1743 - Discovery of the Rocky Mountains somewhere in the vicinity of
Yellowstone Park made by Pierre De la Verendrye, while in search of a western
sea.
1803 - The Louisiana Territory purchased by the United States from
France for $15 million.
1805 - Lewis and Clark are the first white men to
explore the Idaho region. They enter through Lolo Pass on August 12 and cross
the Bitterroot Range on their way to the Pacific.
1806 - Lewis and Clark
spend more than six weeks with the Nez Perce Indians in the Kamiah area before
returning eastward across the Lolo Trail.
1809 - David Thompson, a Canadian
explorer, establishes a trading post, Kullyspell House, for the North West
Company at Pend Oreille Lake, near Hope. Britain opens the first trading post in
Idaho built for the Northwest Fur Company.
1810 - Fort Henry is built at
St. Anthony by Missouri Fur Company, first American trading post.
David
Thompson commences fur trade near Bonners Ferry.
1811 - Pacific Fur Company
expedition, the Astorians, explore the Snake River Valley on their way to the
Columbia River. Led by Wilson P. Hunt, the westward journey discovers the Boise
Valley.
1812 - Donald Mackenzie establishes a winter fur trading post at
Lewiston for the Astorians.
1813 - John Reid starts fur trading post on the
lower Boise River.
1814 - Bannock Indians wipe out John Reid's fur trading
post on the lower Boise River.
1818 - Donald Mackenzie makes first
exploration of southern Idaho with his Snake River expedition of trappers.
Treaty of joint occupancy between Great Britain and the United States leaves
Oregon country (including Idaho) open to citizens of both nations. Joint claim
with Great Britain sets "The Oregon Country" as being between 42 degrees North
to 54 degrees 40 minutes North with the Eastern boundry as the Continental
Divide.
1819 -1820 Spain gives up its claim to Idaho. Treaty with Spain
sets the Northern border of Spanish claims at 42 degrees North. Relinquishing
claims to "The Oregon Country".
1823 - Battle fought in Lemhi Valley
between men of the Snake River country expedition and the Piegan Indians.
1824 - Alexander Ross and Jedediah Smith lead separate expeditions in
exploring much of the Salmon River country.
Peter Skene Ogden begins trapping
in Idaho.
Russia cedes Northwest Territory to United States in a treaty.
1827 - Rendezvous at Bear Lake for fur trading.
1829 - Rendezvous held at
Pierre's Hole, now known as the Teton basin, where hundreds of mountain men and
fur trappers congregated.
1830 - Rendezvous with the Indians held on the
Blackfoot River, where competition in fur trading became intensely keen.
1831 - Fur trappers of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, led by Kit Carson, winter
on the Salmon River.
1832 - Captain B.L.E. Bonneville leads the first
crossing of the Rocky Mountains in covered wagons. The company reaches the Lemhi
River on September 19. Rendezvous at Pierre's Hole.
Battle of Pierre's Hole
occurs July 18 between American fur trappers and the Grosventre Indians.
1834 - Fort Hall, established by Americans under Captain Nathaniel Wyeth, becomes
a hub for trails and roads to the western parts of the United States.
Fort
Boise erected by the Hudson Bay Company near the mouth of the Boise River.
1836 - Presbyterian missionaries, Henry and Eliza Spalding build first mission
in Idaho at Lapwai Creek near Lewiston. They also erect the first sawmill and
gristmill. They teach farming methods to the Nez Perce Indians.
1837 - First school in Idaho opens for Indian children at Lapwai.
First white child
born in Idaho is Eliza Spalding born at Lapwai.
1839 - Henry Spalding
starts publishing the Bible in Lapwai on the earliest printing press in the
Pacific Northwest.
Chief Timothy, the first native Christian leader, baptized
November 17.
1840 - Father Pierre Jean de Smet begins missionary work in
Idaho.
1842 - Father Point establishes the Jesuit Coeur d' Alene Mission of
the Sacred Heart near Saint Maries. The Mission moves to a site near Cataldo in
1846, and is transferred in 1877 to Desmet where it stands today.
1843 - Provisional government is formed for the Oregon area, which included present day
Idaho.
Oregon Trail established in Idaho, which crossed the border near
Montpelier, passed by Fort Hall, then westward south of the Snake River to the
ford below Salmon Falls, then to Fort Boise, crossing the Snake River into
Oregon.
1846 - Oregon Treaty, 08/05/1846. This treaty divided the Oregon
country between the United States and Canada. Treaty with Great Britain sets the
Northern boundry of "The Oregon Country" at 49 degrees North. It granted to the
United States land that would later comprise the entire states of Oregon,
Washington, and Idaho, as well as portions of Montana and Wyoming. Pictured is
the signature page and President Polk's proclamation announcing the treaty.
Great Britain relinquish's claims to "The Oregon Country".
1848 - The
Cataldo Mission is established at Couer d' Alene by the Jesuits. The mission is
the oldest standing building in Idaho.
"The Oregon Country" organized as the
Oregon Territory.
Washington Territory (Washington, Northern Idaho and
NorthWest Montana) created from Oregon Territory. Oregon Territory reorganized
(Oregon, Southern Idaho and WestCentral Wyoming).
Sacred Heart Mission
established on the Coeur d'Alene River.
1849 - Over 20,000 emigrants who
join the gold rush come through southeastern Idaho on the California Trail.
Heavy traffic continues on the trail for many years. U.S.
Military post
established near Fort Hall.
1852 - French Canadians discover gold on the
Pend Oreille River.
1853 - Construction of the Cataldo Mission completed.
Washington Territory established. Idaho divided between Washington and Oregon.
