BACKGROUND:

Established February 11, 1919 with its county seat at Soda Springs, the last county in Idaho to be created. Named for the Caribou Mountains, which in turn are named for Cariboo Fairchild, who had taken part in the gold rush in the Cariboo region of British Columbia in 1860. He discovered gold in this region two years later. This area was on the routes of the earliest explorers, fur trappers and Oregon Trail emigrants. Thousands of emigrants passed through the present site of Soda Springs, so named for the many effervescent natural springs in the area.

Background & Photos provided by Digital Atlas of Idaho, Idaho's Natural History Online, Idaho State University at http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/ (accessed: October 8, 2017).