Boise History FAQs

When white fur traders entered the valley, they were drawn to the tree-lined river that flows through the high desert. These trees inspired the name of this river, but the name changed depending on what language the traders spoke. Native English-speakers called it the “Wood” or “Wooded” River, but French fur trappers referred to the “Boise” River.

“Boise” became the more widely used name among white settlers and traders, especially after the Hudson’s Bay Company established their trading post, Fort Boise, in 1834. This landmark appeared on many maps of the region and became an important supply destination for travelers on the Oregon Trail.

In 1863, a group of prominent landowners and businessmen gathered to officially create the city. They chose the name “Boise City,” which remains the formal name, but the term “city” is often dropped, leading to the common usage of just “Boise” or “City of Boise.”

In November 1811, the first Euro-American explorers arrived in the Boise area. Led by Donald Mackenzie, the group was just one of many fur trapping expeditions that eventually passed through the Boise Valley. Fur trappers hunted beaver and traded with Native Americans as part of an extensive network. The British Hudson's Bay Company established the original Fort Boise, located near current-day Parma at the confluence of the Boise and Snake rivers, as a trading post in 1834.

Beginning in the early 1840s, hundreds of thousands of people journeyed west via the Oregon Trail, and while travelers passed through the Boise Valley, many stopped at the original Fort Boise to rest and purchase supplies. In 1853, flooding destroyed the walls of the fort. In addition to flood damage, growing unrest and increased violence between travelers and Native Americans created unease that led to the fort's abandonment in 1855.

Following the discovery of gold in the Boise Basin in 1862, people flooded into the area. Rapid population growth led the federal government to form Idaho Territory on March 4, 1863. They also built a military fort, also called Fort Boise, at the intersection of the Oregon Trail and freight roads that led into the mountains. Today, the VA hospital and Military Reserve recreation area occupy the grounds of the second Fort Boise.

Boise City was founded on July 7, 1863, by a small group of men gathered in a cabin belonging to Thomas Davis and William Ritchie. The group drew up a plat map with individual lots of land for homes and businesses. These lots were located near modern-day Eighth Street, between Main and Grove streets. The resulting city plat included ten blocks which fronted Idaho Street to the north, Grove Street to the south, and Fifth and Tenth streets to the east and west.

When Boise City was first established in 1863, residents needed a set of rules and policies to determine how the new city would be governed. After a long public debate, in 1866 the Idaho Territorial Legislature bestowed a charter on Boise, which described and defined the organization, authority, and powers of the city government. Boise city government operated under this charter for nearly 100 years. Over time the charter was amended by the legislature, and once it was briefly repealed temporarily, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that the charter’s limitations started to create challenges for the city.

During the 1950s, the population within Boise’s city limits stalled, while the surrounding areas and suburbs grew rapidly. Under city charter rules, it was difficult for Boise to incorporate territory outside city limits, which made long-term planning, development, and zoning much more difficult. People living just outside city limits did not pay taxes to support city services they used, such as park maintenance or water treatment. Boise Mayor Robert L. Day, who served from 1959-1961, pushed to fix these issues, which ultimately led to the repeal of the charter in 1961.

After the repeal of the charter. Boise was subject to the general laws of the state of Idaho governing cities and could more easily expand city limits and establish services in the suburbs. Between 1960 and 1965, the city’s total area nearly doubled, and the official population increased from roughly 34,000 to 63,000. The resulting growth also led to the declaration of Boise as a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area in 1963.

Idaho’s second territorial legislature, which convened in Lewiston, Idaho, passed a bill to locate the capital of Idaho Territory in Boise effective December 24, 1864.

Boise was officially incorporated on January 11, 1866. Although the city was founded in 1863, it wasn’t until 1866 that the city adopted its charter, outlining the rules and powers of city government.

The City of Boise was officially founded in 1863, but it took several years for the city government to form. The Idaho Territorial Legislature voted to make Boise the territorial capitol in 1864, and took up the responsibility of creating the city charter. Boise residents rejected this charter, sparking a debate between pro-charter and anti-charter advocates that lasted for years.

The Idaho Territorial Legislature again attempted to organize Boise City government during its third legislative session, and on January 11, 1866, incorporated Boise within Ada County. The new city charter did not require voter ratification and ordered that an election be held May 7, 1866 to elect city officers.

During the May 1866 election, candidates for city office were nominated by pro-charter and anti-charter platforms. Newspaper accounts show that one of the main reasons citizens opposed the city charter was due to finances. Some people did not want the added expense of city taxes or the additional costs associated with running an administrative system. The anti-charter platform proposed to elect candidates to city government who would not officially take office which would, in turn, push the question of city government off until the next election. The anti-charter ticket triumphed. Dr. Ephraim Smith was nominated for the position of mayor on the anti-charter ticket and neither he, nor any of the elected city council members ever took office. The anti-charter ticket won the next election in 1867, and again, winning candidates refused to take office in protest of the city charter.  

The chaos finally came to an end in November 1867. Congress amended a law that permitted city governments to register their towns with the federal government. Landowners could then get legal titles to property within city limits. To avoid legal battles and entanglements, elected officials in Boise took their seats on the city council, and appointed members to replace those who still refused to take office, including a new mayor, H. E. Prickett.