1854 - Twenty-one emigrants led by Alexander Ward massacred in Boise Valley by
the Snake River Indians. This event leads to the closing of Fort Boise the next
summer and Fort Hall in 1856.
1855 - Mormons settle in eastern Idaho and
build Fort Lemhi.
Fort Boise Closed
1856 - Fort Hall Closed
1858
- Mormons at Fort Lemhi irrigate the land to farm it, which upsets the Indians.
Bannock Indians attacked the Mormons at Fort Lemhi, killing two and driving the
remaining back to Utah.
1859 - Oregon Territory dissolved and is admitted
as a state, remainder (Southern Idaho and WestCentral Wyoming) added to the
Washington Territory.
1860 - The Mormons return to Idaho and start its
first permanent settlement at Franklin. Idaho's oldest town, Franklin, is
founded just north of the Utah border on April 14.
Gold is discovered at
Orofino Creek in August, leads to the establishment of Idaho's oldest mining
town, Pierce.
Miss Hannah Cornish starts the first school for white children
in Idaho.
Mullan military wagon road built just north of Coeur d'Alene.
A
bill to provide a temporary government for the territory of Idaho, 05/01/1860
Origin of state's name: Idaho is a coined or invented word, and is not a
derivation of an Indian phrase "E Dah Hoe (How)" supposedly meaning "gem of the
mountains.
Go Here to see a map of 1860
1862 - Gold deposits are found
in the Salmon and Boise Rivers. Fortune hunters flock to the area, creating
"boom towns". By
1863 - The population explodes to 70,000 people.
First
newspaper published in Idaho is the Golden Age in Lewiston
George Grimes and
a party of prospectors establish the Boise Basin mines, leads to the creation of
Idaho City.
Packer John's Cabin built between New Meadows and McCall.
Gold
discovered near present day Warren.
Congress organizes the Idaho Territory on
March 3. It includes all of Idaho, Montana, and parts of Wyoming. Its capital is
Lewiston and its governor is William Wallace. See the actual documents Here.
Idaho Territory organized, capital at Lewiston. President Lincoln signed the act
establishing the territory on March 4. See the 1863 Idaho Territory Seal Here
Dakota Territory reorganized, North half of Wyoming and majority of Montana
added to the Idaho Territory.
Soda Springs founded by Colonel Conner.
Boise News of Idaho City issues first copy September 29.
Mining begins in the
Owyhees.
Boise Barracks established at Moore Creek by Major P. Lugenbeel and
the U.S. Cavalry.
The townsite of Boise laid out by merchants under the lead
of Cyrus Jacobs. First general election held October 31.
First county
established: Owyhee County, December 31.
1864 - See the 1864 Map Here
Montana is made into a separate territory. Montana Territory (Montana) created
from Idaho Territory. Idaho Territory reorganized (Idaho and North half of
Wyoming).
The capital of the Idaho Territory is moved to Boise. A resolution
to make Boise the capital passes December 7
Public school system established
for the territory.
Julius Newburg Road completed in Elmore County September
7.
Ben Holliday establishes first stagecoach line.
The Idaho Statesman
begins tri-weekly publication in Boise.
Ada, Alturas, Boise, Idaho, Kootenai,
Lah-Toh, Nez Perce, Oneida and Shoshone counties created.
1865 - Boise
becomes the capital of Idaho.
J.M. Taylor and Robert Anderson erect bridge
across Snake River near present day Idaho Falls.
Boise-Rocky Bar stage begins
operations, later extended to Silver City.
1866 - Gold discovered at
Leesburg in Lemhi County.
Survey of public lands begun, L.F. Cartee surveyor.
Congress passes Federal Lode Mining Act.
State of Columbia proposed by the
Idaho legislature in a petition to Congress, to include all the lands in western
Montana, northern Idaho, and eastern Washington.
1867 - Gutzon Borglum,
Mount Rushmore sculptor, born in Bear Lake County March 25.
Bishop Tuttle, an
Episcopal priest, arrives in Boise October 12.
Idaho Legislature repeals oath
of allegiance to U.S., a riot commences and Federal troops are called out.
Lah-Toh County abolished, territory annexed to Kootenai County.
1868 - Idaho Territory reorganized into the Wyoming Territory (Wyoming) and the Idaho
Territory (Idaho).
1869 - Lemhi County is organized
Statue of George
Washington, carved from native wood by Charles Ostner, is unveiled on the
capitol grounds at Boise. Idaho
State Law Library established.
Placer gold
strike made at Oro Grande.
Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads
complete transcontinental railway at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, improves
transportation to Idaho.
Chinese workers flock to Idaho mines.
Fort Hall
Indian Reservation set aside by President Grant for Shoshonis and Bannocks of
southern Idaho.
First telegraph office established at Franklin, linking the
town with Salt Lake City
1870 - The Gold boom over, the population drops to
about 15,000. Those remaining are mostly farmers and ranchers.
Idaho
population: 14,999 later census figure shows 17,804 as Utah-Idaho border was not
clearly established.
Caribou gold rush in southeastern Idaho.
1872 - U.S. Assay office and Idaho prison completed.
Strike drives Chinese labor out
of Owyhee mines.
1873 - Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation set aside by
President Grant for the Coeur d'Alene and Spokane Indians.
1874 - First
railroad in Idaho: Utah Northern, to Franklin.
Idaho's first daily newspaper,
The Owyhee Daily Avalanche, issued at Silver City October 17.
Telegraph
reaches Silver City.
1875 - Lemhi Indian Reservation set aside by President
Ulysses S. Grant for Shoshonis, Bannocks, and Tukuarikas.
Bear Lake County
created.
Bank failure ruins Silver City and South Mountain Mines.
