The name "boise", derives from the french word boise, for "wooded". One tale tells of the French-Canadian fur trappers of the early 1800s who came over the mountains looked down upon the Boise River Valley and exclaimed "Les Bois!" (the trees!). This is also how Boise gained its nickname 'The City of Trees'.
Gold was discovered in the area in 1862, bringing a number of prospectors, and the site became a convenient supply point for the mining camps in the mountains.
After the gold boom ended, the population declined, and Boise faced an uphill battle for survival. The town was in an isolated location, far off the major lines of transportation, and the climate was too dry to support farming. A determined core of citizens set out to make the area livable by developing irrigation systems, planting crops, and mapping out a town with shady streets running along the river.
|