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Idaho is a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The state's capital and largest city is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans." Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state.
According to the United States Census Bureau in 2004 Idaho had an estimated population of 1,393,262. The state's postal abbreviation is ID. Idaho is nicknamed the Gem State because of its abundance of natural resources. The state motto is Esto Perpetua (Latin for "Let it be perpetual").
Idaho borders Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and the Canadian province of British Columbia (the Idaho-BC border is 48 miles long). Idaho has a rugged landscape with some of the largest unspoiled natural areas in the country. Idaho is a Rocky Mountain state with exciting scenery and enormous natural resources. Idaho has towering, snow-capped mountain ranges, swirling white rapids, peaceful lakes and steep canyons. The churning waters of Snake River rush through Hells Canyon, which is deeper than the Grand Canyon. Shoshone Falls plunges down rugged cliffs from a height greater than that of Niagara Falls.
The major rivers in Idaho are the Snake River, the Clearwater River and the Salmon River. Other significant rivers include the Boise River and the Payette River.
Idaho's highest point is Borah Peak in the Lost River Mountains north of Mackay. Idaho's lowest point is in Lewiston, where the Clearwater River joins the Snake River and continues into Washington.
Most major cities in Idaho, including Boise, Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Twin Falls, are in the Mountain Standard Time Zone. Areas north of the Salmon River, including Coeur d'Alene and Lewiston, are in the Pacific Standard Time Zone.
Idaho has a very unusual name. It is perhaps the only state to be named as the result of a hoax. When a name was being selected for new territory, eccentric lobbyist George M. Willing suggested "Idaho," which he claimed was a Native American term meaning "gem of the mountains". It was later revealed Willing had made up the name himself, and the original Idaho territory was re-named Colorado because of it. Eventually the controversy was forgotten, and modern-day Idaho was given the made-up name when the Idaho Territory was formally created in 1863.
Places of Interest:
The City of Rocks or, more formally, the Silent City of Rocks is a U.S. National Reserve and state park just two miles north of the Utah border in south central Idaho. It is widely known for its excellent sport climbing.
The rock formations in the area are granitic batholith. Some of the rock is over 2.5 billion years old. The Twin Sisters is a prominent rock grouping in the reserve.
The City of Rocks is a popular rock climbing area, with most routes being sport climbs. In the 1980's, it was home to some of the most difficult routes in the USA, mostly developed by Idaho climber Tony Yaniro. The sport climbers in the region refer to the area as simply 'The City'.
The California Trail passed through what is now the City of Rocks. Wagons trains of the 1840s and 1850s left the Raft River valley and travelled through the area and over Granite Pass into Nevada. The names or initials of emigrants written in axle grease are still visible on Register Rock. Ruts from wagon wheels also can be seen in some of the rocks.
The California Trail was a major overland emigrant route across the American West from Missouri to California in the middle 19th century. It was used by 250,000 farmers and gold-seekers to reach the California gold fields and farm homesteads in California from the late 1840s until the introduction of the railroads in the late 1860s. The original route had many branches and encompassed over 5,000 miles (8000 km) of trails. Over 1,000 miles (1600 km) of the rutted traces of the trail remain througout the Great Basin as historical evidence of the great mass migration westward. Portions of the trail are now preserved by the National Park Service as the California National Historical Trail.
Bear Lake State Park is a state park of Idaho in the United States. It is located in southeastern Idaho, along the shore of Bear Lake, in southern Bear Lake County near the border with Utah and Wyoming.
The park consists of two separate units along the shore of Bear Lake. The north unit, along the north shore of the lake, is for day use only. The east unit, along the eastern shore of the lake, provides day use and overnight camping with electrical hook-ups. Each unit provides a beach over 1 mi (1.6 km) in length. The beach access in both units are popular destinations for summer water recreation on the lake. The gradual slope of the lake bottom provides a large swimming area. The park also provides winter access to the lake for the popular runs of Bonneville cisco. The Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located alongside the lake near the north unit. The park office is located in nearby Montpelier, approximately 20 mi (32 km) north.
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a national monument and national preserve located in the Snake River Plain in central Idaho near Arco, Idaho. The features in this protected area are volcanic and represent one of the best preserved flood basalt areas in the continental United States.
The Monument was established on May 2, 1924. In November 2000, a Presidential proclamation greatly expanded the Monument area. The National Park Service portions of the expanded Monument were designated as a national preserve in August 2002. The area is managed cooperatively by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
The Monument and Preserve encompass three major lava fields and about 400 mi˛ (1,000 km˛) of sagebrush steppe grasslands to cover a total area of 1117 mi˛ (2,892 km˛). All three lava fields lie along the Great Rift of Idaho, with some of the best examples of open rift cracks in the world, including the deepest known on Earth) at 800 feet (240 m). There are excellent examples of almost every variety of basaltic lava as well as tree molds (cavities left by lava-incinerated trees), lava tubes (a type of cave), and many other volcanic features.