1877
- The Nez Perce War is fought between the Federal troops and the Nez Perce Indians
lead by Chief Joseph. The Nez Perce are defeated and forced to move onto the
Lapwai Indian Reservation.
National Desert Land Act passed by Congress for
reclaiming land by irrigation.
Nez Perce Indian War: Warriors under Chief
Joseph's command went on warpath after the government opened to settlement the
Wallowa Valley in Oregon. Battles fought at White Bird - June 14th through 29th.
Battle of Clearwater fought July 11 and 12. Fighting then moved into Montana.
The war ended on October 5 with the surrender of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce.
Duck Valley Indian Reservation set aside by President Hayes for the Shoshonis
and Paiutes.
1878 - The Bannock War between the Bannock Indians under Chief
Buffalo Horn and the federal troops, is fought. They are also defeated.
Bannock Indian War: Bannocks led by Chief Buffalo Horn, and Paiutes led by Chief
Egan, went on the warpath when the United States Government opened the Camas
Prairie, which had been reserved for the Indians. Battles fought at South
Mountain and Bennett Creek.
1879 - The Sheepeater Indian War: Renegade
Bannocks and Tukuarika Indians go on warpath. Indians hide out in the hills of
central Idaho subsisting on sheep they kill during their raids. Battles fought
at Big Creek and Loon Creek. Indians surrender September 1.
Utah Northern
railroad completed within Idaho on its path from Salt Lake City to Helena,
Montana.
Cassia and Washington counties created.
1880 - Idaho
population: 32,619.
Discovery of lead-silver lodes in the Wood River area,
the rush to Bellevue, Hailey and Ketchum transforms southcentral Idaho.
The
Boise and Lewiston Independent School Districts created.
North Idaho
Annexation political party forms to counteract the powerful "Boise Ring".
1881 - Historical Society of Idaho Pioneers forms to collect and preserve a
reliable history of the early settlement of the territory.
The Hailey Times
begins daily publication.
Wells Fargo office established at Challis. Custer
County created.
Earthquake centered 20 miles east of Mount Idaho August 9.
1882 - Northern Pacific railroad completed across the northern part of the
Territory.
Construction began on the New York Canal in Ada County.
1883 - First telephone service in Idaho commenced at Hailey October 1.
Rexburg
is founded.
Oregon Short Line completed through southern Idaho.
1884 - One of the worlds richest silver (and lead) deposits are found in the Coeur d'
Alene Mountains. Coeur d'Alene gold rush, followed by Tiger and Polaris mines
opening lead-silver operations.
The Oregon Short Line arrives in Ketchum
August 19.
Freight and passenger service begins on Coeur d'Alene Lake.
Oregon Short Line reaches Weiser, connecting Idaho to the Pacific coast.
Wallace is founded.
1885 - The legislature approves construction of
Territorial Capitol building at an expense of $80,000.
Test Oath Act adopted
by legislature, designed to bar Mormons from voting and holding public office.
Legislature locates insane asylum at Blackfoot.
Famous poet Ezra Pound born
at Hailey October 30.
Bingham County created.
Bunker Hill and Sullivan
mines begin operation.
1886 - Utah Northern merges with Oregon Short Line
and joins Union Pacific system.
Separate bills to annex north Idaho to
Washington Territory pass each chamber of Congress, but are not reconciled.
Construction on the Territorial Capitol completed.
Nampa city platted.
1887 - Electric light plant goes into operation at Hailey to supply power for
territory's first electric lights.
Wardner miner's union established after
wage reductions at Bunker Hill and Sullivan mines.
Compulsory education law
passed.
A bill to annex north Idaho to Washington Territory passes Congress,
but is not signed by President Cleveland and does not become law.
1888 - Ricks Academy, now known as Ricks College, established in Rexburg.
Latah
County created by U.S. Congress.
1889 - The state constitution is written
in Boise.
As a conciliatory move to keep north Idaho from seceding, the
Territorial legislature locates the University of Idaho at Moscow.
Constitutional convention composed of sixty-eight members meet at Boise July 4
and after laboring twenty-eight days, forms and adopts constitution for the
state of Idaho August 6. Constitution is ratified by the people on November 5 by
a vote of 12,398 to 1,773.
Fire in Hailey causes $750,000 worth of damage.
Elmore county created.
1890 - Idaho enters the Union as the 43rd state,
July 3, signed into law by President Benjamin Harrison.
Population grows from
32,610 in 1880 to 88,548.
Great Northern Railroad completed across the
northern part of the state
Congress passes Federal Forest Reserve Act.
First legislative and statewide elections held.
First session of the Idaho
Legislature meets.
1891 - Great Seal of the State of Idaho, a design drawn
by Miss Emma Edwards, with the Latin motto "Esto Perpetua" adopted. Her Flag:
A silk flag, blue field, five feet six inches fly, and four feet four inches on
pike, bordered with gilt fringe two and one-half inches in width, with state
seal of Idaho twenty-one inches in diameter, in colors, in the center of a blue
field. The words "State of Idaho" are embroidered in with block letters, two
inches in height on a red band three inches in width by twenty-nine inches in
length, the band being in gold and placed about eight and one-half inches from
the lower border of fringe and parallel with the same.
Idaho forest reserves
created.
Boise's electric street railway commences operation on August 22.
College of Idaho opens in Caldwell October 9.
Canyon and Alta counties
created
President Benjamin Harrison plants Water Oak on capitol grounds.
1892 - Violence and labor disputes break out between the miners and the mine
owners in Coeur D' Alene region. Mines are dynamited, and martial law is
declared by the governor, N.B. Willey. Martial law commenced in the Coeur
d'Alenes on July 14 following the dynamiting of the Frisco Mill near Burke.
