Idaho is one of the fifty states that, together with Washington D.C., form the United States of America. Its capital and most populous city is Boise. It is located in the western region of the country, in the Rocky Mountains division. It is bordered to the north by Canada, to the northeast by Montana, to the east by Wyoming, to the southeast by Utah, to the southwest by Nevada, to the west by Oregon —a large part of this border is formed by the Snake River— and to the northwest by the state of Washington. With 7.24 inhabitants/km² it is the seventh least densely populated state, ahead of New Mexico, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska, the least densely populated. Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state.
The postal abbreviation is «ID,» and its nickname, the Gem State, refers to the abundance of natural resources in its territory. The state motto is the Latin phrase Esto Perpetua, which translated into English would be «May it be perpetual.» Southern Idaho, including the metropolitan area of Boise, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, and Twin Falls, is in the Mountain Time Zone. Northern Idaho (across the Salmon River), on the other hand, is in the Pacific Time Zone.
ETYMOLOGY
Idaho is perhaps the only state to be named almost entirely by mistake. In the early 1860s, when the U.S. Congress was considering administering a territory in the Rocky Mountains, the eccentric and influential George M. Willing suggested the name «Idaho,» claiming that it was derived from a Shoshone word meaning «the sun rising in the mountains» or «the gem of the mountains.» Willing later clarified that he had invented the term himself. As a result, Congress decided to name the territory the Colorado Territory in February 1861.
The word “Idaho” did not disappear, however. The same year that Congress created Colorado, a county named Idaho was founded east of Washington, named after a ship of the same name that had anchored on the banks of the Columbia River in 1860. It is unclear whether the ship predated or postdated Willing’s declaration. Nevertheless, a portion of Washington territory that included Idaho County was used to create the state of the same name in 1863. Leaving aside the lack of information about the origin of the name, many 20th-century textbooks agreed that it came from the Shoshone “ee-da-how.” HISTORY
In excavations between 1997 and 2019 at the Cooper’s Ferry site near the Salmon River and the town of Cottonwood, archaeologists led by Professor Loren Davis have found projectile points and stone tools, along with bones of hunted animals and traces of fires dating back as far as 15,280 to 16,560 years.34
Traces of human activity in Idaho dating back at least 14,500 years had previously been found. In 1959, excavations at Wilson Butte Cave near Twin Falls revealed this theory when arrowheads, some of the oldest artifacts in North America, were found. On the other hand, the predominant Native American tribes in the area included the Nez Perce settled in the north, and the Northern and Western Shoshone in the south. Idaho, as part of the independent state of Oregon, was claimed by both the United States and the United Kingdom until the former gained full jurisdiction over it in 1846. From then on, and following the creation of the Idaho Territory in 1863, parts of the present state were contained within the borders of Oregon, Washington, and Dakota. The new territory encompassed much of present-day Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.
After some tribulations, including the chaotic shift of the territorial capital from Lewiston to Boise and the federal attempt to divide the existing space between Washington and Nevada, Idaho was proclaimed a state in 1890. Its economy, which had been
early supplied by mining, turned to agriculture and tourism.
Recently, Idaho has become rich as a technological and scientific center, accounting for 25% of its capital (more than is provided by agriculture, mining, and forestry).
19th Century
Towards the second half of the 19th century, Idaho received cattle from California and Texas with the intention of supplying the miners. Shortly thereafter, the rich pastures and good climatic and environmental conditions favoured the development of cattle farming, absorbing hundreds of men who saw in the state’s soils the possibility of achieving a stable economy. Corn cultivation was declining as farmers realised the possibility of planting oats, barley and wheat in the arid Snake River Valley.
With the construction of new roads and the consequent discovery of gold, many Americans set their course for Idaho, which was already connected to the national market thanks to the first railway lines that made it possible to transport raw materials to the rest of the country. In 1874 a train was already operating whose limit of arrival was the Utah-Idaho border. Seven years later it would be extended to the mines of Montana, while other routes connected the state with Oregon and Wyoming.
By the mid-1880s, the railroad covered much of the Pacific West of the United States and served workers and entrepreneurs to travel to the gold mines.
From territory to state
The geographical location of a region separated by mountains ended up dividing Idaho into two parts through its northern and southern extremes. The capacity for unity that was expected of a future state government gave rise to doubts and repercussions, due to its obvious obstacles. Therefore, there was no lack of opportunities for the neighboring states to take advantage of it, seeking to divide up the territory for their own benefit. However, and despite the acquisition attempts of Nevada and Washington, the governing authorities of Idaho prevented this and appealed to a feeling of territorial unity that had not found its foundation in the past.
Soon, with the slight economic push that favored the production and sale of products to other surrounding areas, Idaho’s population grew on a large scale, going from 33,000 inhabitants in 1880 to over 160,000 at the beginning of the 20th century.
The population flow that entered the territory came mainly from China and the Basque Country (both Spanish and French). From then on, Idaho would receive a good number of people from the south, southwest and central United States, as well as Mormons and other groups. A large contingent of new citizens were Republicans, which explains the favoritism towards the party that exists in Idaho, and which is given by its founding history.
On July 3, 1890, the territory was constituted as a new state and became part of the National Congress of the United States, as its 43rd member.