Sorry, no tips were foundAccording to the United States Census Bureau in 2004 Idaho had an estimated population of 1,393,262. The state's postal abbreviation is ID. Idaho is nicknamed the Gem State because of its abundance of natural resources. The state motto is Esto Perpetua (Latin for "Let it be perpetual").
Idaho borders Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and the Canadian province of British Columbia (the Idaho-BC border is 48 miles long). Idaho has a rugged landscape with some of the largest unspoiled natural areas in the country. Idaho is a Rocky Mountain state with exciting scenery and enormous natural resources. Idaho has towering, snow-capped mountain ranges, swirling white rapids, peaceful lakes and steep canyons. The churning waters of Snake River rush through Hells Canyon, which is deeper than the Grand Canyon. Shoshone Falls plunges down rugged cliffs from a height greater than that of Niagara Falls.
The major rivers in Idaho are the Snake River, the Clearwater River and the Salmon River. Other significant rivers include the Boise River and the Payette River.
Idaho's highest point is Borah Peak in the Lost River Mountains north of Mackay. Idaho's lowest point is in Lewiston, where the Clearwater River joins the Snake River and continues into Washington.
Most major cities in Idaho, including Boise, Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Twin Falls, are in the Mountain Standard Time Zone. Areas north of the Salmon River, including Coeur d'Alene and Lewiston, are in the Pacific Standard Time Zone.
Idaho has a very unusual name. It is perhaps the only state to be named as the result of a hoax. When a name was being selected for new territory, eccentric lobbyist George M. Willing suggested "Idaho," which he claimed was a Native American term meaning "gem of the mountains". It was later revealed Willing had made up the name himself, and the original Idaho territory was re-named Colorado because of it. Eventually the controversy was forgotten, and modern-day Idaho was given the made-up name when the Idaho Territory was formally created in 1863.
Places of Interest:
The City of Rocks or, more formally, the Silent City of Rocks is a U.S. National Reserve and state park just two miles north of the Utah border in south central Idaho. It is widely known for its excellent sport climbing.
The rock formations in the area are granitic batholith. Some of the rock is over 2.5 billion years old. The Twin Sisters is a prominent rock grouping in the reserve.
The City of Rocks is a popular rock climbing area, with most routes being sport climbs. In the 1980's, it was home to some of the most difficult routes in the USA, mostly developed by Idaho climber Tony Yaniro. The sport climbers in the region refer to the area as simply 'The City'.
The California Trail passed through what is now the City of Rocks. Wagons trains of the 1840s and 1850s left the Raft River valley and travelled through the area and over Granite Pass into Nevada. The names or initials of emigrants written in axle grease are still visible on Register Rock. Ruts from wagon wheels also can be seen in some of the rocks.
The California Trail was a major overland emigrant route across the American West from Missouri to California in the middle 19th century. It was used by 250,000 farmers and gold-seekers to reach the California gold fields and farm homesteads in California from the late 1840s until the introduction of the railroads in the late 1860s. The original route had many branches and encompassed over 5,000 miles (8000 km) of trails. Over 1,000 miles (1600 km) of the rutted traces of the trail remain througout the Great Basin as historical evidence of the great mass migration westward. Portions of the trail are now preserved by the National Park Service as the California National Historical Trail.
Bear Lake State Park is a state park of Idaho in the United States. It is located in southeastern Idaho, along the shore of Bear Lake, in southern Bear Lake County near the border with Utah and Wyoming.
The park consists of two separate units along the shore of Bear Lake. The north unit, along the north shore of the lake, is for day use only. The east unit, along the eastern shore of the lake, provides day use and overnight camping with electrical hook-ups. Each unit provides a beach over 1 mi (1.6 km) in length. The beach access in both units are popular destinations for summer water recreation on the lake. The gradual slope of the lake bottom provides a large swimming area. The park also provides winter access to the lake for the popular runs of Bonneville cisco. The Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located alongside the lake near the north unit. The park office is located in nearby Montpelier, approximately 20 mi (32 km) north.
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a national monument and national preserve located in the Snake River Plain in central Idaho near Arco, Idaho. The features in this protected area are volcanic and represent one of the best preserved flood basalt areas in the continental United States.
The Monument was established on May 2, 1924. In November 2000, a Presidential proclamation greatly expanded the Monument area. The National Park Service portions of the expanded Monument were designated as a national preserve in August 2002. The area is managed cooperatively by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
The Monument and Preserve encompass three major lava fields and about 400 mi˛ (1,000 km˛) of sagebrush steppe grasslands to cover a total area of 1117 mi˛ (2,892 km˛). All three lava fields lie along the Great Rift of Idaho, with some of the best examples of open rift cracks in the world, including the deepest known on Earth) at 800 feet (240 m). There are excellent examples of almost every variety of basaltic lava as well as tree molds (cavities left by lava-incinerated trees), lava tubes (a type of cave), and many other volcanic features.
Last edited by Anna (6:41, 08 August 2006)
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