Hundreds of miners are arrested in Shoshone County
High freight rates and low
silver prices close Coeur d'Alene mines January 16.
The Farmers Alliance and
the Knights of Labor organize the Idaho Populist Party in Boise May 26.
University of Idaho opens October 3.
Idaho Education Association organized.
Timber and Stone Act passes Congress, paving way for commercial timber industry
in Idaho.
1893 - The "Panic of '93" lead and silver prices collapsed, Coeur
d'Alene mines shut down.
Western Federation of Miners formed.
Office of
State Mine Inspector established.
Idaho State Medical Society founded
September 12.
State Wool Growers Association started at Mountain Home
September 25.
First state game laws enacted.
State Normal Schools
(Colleges of Education) established at Lewiston and Albion.
Legislature
enacts state wagon roads to connect north and south Idaho.
Bannock and
Fremont counties created.
1894 - The Carey Act is passed, makes possible
reclamation of Snake River Valley, which will lead to over 200,000 acres of land
in Idaho being irrigated by 1909, and tremendous help for farmers and ranchers.
Albion Normal School opens January 8. Nez Perce Indian Reservation allotted to
the Indians.
Gold discovered in the Thunder Mountain country.
1895 - Comprehensive irrigation law, providing for uniform use of public water, enacted
on March 9.
Lincoln and Blaine counties created.
1896 - Lewiston Normal
School dedicated June 3.
Idaho becomes first in the nation in production of
lead.
Montpelier bank robbed by Butch Cassidy August 13.
Idaho Legislature
calls on Congress to extend the right to vote to women.
Idaho Republicans
split, Silver Republicans endorse William Jennings Bryan for President.
Clashes between sheep and cattle industries culminate in the murder of
sheepherders allegedly by "Diamondfield" Jack Davis
Cassia County created.
1897 - President Grover Cleveland establishes Bitterroot Forest Reserve which
includes much of north Idaho.
Legislature acts to protect bison within the
state.
State Board of Medical Examiners established to regulate the practice
of medicine.
1898 - First Idaho regiment of military volunteers called into
service for the Philippine insurrection of the Spanish-American War.
Fort
Hall Indian Reservation allotted to the Indians in parcels of 160 acres each,
with the balance to be sold for the Indians' benefit.
1899 - More violence
occurs in the mines. Most of the mine owners now recognized the Western
Federation of Miners (WFM) Union. Union organizers call for a strike against two
companies (Bunker Hill and Sullivan) who refuse to pay union wages. Another mine
is blown up.
Governor Frank Steunenberg calls in the federal troops to arrest
and suppress riot in the Coeur d'Alene mining district following the dynamiting
of the Bunker Hill and Sullivan concentratorthe miners. Hundreds are arrested
and kept in large outdoor prisons called bullpens. The WFM is broken by this by
the time the Coeur D' Alene mine reopens. This caused the governor to be hated
by the miners, and was killed in 1905 by a bomb.
Position of State Fish and
Game Warden created.
1900 - Idaho population: 161,772.
New York Canal
completed.
Democrats, Silver Republicans and Populists arrange party fusion
for 1900 election.
Idaho State Dairymen's Association organized.
Idaho
Falls incorporated.
1901 - The Free Traveling Library (now known as the
Idaho State Library) established.
The Academy of Idaho (now Idaho State
University) opens in Pocatello.
1902 - After concluding that Diamondfield
Jack Davis had been convicted by mistake, in a case growing out of the most
notable incident of the Idaho sheep and cattle wars, the State Board of Pardons
turned him loose.
National Reclamation Act passed, provides for federal aid
for irrigation.
1903 - Idaho's hunting and fishing licensing system
began.
The Idaho Industrial Training School founded at St. Anthony as a
reform school for children.
First Carey Act land opening at Shoshone.
Miller Dam on Snake River opens Twin Falls area to irrigated farming.
President Theodore Roosevelt plants maple tree on capitol grounds.
1904 -
City of Twin Falls platted.
Chief Joseph dies September 21.
1905 -
Construction of a new capitol building in Boise authorized at a cost of
$1,000,000.
Insane asylum established at Orofino.
The first train arrives
at Twin Falls August 7.
Sawtooth National Forest created.
Former Governor
Frank Steunenberg assassinated December 30.
1906 - Steunenberg assassin
Harry Orchard implicates three leaders of the Western Federation of Miners in
the plot.
The largest sawmill in the United States begins operation at
Potlatch.
Pioneer Monument at capitol grounds erected.
"Steward Decree"
adjudicates water rights along the Boise River.
1907 - William E. Borah
elected to the U.S. Senate, where he gains an international reputation during
thirty-three years of service.
William D. Haywood is found not guilty of
conspiracy and the assassination of Frank Steunenberg, at the end of an
internationally celebrated trial, Harry Orchard sentenced to life in prison for
the assassination.
Idaho State Flag adopted.
Idaho Historical Society
founded.
Bonner and Twin Falls County created.
1908 - The Idaho
revised code published.
Under President Roosevelt's forest reserve policy,
one-half of the state is organized into National Forest reserves.
Lake Lowell
completed.
Idaho adopts direct primary and local option over regulation of
liquor.
Minidoka Dam completed.
State Parks established at Heyburn,
Shoshone Falls, and Payette Lake.
Allotment of Coeur d'Alene Indian
Reservation.
Provisions for rural high school districts established.
1910 - Idaho population: 325,594.
Devastating forest fire consumes 1/6 of
north Idaho's forests, destroying many communities.
State banking and highway
district laws enacted.
