The
Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 4, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the
UnionThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as the State of Idaho.
1860s
The territory was officially organized on March 4, 1863 by Act of
CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
, and signed into law by President
Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery...
. It was created by areas from existing territories; the area west of the
Continental DivideThe Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Divide or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from, those river systems which drain into the...
was formerly part of the
Oregon TerritoryThe Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon.-History:...
and
Washington TerritoryThe Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....
, whereas most of the area east of the Continental Divide had been part of the
Dakota TerritoryThe Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when that final extent of the territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota....
. The original territory covered most of the present-day states of
IdahoIdaho is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans." Idaho was admitted to the Union on 3 July 1890 as the 43rd state....
,
MontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of the state contains numerous mountain ranges; other 'island' ranges are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and
WyomingWyoming is a state in the Western United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountain West, while the easternmost section of the state includes part of a high elevation prairie region known as the High Plains. While the tenth largest...
.
The first territorial capital was at
LewistonLewiston is the county seat of and largest city in Nez Perce County, Idaho, United States. It is the second largest city in the northern Idaho region, behind Coeur d'Alene. Lewiston is the principal city of the Lewiston, ID - Clarkston, WA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Nez...
.
BoiseBoise is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Idaho. Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho as well as the county seat of Ada County...
was the territorial capital from 1865.
Although the 1863
Bear River MassacreThe Bear River Massacre, also called the Battle of Bear River and the Massacre at Boa Ogoi, took place on January 29, 1863, between the United States Army and the Shoshone Indians at the confluence of the Bear River and Beaver Creek in what was then southeastern Washington Territory...
in present-day
Franklin CountyFranklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2000 Census the county had a population of 11,329 . The county seat and largest city is Preston. Franklin County is part of the Logan, Utah-Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area.Established in 1913, Franklin County was named...
is considered to be the westernmost battle of the
Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
, the upheaval caused by the Civil War and Reconstruction was a distant concern to those in the comparatively stable Idaho Territory, a situation which in turn encouraged settlement.
In 1864, the
Montana TerritoryThe Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 28, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Montana.-History:...
was organized from the northeastern section of the territory east of the
Bitterroot RangeThe Bitterroot Range runs along the border of Montana and Idaho in the northwestern United States. The range spans an area of
62,736 square kilometers and is named after the bitterroot , a small pink flower that is the state flower of Montana.-...
. Most of the southeastern area of the territory was made part of the
Dakota TerritoryThe Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when that final extent of the territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota....
.
In the late 1860s Idaho Territory became a destination for displaced Southern
DemocratsThe Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world. In the U.S...
who fought for the
Confederate States of AmericaThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
during the Civil War. These people were well-represented in the early territorial legislatures, which often clashed with the appointed
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the Grand Old Party or the GOP, despite being the younger of the two major parties. In the U.S...
territorial governors. The political infighting became particularly vicious in 1867, when Governor
David W. BallardDavid W. Ballard was governor of Idaho Territory from 1866 to 1870...
asked for protection from federal troops stationed at Fort Boise against the territorial legislature. By 1870, however, the political infighting died down considerably.
In 1868, the areas east of the 111th Meridian were made part of the newly created
Wyoming TerritoryThe Territory of Wyoming was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 25, 1868, until July 10, 1890, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Wyoming. Cheyenne was the territorial capital...
. Idaho Territory assumed the boundaries of the modern state at that time.
The discovery of gold, silver and other valuable natural resources throughout Idaho beginning in the 1860s, as well as the completion of the
Transcontinental RailroadThe First Transcontinental Railroad is the popular name of the U.S. railroad line built between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and Union Pacific Railroad from Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska to Alameda, California...
in 1869, brought many new people to the territory, including
ChineseChina is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
laborers who came to work the mines. As Idaho approached statehood,
miningMining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually from an ore body, vein or seam. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock salt and potash...
and other extractive industries became increasingly important to its economy. By the 1890s, for example, Idaho exported more
leadLead is a main-group element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metals. Lead has a bluish-white color when freshly cut, but tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed to air...
than any other state.
1870s
Construction began on the Idaho Territorial
PrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Other terms are penitentiary, correctional facility, and jail , although in the United States "jail" and "prison" refer to different subtypes of correctional facility...
in 1870 and was completed by 1872. The prison was in use by the territory, then the state until 1973. The
Old Idaho State PenitentiaryThe Old Idaho State Penitentiary, also known as the Idaho Territorial Prison, was constructed in the Territory of Idaho in 1870. The territory was less than ten years old when the prison was built east of Boise, Idaho in the western United States...
was placed on the
National Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1974 for its significance as a Territorial Prison. The site currently contains
museumA museum is a building or institution which houses a collection of artifacts.Museums collect and care for objects of scientific, artistic, or historical importance and make them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary...
s and an
arboretumAn arboretum is a collection of trees. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
.
Almost immediately after Idaho Territory was created, a public school system was created and stage coach lines were established. Regular newspapers were active in Lewiston,
BoiseBoise is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Idaho. Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho as well as the county seat of Ada County...
and
Silver CitySilver City is a ghost town in Owyhee County, Idaho, United States. At its height in the 1880s it was a gold and silver mining town with a population of around 2,500 and approximately 75 businesses. Silver City served as county seat of Owyhee County from 1867 to 1934. Today, the town has about 70...
by 1865. The first telegraph line reached Franklin in 1866, with Lewiston being the first town linked in northern Idaho in 1874. The first telephone call in the Pacific Northwest was made on May 10, 1878, in Lewiston.
