Abstract
Throughout its history, Idaho has been a significant crossroads in the development of the American West. To pioneers on the Oregon Trail, the region was a desolate and dangerous place, to be passed through as quickly as possible. What was once a forbidding land is now cherished by outdoor sports and nature enthusiasts for its beautiful mountains and plains, deserts and forests. One of the fastest-growing states in the nation, Idaho has become a destination for entrepreneurs, a center for the new high-tech economy, and a spectacular place in which to live. Idaho: The Heroic Journey is a tale of remarkable changes and enduring values. In this concise, lively survey, three leading professors of Idaho history tell the remarkable story of the struggles and triumphs of Idaho s pioneers, past and present. Thousands of years ago, native cultures thrived here, creating a bond with the land that remains strong to this day. Settlers of the 1800s dug for gold in the mountains and planted commercial crops in the valleys and on the prairies. Large-scale federal projects of the 20th century, from irrigated farms to nuclear research, provided opportunities to thousands more newcomers. Deeply divided by landscape north to south, Idahoans struggled to maintain a unified state that could offer great promise to a diverse range of cultures and interests. Idaho, a state parceled from many, as author and native son Vardis Fisher observed, is a place of opportunity for all those who dare to dream.