Buckeye tree planted on the capitol grounds by
President William Howard Taft October 9. Search and seizure law enacted for
enforcing liquor laws.
Idaho State Sanitarium (now known as the Idaho State
School and Hospital) located at Nampa.
Adams, Bonneville, Clearwater and
Lewis counties created.
Revised revenue laws enacted, providing a new system
of assessment, equalization, levy and collection of taxes.
Constitutional
amendments adopted authorizing initiative, referendum, and recall.
State
Board of Education established to supervise all levels of education within the
state of Idaho.
1913 - Public Utilities Commission established.
Northwest Nazarene College in Nampa founded.
First motor vehicle laws enacted
by the legislature.
Comprehensive system of revenue for state, county,
municipal and school purposes enacted.
School for the Deaf and Blind opens in
Gooding.
Franklin, Gooding, Jefferson, Madison, Minidoka and Power counties
created.
1914 - Moses Alexander elected first Jewish governor in the
United States.
1915 - Arrowrock Dam completed.
Columbia and Snake
River improvements for navigation to Lewiston completed.
Second Idaho
Regiment of Infantry Volunteers organized into service at the call of President
Woodrow Wilson for the Mexican Border War.
The Academy of Idaho (now Idaho
State University) becomes the Idaho Technical Institute.
Idaho Horse and
Cattle Association organized, later to become the Idaho Cattlemen's Association.
Benewah, Boundary, Gem and Teton counties created.
1916 - Constitutional
amendment for statewide prohibition ratified.
State highway program begins as
part of the national good roads movement.
1917 - Statewide prohibition
goes into effect January 1.
Workmen's Compensation System and State Insurance
Fund established.
Annual state fair established at Boise.
Ricks Academy
becomes a college and is accredited by the State Board of Education.
Butte,
Camas, Payette and Valley counties created.
1918 - Non-Partisan League
takes over Idaho Democratic primary September 3, subsequently Idaho's primary
nominating system is abandoned for twelve years.
1919 - Administrative
consolidation enacted by legislature.
Functions of fifty-one departments,
boards and bureaus placed under nine administrative departments responsible to
the governor.
Bureau of Highways created to inaugurate a state highway
system.
Bureau of Constabulary organized May 18, with Department of Law
Enforcement.
First Music Week held in Boise.
Lava Hot Springs established
by Department of Public Welfare.
City of Jerome incorporated.
Jerome,
Clark, and Caribou counties created.
1920 - Idaho population: 431,866.
Agricultural prices begin to deteriorate, creating a crisis which continues
through the 1920's.
Whitebird Hill grade, connecting north and south Idaho
opens.
State Capitol completed.
Idaho Wheat Growers Association formed.
Constitutional amendment increases State Supreme Court from three to five
members.
1922 - State budget system established.
Radio broadcasting
begins in Idaho with station KFAU located at Boise High School under the
direction of Harry Redeker.
1924 - Craters of the Moon National Monument
established.
Black Canyon Dam completed.
1925 - Union Pacific Railroad
begins service to Boise.
State Forestry Board established.
William E.
Borah becomes Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
1926
- The Idaho State Chamber of Commerce organized.
Federal air service came to
the Northwest with a Pasco, Washington to Elko, Nevada flight with a stop in
Boise.
1927 - American Falls Dam completed.
Perrine Memorial Bridge at
Twin Falls completed. Palisades Reservoir created.
Idaho Technical Institute
in Pocatello redesignated the University of Idaho Southern Branch.
1928 -
Restoration of the "Old Mission" church near Cataldo begins.
Commercial radio
broadcasting begins in Idaho with the purchase of KFAU from Boise High School
and renamed KIDO.
1930 - Idaho population: 445,032.
1931 - The
direct primary restored for statewide offices.
State income tax adopted.
U.S. Forest Service, in cooperation with the state Legislature, create the Idaho
Primitive Area.
Legislature adopts "Here We Have Idaho" as state song, the
syringa the official flower, and the Rocky Mountain Bluebird the state bird.
1932 - Nonpartisan election of judges to Supreme Court and District Courts
enacted.
The Idaho Code annotated published.
Six million dollar Owyhee Dam
dedicated.
Association of Idaho Veterans of Foreign Wars organized.
Boise
Junior College opens.
1933 - School Equalization Law adopted.
North
Idaho Junior College established at Coeur d'Alene.
1934 - Sandpoint
Bridge completed.
Taylor Grazing Act passes U.S. Congress. Central and
northern Idaho experience large mining developments for gold and silver.
Idaho becomes first in the nation in silver production.
1935 - Statewide
prohibition repealed and State adopts Liquor Dispensary system.
Indian
children begin integration into public school system.
State employment
service established.
Two percent sales tax enacted, but rejected by voters in
referendum in 1936.
Legislature provides for purchase of the site of Spalding
Mission as a state park.
Martial law declared in Teton County to put down a
rebellion of pea pickers.
1936 - Sun Valley established as a ski resort
by the Union Pacific Railway in September.
Martial law declared in Clearwater
County during I.W.W. lumber strike.
Celebration held in Lewiston to
commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Spalding Mission.
In
March, William E. Borah became Idaho's first Presidential candidate.
1937
- Open primary system does away with requirement for declaration of party
affiliation.
1938 - Paving of the north-south highway (U.S. 95)
completed.
Fish and Game Commission established by initiative.
Idaho
Senator James P. Pope sponsors Agricultural Adjustment Act.
1939 - State
Junior College district law enacted.
Idaho State Police established March 13.
1940 - Idaho population: 524,873.
Senator William E. Borah dies January
19.
