When the federal government enacted the Carey Act in 1894 and then the Reclamation Act in 1902, it made possible a significant expansion in agriculture. Cities and towns grew apace with the increase in the number of farms and ranches, shifting their support function from mining and logging to agriculture. In addition to being rich in natural resources, Idaho proved to be energy rich as well. When combining the soil and water resources of Idaho with a benign climate, federal irrigation investments, and hydroelectric power, the industrious settlers created a powerful agricultural industry. This second period of Idaho's history did not entirely close.
Natural resources continue to be removed and sent out of state.
But the most concentrated reserves of minerals have been discovered and removed. Remaining ores are more difficult to mine profitably. Cattle continue to graze in Idaho, but the rangelands are not as rich as they once were. More than sixty percent of the land in Idaho is owned and managed by the federal government. This is the land that was too high, too dry, too steep, or too remote to have attracted settlers during the optimistic drive westward to make the United States' destiny manifest.