It was with the 1862 gold rush to Boise Basin that the development of the State of Idaho began. The Basin story is a fascination one, well deserving of its place in history. This brief summary only highlights key points of the area’s history.
The rush was on. Originally, people traveled by steamer up the Columbia River to Umatilla, departing from Umatilla by stage lines, and finally journeying by pack-train to the Boise Basin. Difficult winters and shortages of food made life treacherous. One year a food riot occurred because the spring supplies from Walla Walla had not arrived. The Basin’s population