Legislation creating a position of Comptroller to be appointed by the
Governor, and taking away many powers of the State Auditor, ruled
unconstitutional by the Courts.
1941 - Gowen Field completed south of
Boise and becomes a military air base.
J.R. Simplot food dehydrator begins
operations in Caldwell.
1942 - Farragut Naval Training Station
established at Lake Pend Oreille.
A Pocatello army air base and gun relining
plant established.
Japanese-Americans placed in internment camps at Hunt.
Two anti-liquor initiatives rejected by the voters.
Mountain Home Air Base
site was approved.
1944 - Mountain Home Army Air Field officially opened.
1945 - State Tax Commission established.
Idaho's first phosphate
processing plant constructed by the J.R. Simplot Company.
1946 - Most
recent Idaho Code published.
A teacher's retirement system established.
Election of Idaho's governor and other state officials for four-year terms
begin.
Two anti-liquor initiatives and an anti-gambling initiative defeated.
1947 - A state school reorganization plan enacted.
University of Idaho
Southern Branch at Pocatello becomes Idaho State College.
State Board of
Corrections established.
Idaho State Archives established.
1948 -
Bureau of Reclamation begins plans to construct a Hell's Canyon dam in the Snake
River for flood control.
Idaho Senator Glen Taylor runs for Vice-President on
Progressive Party ticket.
1949 - National Reactor Testing Station near
Arco established.
1950 - Idaho population: 588,637.
State Highway
Department established with provisions for nonpolitical administration.
1951 - Nuclear electric power developed at the National Reactor Testing Station.
State teacher's colleges at Lewiston and Albion are closed.
1952 -
Anderson Ranch Dam completed.
1953 - Television comes to Idaho with
KIDO-TV (now KTVB) in Boise July 12.
C.J. Strike Dam dedicated.
Supreme
Court rules against Idaho law legalizing slot machines and other lottery
devices.
1954 - Submarine reactor tested and perfected at the National
Reactor Testing Station.
Voters approve initiative to regulate dredge mining.
1955 - State Department of Commerce and Development established.
Lewis-Clark Normal opens at Lewiston.
Lucky Peak Dam dedicated July 6.
The
Atomic Energy Commission lights Arco with electricity generated by atomic
energy.
1956 - Construction of Palisades Dam completed.
Construction
in Idaho of the National Interstate Highway System commenced.
Constitutional
amendment ratified to permit a governor to succeed himself for reelection.
1958 - Boise-Stanley Highway Association established.
Voters defeat
"Right to Work" initiative.
1959 - Brownlee Dam completed on the Snake
River.
1960 - Idaho population: 667,191.
Seven month strike at Bunker
Hill Mine.
July and August forest fires in Hells Canyon and Idaho City area.
State employee group insurance system established.
1961 - Oxbow Dam
completed on Snake River.
W.A. Harriman and E. Rolland Harriman provided that
their holdings at Railroad Ranch eventually become a state park, providing that
the state establish a professionally managed park system.
Ernest Hemingway
dies in Ketchum July 2.
1962 - Lewis and Clark highway (U.S. 12) in the
Lochsa Canyon completed.
1963 - Legislative Council established.
Idaho
State College in Pocatello attains University status.
Lewis-Clark Normal
becomes a four year college.
Horse Racing Act, to permit pari-mutuel betting,
becomes law over Governor's veto (first override in twenty years).
Idaho
celebrates Territorial Centennial.
1964 - Combined convention and primary
system implemented, parties attempt to restrict the number of state primary
candidates appearing on the ballot.
Federal Court ends Bible reading in Boise
public schools.
1965 - State parks department, water resource board, and
personnel system created.
Nez Perce National Historic Park established in
north-central Idaho.
Boise Junior College given 4-year status.
1966 -
Governor Smylie defeated for 4th term.
Voters uphold 3 percent sales tax in
referendum.
Northern Pacific ends passenger service between Lewiston and
Spokane.
1967 - Legislative Compensation Commission established.
International Boy Scout Jamboree held at Farragut State Park.
1968 -
Hell's Canyon Dam completed.
1969 - Annual legislative sessions commence.
1970 - Idaho population: 713,015.
Voters reject proposed revision of
Idaho Constitution.
Voters pass strict legislative pay initiative.
National Farmers Organization stages 120 vehicle caravan to Boise to protest
potato prices.
1971 - Legislature enacts a stream protection law. Last
log drive on the Clearwater River.
Rail passenger service ends May 1 for all
places in Idaho except Sandpoint.
Fire destroys $25,000 worth of property
during a riot at the Idaho State Penitentiary.
1972 - New Idaho uniform
probate code goes into effect.
Idaho voters return to open primary system.
Sawtooth National Recreation Area established, includes the Sawtooth Wilderness
Area.
Dworshak Dam completed.
Constitutional amendment adopted requiring
state government reorganization into no more than 20 agencies.
Fire at the
Sunshine Mine in Kellogg takes the lives of 91 men.
1973 - U.S. Congress
passes a bill to replace the deteriorating American Falls Dam.
Boise State
College attains university status.
1974 - State agencies reorganized into
19 departments.
Kootenai Indians in northern Idaho declare war on the U.S.
government to gain money and land.
Voters pass the Sunshine Initiative to
require lobbyist registration and political campaign disclosure.
Evel Knievel
fails in attempt to ride his "Skycycle" across the Snake River canyon near Twin
Falls.
1975 - Presidential preference primary to be held on the fourth
Tuesday of May adopted.
White Bird Hill bypass opens June 16.
Legislature
passes Local Planning and Zoning Act.
New prison opens south of Boise.
Port of Lewiston opens.
1976 - Hells Canyon bill creates the scenic Hells
Canyon National Recreation Area, and bans construction of hydroelectric projects
in the canyon.