Although forming a sizeable minority, Mormons in Idaho were held in suspicion by others in Idaho. By 1882 notable and powerful Idahoans successfully disenfranchised Mormon voters in Idaho Territory, citing their illegal practice of polygamy. Idaho was able to achieve statehood some six years before Utah, a territory which had a larger population and had been settled longer, but was majority LDS with voting polygamists.
1880s
After the capital relocation controversy proposals to split the two regions became widespread. In 1887 Idaho Territory was nearly legislated out of existence, but as a favor to Governor
Edward A. StevensonEdward A. Stevenson was governor of Idaho Territory from 1885 to 1889. Stevenson was the first resident of Idaho Territory appointed to the position....
, President
Grover ClevelandStephen Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. Cleveland is the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
refused to sign a bill that would have split Idaho Territory between Washington Territory in the north and
NevadaNevada is a state located in the western region of the United States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is Silver State, due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there...
in the south.
In 1889, the
University of IdahoThe University of Idaho is the state of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state. UI is the state's land-grant and primary research university...
was awarded to the northern town of
MoscowMoscow is a city in northern Idaho, along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the largest city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
instead of its original planned location at Eagle Rock (now
Idaho FallsIdaho Falls is the county seat and largest city of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of Idaho Falls was 50,730, with a 2008 metro population of 122,995.Idaho Falls is the largest city in the Eastern Idaho region...
) in the south. This served to alleviate some of the hard feelings felt by
North IdahoThe Idaho Panhandle is the northern region of the U.S. State of Idaho that encompasses the ten northernmost counties of Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce, Shoshone. Residents of the panhandle refer to the region as North Idaho...
residents over losing the capital.
The territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Idaho on July 3, 1890.
See also
- American Civil War
The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
, 1861-1865
- Idaho in the American Civil War
The history of Idaho in the American Civil War is atypical, as the territory was far from the battlefields.At the start of the Civil War, modern-day Idaho was part of the Washington Territory. On March 3 1863, the Idaho Territory was formed, consisting of the entirety of modern day Idaho, Montana,...
- California Trail
The California Trail was a major overland emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California. It was used primarily from 1841 to 1869...
- Historic regions of the United States
This is a list of historic regions of the United States, defined as regions that were legal entities in the past.-Colonial era :-The Thirteen Colonies:* Province of New Hampshire* Province of Massachusetts Bay...
- History of Idaho
The History of Idaho is an examination of the human history and social activity within the state of Idaho, a geographical area in the Pacific Northwest area near the west coast of the United States and Canada...
- Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was one of the main overland migration routes on the North American continent, leading from locations on the Missouri River to the Oregon Territory. The eastern half of the trail was also used by travelers on the California Trail, Bozeman Trail, and Mormon Trail which used much of...
- Oregon Treaty
The Oregon Treaty, is a treaty between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to the Oregon Country, which...
, 1846
- Territorial evolution of the United States
This is a list of the evolution of the borders of the United States. This lists each change to the internal and external borders of the country, as well as status and name changes. It also shows the surrounding areas that eventually became part of the United States...
- Territory of France
France , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
that encompassed land that would later become part of the Territory of Idaho:
- Louisiane
Louisiana or French Louisiana was the name of an administrative district of New France. Under French control from 1682-1763 and 1800-03, the area was named in honor of Louis XIV of France, by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle...
, 1682–1764 and 1803
- Territory of Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
that would later be returned to FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
:
- Luisiana
Louisiana was the name of an administrative district of New Spain from 1764 to 1803 that represented territory west of the Mississippi River basin, plus New Orleans, Louisiana...
, 1764-1803
- Territory of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
that encompassed land that would later become part of the Territory of Idaho:
- Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land, also sometimes called "Prince Rupert's Land", was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin, that was owned by the Hudson's Bay Company for 200 years from 1670 to 1870. The area once known as Rupert's Land is now mainly a part of Canada, but a...
, 1670-1870
- International territory that encompassed land that would later become part of the Territory of Idaho:
- Oregon Country
Oregon Country or Oregon was a predominantly American term referring to a region of the Pacific Northwest of North America...
, 1818-1846
- U.S. territory that encompassed land that would later become part of the Territory of Idaho:
- Provisional Government of Oregon
The Provisional Government of Oregon was a popularly elected government created in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It existed from May 2, 1843 until March 3, 1849. Created at a time when no country had sovereignty over the region, this independent government...
, 1843-1849 (extralegal)
- Territory of Oregon, 1848-1859
- Territory of Deseret, 1849-1850 (extralegal)
- Territory of Nebraska, 1854-1867
- Territory of Jefferson, 1859-1861 (extralegal)
- Territory of Dakota, 1861-1889
- U.S. territories that encompassed land that was previously part of the Territory of Idaho:
- Territory of Montana, 1864-1889
- Territory of Dakota, 1861-1889
- Territory of Wyoming, 1868-1890
- U.S. states that encompass land that was once part of the Territory of Idaho:
- State of Montana, 1889
- State of Idaho, 1890
- State of Wyoming, 1890
External links