Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1907-09-26


syndicate, contributes bit of in
tercsting history concerning
Idaho, as follows:
Idaho, the gem of the noun
tains, is seventeen years old to-
day, having been admitted to the
Union of the states OH July 3,
1908, during the administration
of the learned Benjamin Harrison.
But two states in the sisterhood
are younger Wyoming by eight
days and Utah by six years-Okla-
homa's status still being undeter-
mirined. The industrial progress
of Idaho has been keeping step
with the prosperity of the nation,
but even now, with an area of ten
times more than Massachusetts,
it has population only half as
great as the city of Boston. On
the slopes of the Rockies in Idaho
there are acres larger than Con-
nccticut that have never been sur
veyed or prospected.
Scvcntecn-ycar- Idaho has
had an cventful history since she
became state, as we'll as during
the thirty years before. When
Hiram Pierce discovered the piac-
or gold mines of Clearwater in
1860 host of gold seekers aban-
doned California and Nevada for the
that it DC named ''Idaho' as
Idaho Springs was leading settle
ment of the country. Some other
reason prevailed, however, and
it was named for a river which
belongs to other states.
Idaho is the I-dah-o of the In
dians, meaning the jcweled noun
tain tops from which the sunrise
came to illuminc the earth, ano
no other mountains in the worlc
can claim better right to this
poetical designation than the snow
clad peaks that mark the eastern
border of the state of Idaho.
While the settlement of Idaho die
not begin until the sixties, effort:
had been made long before. The
first white settlement in the state
was made by Nathaniel ]. Wyeth,
at Fort Hall in 1884. Two years
peace. In March, 1868, the
Territory of Idaho, containing al
of what is now Idaho, Montana
and Wyoming, was set off by con-
gress from parts OF the territories
of Washington, Nebraska anc
Dakota. The capital was set uI
at Lewiston, in the northern. par
of the territory. When the bill
for the creation of the territory
passed the house of representative:
the name was Montana" but a
the suggestion of Senator Wilson
of Massachusetts, it was changed
to Idaho. - 1t is interesting tC
note in this connection that tht
first measure for the creation o
the territory of Colorado provided
new Ell Dorado. Two years later
when the Boise mines were found
the prospect fDr riches started
hosts of miners, prospectors, ad
venturers and criminals, many o
them desiring to escape service il
the civil war. These bad mel
ruled the new mining settlement
by terror. In Boise alone ther
were twenty murders in fev
months during 1864, and nothin
could be done about it. But tn
better class of people drew man
recruits from the east at the clos
of the war and peaceful govern
ment was begun, mining was SEQ
supplemented by other calling
and Idaho lived in comparativ
grizzlies than panning creeks, S
when their find netted them $24
oft he of precious metal, they sal
nothing about it but went back (
their hunting and fishing until tn
freshets of another spring shoul
provide water with which to max
easy work of washing out NOR
gold. For several years the tin
kept their secret. One season the
took out $100, another 5000 an
finally washed out 81 900 wort
of treasure in a few weeks time
They took $50 from one pan i
twenty minutes.