Senator Frank Church becomes a candidate for President, the
first Idahoan since William E. Borah in 1936.
The 310 foot high Teton Dam
collapses in southeastern Idaho, killing 11 and forcing 300,000 people to flee
their homes.
Constitutional amendment creates Citizens Committee on
Legislative Compensation.
The Public Utilities Commission rejects proposal by
Idaho Power Company to build an electric coal-fired power plant between Boise
and Mountain Home.
1977 - Governor Cecil D. Andrus resigns to become
Secretary of the Interior.
Legislature rescinds their 1972 ratification of
the Equal Rights Amendment.
Many Idaho counties declared disaster areas due
to severe drought.
Boise, Nampa, Mountain Home, Shoshone, and Pocatello
become stops on Amtrak's Seattle-Ogden line.
1978 - President Jimmy
Carter floats the River of No Return in central Idaho.
Voters pass initiative
limiting property taxes to 1 percent of market value.
Pocatello businessman
Bill Barlow wins U.S. Supreme Court decision against Occupational Safety and
Health Administration.
1979 - An investigation by the Idaho Statesman
reveals that plutonium had been injected into the Snake River plain aquifer at
the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory.
Senator Frank Church becomes
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
1980 - Idaho
population: 944,038.
An 18 hour riot at the Idaho State Prison results in $2
million in damages.
Mount St. Helens erupts, covers north Idaho with volcanic
ash.
Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus, by executive order, expands the Birds
of Prey Natural Area from 31,000 to 482,640 acres.
Congress approves the
Central Idaho Wilderness Act, establishing the 2.2 million acre River of No
Return Wilderness.
Congressman Steve Symms defeats Senator Frank Church in
the most expensive campaign in Idaho history with over $4 million spent by the
candidates and independent committees.
1981 - Senator James McClure
becomes Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Keith F. Nyborg, a rancher from Ashton, is appointed ambassador to Finland by
President Reagan.
"Rabbit Drives" in southeastern Idaho create controversy
between animal protection groups and farmers whose crops are devastated by wild
jack rabbits.
Gulf Resources and Chemical of Houston, Texas announced the
closure of the 98-year-old Bunker Hill Mine and Smelter in Kellogg.
1982
- Legislature outlaws insanity plea for defendants - first in nation.
Voters
pass record eight constitutional amendments and three initiatives.
Governor
Evans puts most state employees on 4-day work week for two months to lower
projected budget deficit.
Harriman State Park dedicated July 17.
Fugitive
Christopher Boyce, convicted of selling national security secrets to the Soviet
Union, is captured near Bonners Ferry.
1983 - Legislature imposes
temporary 4 1/2 percent sales tax to cover state deficit. Eagle Island State
Park dedicated June 25.
State Supreme Court declares current legislative
apportionment unconstitutional because it divides counties.
Several north
Idaho local governments pass resolutions to secede from southern Idaho and form
a new state.
An earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale, kills two
children and causes four million dollars worth of damage on October 28. The
quake, centered in the Lost River Valley, was the largest in the continental
United States in 24 years and left a 10-foot high, 15 mile long shear.
1984 - Supreme Court imposes 42 member Senate, 84 member House in legislative
redistricting plan.
Christin Cooper of Ketchum wins silver medal in the
women's giant slalom at the Olympic games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.
Harmon
Killebrew of Payette is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Permanent
sales tax set at 4 percent.
Legislature approves Education Reform bill,
allocating $20 million to improve teacher salaries statewide.
Former Senator
Frank Church dies April 7.
U.S. Representative George Hansen defeated for
reelection by Richard Stallings in closest Idaho congressional race in history -
170 votes.
Populist Party sues for and obtains ballot status on November 6
general election.
Wallace celebrates centennial.
Idaho Power Company and
the State of Idaho reach agreement on Snake River Basin water rights.
1985 - Shortest Legislative session in 12 years - 66 days.
Department of
Commerce established.
National Governor's Conference held in Boise.
Jimmy
Jausoro, a Basque musician from Boise is one of 12 folk artists nationwide (and
the first Idahoan ever) to receive a prestigious 1985 National Heritage
Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Pocatello citizens vote
to remove council-manager system of city government in June.
Potlatch
Corporation closes lumber mills at Lewiston and Jaype (near Pierce), affecting
1,200 workers.
Over six million acres of Idaho rangeland are sprayed with
pesticides to battle grasshopper infestation.
1986 - Claude Dallas,
convicted in 1982 for killing two Idaho Fish & Game Wardens, escapes from the
Idaho State Penitentiary March 30.
He is recaptured March 8, 1987 outside a
convenience store in Riverside, California.
Voters retain right-to-work law
in referendum; also approve state lottery initiative.
1987 - Permanent
sales tax at 5 percent.
Legislature passes mandatory daycare licensing and
tort reform legislation.
Dry winter leads to severe summer drought.
1988 - Voters pass constitutional amendment removing prohibition against
legislature authorizing a state lottery.
1989 - First state lottery
tickets sold July 19th.
Worst forest fires since 1910, burn thousands of
acres in south central Idaho, partially destroying town of Lowman.
1990 -
Idaho Population: 1,006,749.
Idaho celebrates Statehood Centennial - July 3.
Senator James McClure retires from U.S. Senate.
Idaho State Senate split - 21
Democrats and 21 Republicans.
1991 - Kirby Dam collapses near Atlanta,
cutting off electrical power to residents and dumping arsenic, mercury and
cadmium into the Middle Fork of the Boise River.
Drought persists through
fifth consecutive year.
