Boise-A Birds Eye View

by Pete Holly


At one time Fort Boise was the only landmark built by man that could be seen
from high up in the sky in southwestern Idaho.The second large object one could see
was the mining town known as "Idaho City".For many years the mining town dwarfed
the size of Boise-in population and in it's nuber of buildings.Many people say that more gold was mined from the Idaho City area than both the California and Yukon gold strikes combined.I don't doubt it."Idaho City's" reputationduring the gold rush years is full of tall tale's,Murders,Gun Fights,Prostitution,hard-drinking,bar brawls and a strong tension in the air betwixed the Union Soldiers who had come to seek thier fortune after The Cival War and Confederate Soldiers who had done the same.Many of the killings were a result of this left over prejudice,hatred and
bitterness.
As the mining wore down towards the year 1900 a new land mark was about to built
on the boise river.A diversion dam was built to divert water to the dry deserts to the
west where farmers could grow potato's,sugar beets,onions,apples and some even grew
grapes.This was the begining of the great Idaho-Potato connection which was to leave
a permanent impression of what people,who had never seen or been to Idaho,thought
the whole state was like.They pictured Idaho as being like Iowa.A flat land where potato
farmers carved out a living in a bland featureless land devoid of any modernity in thinking
or in living.They had no Idea that much of Idaho is made up of the Rocky Moutains and
the famous "River of No Return"-the Salmon and northern America's deepest gourge,
"Hells Canyon".It is also the richest state in rare and very valuble great Gems.The
state is practically teaming with them-it's hard to take a step on any undeveloped land-
of which Idaho has the most of any state in the union,with out stepping some rare and val-
ble gem.I better stop here because many Idahoan's would prefer Idaho to remain
relativly unspoiled and sparsely populated.Only the states Capital,Boise,Where i live
can say that just about every Chain of various store types has not just one but several
outlets here.Even Walmart has two stores here.Yet Boise is really two citys-that are very
differant from each other.Downtown,near where i live,is still fairly small for a city with a
of a Quarter of a million people calling it home.Most of the growth has happened west of
the city where now,just like in L.A.,where Boise ends and Meridian starts is for all intents
and pupose's a continous city which i call Boisidian.So i'm not letting out any more secrets.
The last vestages of old Boise are still around but they are just barely hanging on-givin a
few more decades and they too will probably also be gone.But for now at least-it's still a
much easier place to live than the Bigger City's of the west.It's cold in the winter and hotter
hell in the summer but all in all-it's a pretty nice place to call home.

Written by Pete Holly-Copyright-2010-All Rights Reserved