. Butter. Milk. Cheese, Mining. Gold. Silver. Copper. Lead. Zinc. Mica.

A place of happiness. Dancing. Parties. Hiking. Motoring. Fishing. Hunting. Camping. Picnicking. Theatres. Music. Singing. riding. The good things of life. Prosperity. Health. Love. Beauty. Joy.

Idaho - still a comparatively young state. Shunned by early homeseekers because of its rough and unrelenting geographic mien. They hurried by mineral wealth, timber and soil as valuable or even more so than that which was their goal.

Vast snow-capped mountain ranges, scorched barren deserts - Idaho held forth but little promise. Those first to come journeyed on to the Oregon land. Tales of heat and thirst in deserts, of cold and hunger in mountains they told. Years have proved they failed to recognize the masked wealth of the country.

To Idaho wilderness came in 1809 one David Thompson. A fur trader. An employee of the Northwest Trading company. The first trading post he built. On the northeast shore of Lake Pend d'Oreille. The land was rich in furs. Other companies came. Fort Hall was established in 1834. Fort Boise a short time later.

Glamourous days. Days when the reds and whites bartered. Beads for beaver. Knives for mink. Guns for fox. Velvety furs. Dollars to the trader in the fur markets. Green, blue, yellow beads and cloth. Joy in the buck's wigwam. Days of profitable trading.

But lean days came. The Indians trapped too surely. Catches dwindled. Profits dwindled. The traders shook their heads. Posts began to decay. Were abandoned. The traders left. Their task was done.

Then tranquil years. A trapper now and then. A hunter. A band of hardy explorers. The Indians feasted and starved. Dreamed of glittering glass. No furs. No glass. Worthless country - they thought. Then - GOLD! Magic metal. Gold - in large quantities. Discovered by Captain E.D. Pierce. Oro Fino creek. The news spread. A rush! A boom! A stampede! Over night the nation's mining men started. Where fur trader quit, miner began.

New discoveries. In Boise basin. By George Grimes. More discoveries. In many places. Grim, hard-nosed miners came. Daring the wilderness. Laughing at dangers. Scorning peril. Ready to fight or frolic after gold. Gold. Gold. They knew no obstacles. Not even human life - if it stood in the way.

Roaring camps boomed. Over night. Wild valleys became populated. Forested canyons were penetrated. By hunters. By prospectors. Secluded spots sprouted towns. Packers searched them out with supplies. Roads were built. Machinery was brought in. Men burrowed deep into the mountain sides.

By night they played. Fought. Caroused. In saloon. In dance hall. In gambling den. A sanguine period. Savage deeds of banditry. Marauding by predatory whites. Indian raids. Burned cabins. Scalped victims. Necktie parties. Life was cheap.

But - placer grounds were worked out. Pay dirt showed less and less. Yellow metal grew scarce. Feet began to itch. Discoveries were made elsewhere. In the Klondike. In the Yukon. Alaska's glittering called. New fields beckoned. Fickle miners left. Without a backward glance. Without regrets. Idaho's surface gold was gone. Their task was done.

A residue remained. Those rooted in the soil. Who had turned to agriculture. Who had turned to livestock. Who had fed the mining men. They had invested. Growing fields and herds of cattle were their profits. They had to stay. The country was shattered under them. Rebuild. There laid their salvation. A huge task. But they were hardy. Courageous. They started. Plans on a great foundation. The soil. Not fur. Not gold. But the annual production of the soil was to be their harvest. A wise choice - the foundation of the state's industries today. A choice that survived the changing times.

Cattle were imported. From Kansas. From Texas. From Colorado. From New Mexico. By the thousands. Driven across the plains. Little outfits grew. Big outfits thrived. Sheep came. War raged. Sheep, more economical, won.

Stock needed hay. Land needed water. Farmer needed money. Irrigation developed. Vast schemes were broached. Co-operation prevailed. Leaders emerged. Work was done. Ends were accomplished. Dreams were realized. Land received water. Hay was raised. Farmers propered. The foundation of an empire was laid.

Idaho's history is short - but glorious. It has its heroes. Its heroism. Hallowed names. Inspiring deeds. Monumental stones stand in respectful memory. Steunenberg, martyred governor. David Thompson, first trading post builder. Francis Payette, Fort Boise's first chief. The Whitmans and Spauldings, early missionaries. Chief Tendoy of the Lemhis, friend of the whites. George Grimes, discoverer of gold in Boise basin. Captain Bonneville, pituresque explorer. William Craig, Idaho's first permanent settler. These names sparkle, with hundreds of others, in deeds of courage and conviction throughout Idaho's historical pages.

One can glory in the stamina and bravery of the Indian fighters. Men who took the field during the uprisings. In the courage of Colonel Conner, whose command decisively defeated a large band of Indians under Chiefs Bear Hunter and Sagwitch at Battle creek, near the town of Franklin. In the resourcefulness of Lieutenant W.C. Brown who, with Umatilla Indian scouts and a few army sharpshooters, following the raiding Sheepeaters into the mountains and captured them.

And one can glory in the patriotism of those who sacrificed their lives to make the country secure for those who inhabit it today.

The hardships of pioneering are past. The period of experimentation is over. Idaho has definitely taken her place as a state. Her most recent hisjtory - after the last of the Indian uprisings - has been a history of development.

Developing the stat's industries to the stage where the resident might confidently expect a livelihood in return for his labor was as important to Idaho's growth and well-being as the safety of the lives of the settlers. Much of this development work has been accomplished within the last 30 years. Great irrigation schemes have been completed. Thousands of acres of sagebrush have been converted to productiveness. The livestork business has been placed on a sound basis. Mining properties have been financed and developed until the state leads in mineral production. Men with vision pushed the lumbering industry until the state is one of the principal sources of high-grade lumber in the United States. Markets have been developed for Idaho products. Idaho lambs. Idaho potatoes. Idaho beans. Idaho peas. Idaho celery.

In order to progress the young state needed leaders. Men with vision. Men with the ability and determination to overcome obstacles. But leaders were in demand. Proven qualities of leadership were not to be had at a beck and call. Especially at the beck and call of a raw state with little financial means.

Idaho was forced to develop her own leaders. Men from the rank and file with the courage and resourcefulness to carry plans to completion were to be her salvation. Such men appeared and without hesitation assumed the task of guiding the commonwealth out of the wilderness of confusion and disorganization. And Idaho's president enviable industrial edifice is ample evidence of their ability. They carried the state's battles to Washington - and won. They fought among themselves in the state capitol - and the best man won. They carried the industrial fight to the farmer and the miner and the lumberman. They onverted these men to the more scientific methods of operation. They taught them the value of soil preservation, of forest perpetuation, of mineral conservation.

The total area of Idaho is 84,313 square miles. The Salmon river divides the state into two parts - north and south. In the north are thriving mining and lumbering industries. Agriculture is the principal industry in the southern part of the state.

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