1992 - Fire on the second and third floors of the
State Capitol on January 1st caused 3.2 million dollars in damage.
Worst
forest fire season in Idaho's recorded history.
Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris
surrender to federal officials on August 31st following a shootout and eleven
day standoff at Weaver's Boundary County cabin that left one U.S. deputy
marshall and Weaver's wife and son dead.
Linda Copple Trout becomes the first
woman appointed to the Idaho Supreme Court.
1993 - Normal winter and
spring precipitation help to alleviate the drought.
Kevin Harris acquitted of
all charges and Randy Weaver convicted on minor charges following a 60-day
federal trial stemming from the 1992 shootout with federal officials in Boundary
County.
1994 - Ezra Taft Benson, native of Whitney, Idaho, died on May
30.
Benson had served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1953 to 1961 and
head of the Mormon Church since 1985.
Summer wildfires burn approximately
750,000 acres.
Picabo Street wins silver medal in downhill skiing during the
Olympic games in Lillehammer, Norway.
Idaho ranks third nationwide in
percentage population growth after the state added another 33,000 residents.
1995 - Phil Batt sworn in as the first republican governor in twenty-five
years.
Legislature creates the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Picabo
Street becomes first American to win World Cup downhill title.
Nuclear waste
agreement signed.
First year of five years in a row of normal or above normal
water/snowpack.
1996 - Major flooding in north Idaho.
President
Clinton visits Boise to discuss flooding.
1997 - New Year's day floods in
the Weiser and Payette River drainages of southwestern Idaho.
Town of Banks
condemned by federal government following mudslides.
1998 - Idaho
darling, Picabo Street, wins gold medal in giant slalom at Olympic winter games.
1999 - First shipment of nuclear waste leaves INEEL for permanent storage at
the federal Waste Isolation Pilot Project in New Mexico.
2000 - Idaho
Population: 1,211,537. Largest wildfires in recent history, 559,183 acres burn
in Salmon-Challis National Forest, Payette National Forest and Bureau of Land
Management, Idaho Falls District.
2001 - Idaho filed suit against federal
Grizzly Bear reintroduction plan. U.S. Dept of Labor grants $1 Million to aid
displaced Jaype mill workers. Twenty-four Idaho counties declared drought
disaster areas. Governor orders 2% holdback for state agencies and 1.5% holdback
for public schools in response to softening economy. Sawmill closings in Cascade
and Horseshoe Bend leave only one mill south of the Salmon River. Largest salmon
runs since 1978.
2002 - Closure of the potato processing plant in
Heyburn.
2003 - Longest legislative session in history - 118 days. Sales
tax goes to 6 percent.
Expansion of Boise municipal airport.
2004 - On
July 3rd Governor Kempthorne dedicates the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery.
612,786 ballots were cast in the November 2004 General Election, the highest
number ever. J.R. and Esther Simplot donate residence above Bogus Basin Road to
state as mansion for the governor, giving Idaho an official governor's residence
for the first time in 15 years. The Idaho National Guard's 116th Brigade Combat
Team called up for yearlong mission in northern Iraq, about 1,700 Idaho soldiers
are part of the 4,300 member brigade.
2005 - Ninety Marine Corps
reservists in Company C, 4th Tank Battalion, 5th marine Division based at Gowen
Field are deployed to Iraq. About 15 Boise-based Army reservists with the 321st
Engineer Battalion based in Fort Lewis, WA are in the Middle East. One hundred
members of the 124th Wing of the Idaho Air National Guard, including more than
20 members of the 189th Airlift Squadron, are deployed to assignments in the
Persian Gulf. Nez Perce water agreement has passed Congress and Idaho
legislature. This legislation ratifies a 30-year agreement, which calls for the
Nez Perce to drop their claims to nearly all the water in the Snake River Basin.
In exchange, the Tribe would have annual rights to 50,000 acre-feet of water
from the Clearwater River, plus $80 million in cash. Hydrologists with the Idaho
Department of Water Resources say lack of precipitation could make 2005 one of
the worst on record. Sales tax reverts to 5 percent on July 1st.
2006 -
In January, Albertsons. Inc. agrees to sell the company to Minnesota-based
Super-Valu Inc. and CVS Corp. During the Legislative Session, homeowner’s
property tax exemption is raised from $50,000 to $75,000. In March, President
Bush nominates Governor Dirk Kempthorne to be U.S. Secretary of Interior.
Following confirmation hearings in May, Kempthorne heads to Washington, leaving
Jim Risch at the helm in Idaho. In June, the Idaho Shakespeare Festival
celebrates the opening of its 30th season. In August, Cabela’s opens its first
store in Boise. In November, the Rolling Stones play a sold-out show at the
Idaho Center. Also in November, Boise State Broncos end their regular season
with a 12-0 record, landing them a place in the Fiesta Bowl.
2007 - Boise
State Broncos win the Fiesta Bowl. Senator Larry Craig’s arrest becomes the
biggest news story of the year. Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter and lawmakers
temporarily halt work on the Idaho Capital expansion until a compromise is
reached to scale back the underground wings to half their original size.
2008 - Barack Obama visits Boise in February and draws a crowd of 14,000.
Federal protections for gray wolves were lifted in March, but a federal judge
rules the delisting plan flawed in July. At the end of the year the future of
wolf management is still uncertain. Sales slumped for auto dealers as gasoline
prices reach $4 per gallon over the summer. The dour economy resulted in at
least 44,000 workers without jobs in November
Citation: Rees, John E., B. Sc. Idaho Chronology Nomenclature
Bibliography (Chicago: W.B. Conkey Company, 1918). Permission to reprint
from Gov. Kempthorne for the IDGenWeb Project (2005).
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