The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-25

its present spelling, but certainly did not
originate the word"
A writer in the NeDo Vest, an Oregon
paper, apparently well informed, declares
that Idaho is not Nez Perez word, ad-
ding: 1.-The mountains that joaquin Mil
Ter speaks of may be named with a some
what similar appellation, but most likely
the whole story grows out of the fertile
imagination of the poet. Idaho springs,
in Colorado, were known long before
Idaho territory was organized The var
ious territories at their organization should
have been given some appropriate local
name. Colorado was named after the
river OF that name, though it is not within
its boundaries. 1t should have been called
Idaho. 1t was the name fest placed in the
bill organizing it, but which was after
wards changed
AS Colorado was organized during the
session of 1S60-61, and Idaho springs, on
South Clear Creek, Clear Creek county,
Colorado, had its distinctive name as
early as the fall of 1861, to the
kno Wedge of the writer hereof, it
would seem that the poets claim to the
origin of the word AS spelled, has very
poor foundation. 1t is probable that the
word was brought from Colorado by the
nomadic gold-hunter, and went floating
about for a location, to which it could be
applied. Finally, an Indian word was
found which, by far fetched application,
bore a resemblance to Idaho, which being
defined into so poetieal a phrase as "Gem
of the Mountains" or Shining Noun
tain,' it was adopted by the press and, con-
sequently, by the people.
James L. Onderdaok, in his Facts and
Statistics - of Idaho, printed in 1885, says:
{" William H. Wallace, the Delegate from
Washington Territory, who introduced the
bill making a new territory out of the
eastern portion of Washington, pleased
with the beauty of the name of Idaho, sug-
gested it as an appropriate one"
In 1905, during the month of August, the
first white men Of whom we have any de-
finite account, crossed Horse prairie to
point near where Salmon city, in Lemhi
county, now stands. 1t was the Lewis
and Clarke expedition that had set out with
IU6 luSd VI AplOL4AS IlO way 10
the Columbia river. On the Goth of Sep
TENDER they reached village of the Nez
Perces, not far from the south fork of the
Clearwater river, in what is now Nez
Perez county. No white settlers were
found, but traces of such were detected, as
those explorers wrote: "Those strangers
who visit the Columbia for the pur-
pose of trade or hunting must be either
English or Americans. The Indians in
form US that they speak the same language
thai we do, and indeed the few words
which the Indians have learned from the
sailors, such as musket, powder shot, knife,
file, heave the lead, damned rascal and
other phrases of that description eviG ]ntly
show that the visitors speak the English
language" In the following yeal the
Lewis and Clarke party returned to St
Louis, where they arrived in September.
The publication of an account of their
travels aroused an interest in the far
west and several parties were organized
which traversed the country in 1910, IL
and ~ many of them enduring great
hardships and privations. 1t was not until
1884 that any important expedition was
fitted out, when Captain Bonneville, with
one thousand men, camped on Portneuf
river, in what is now Eastern Idaho. In
the same year Nathaniel j. Wyeth, with a
party of sixty men, started across the con-
tinent and established Fort Hall as trad
ing post. This was probably the first per-
manent settlement in Eastern Idaho. |
1.-THE post b ecame famous" says Bancroft
in his history, land performed good service |
during the several great overland emigra- |
TONS The emigrant trail was made to |
lake: was central and valuable in scores |
of ways. From this point in time radi-
ated roads in every direction, to Missouri,
to California, to Utah, to Oregon and to
British Columbia. In 1865 Angus Melon
aid valued the fort and lands belonging to
it at one million dollars. 1t was near the
Did war ground of the Blackfeet, Snakes
and Crows and prevented many a massa-
ere. 1t was several times attacked and
nearly burned, but stood to its duty
lobly."
Before the year 1916, when the joint oc-
,upation by England and the United States
If certain lands west of the Rocky mount
inns, embracing Idaho, Oregon, Washing
on and Montana ceased, the Hudson
Bay company laid claim to all of
he territory and in 1886 COM
,elled Wyeth to sell Fort Hall. That
company had already erected, probably in
S35, old Fort Boise, near the mouth of the
Boise river. After the joint occupation and
he settlement of the line between British
America and the United States possessions
IN the 10th parallel the Hudson Bay com
,any withdrew from the country and was
by the American Fur company.
According to the published account by
Mr.. w. H. Gray, the first mission in Idaho
vas established in 1896 at Lapwai, twelve
niles from the present town Of Lewiston.
printing press, with type, was presented
n 1899 by the missionaries of the Sand
vich islands to the Presbyterian mission
ries of Oregon, and it reached Lapwai
hat year, where E. o. Hall put it in oper-
.tion to print books in the Nez Perez Ian
,uage. Messrs. Rogers and Spaulding
oon learned to set type, and they printed
mall books in the Nez Perez language that
we're used in their school.
That old press and type are now stored
n the state capital Of Oregon, and the