History of Elmore County
For thousands of years before the appearance of the first white explorers this majestic land belonged to the American Indians. The Shoshoni and Bannock Indians traveled the ancient Indian road across Elmore County that was one of the main routes in the west, connecting the Salmon Culture of the Columbia with the Buffalo hunting grounds of the plains. Many families lived year-round on the banks of the Snake River, fishing there for huge Chinook salmon. The abundant camas bulbs of Little Camas Prairie were and are a favorite Native American food; the blue flower dietary staple was even the cause of an Indian War when pioneers turned their hogs into the camas fields and destroyed the harvest. The Boise River tributaries were a favorite secret summer hide-away for tribal groups. They stayed in these mountains valleys, avoiding the heat of the Snake River plains, teaching their children to hunt, gathering roots and berries and soaking in the hot springs along the riverbanks. Indian culture was based upon the procurement of food and changed little from generation to generation as they followed their food supply in Elmore County. In several places are hunting blinds and jumps where hunters drove animals over rim rocks to procure many animals at one time. The arrival of the first explorers did not lead to confrontation at first, indeed the peoples were very tolerant of each other, but as with most things greed and gold became a means for bitter disputes.
In 1803 United States President Thomas Jefferson, with his genius vision for America, negotiated with the French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte to buy Louisiana Territory, paying about three-fifths cents an acre for the vast expanse of land. In 1804 President Jefferson dispatched the Corps of Discovery up the Missouri to investigate the Louisiana lands and peoples. This expedition under Captain’s Meriwether Lewis and William Clark ‘proceeded on’ to bring the government of the United States to the new territory. At the same time the President gave Captain Lewis, who had been his aide, secret orders to find a route to the Pacific Ocean, crossing the Oregon Country that was nominally a territory of and generally governed by Great Britain.
The Oregon Country consisted of the present states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The President understood the sweep of history and how important it would be for the new little country of just thirteen colonies along the Atlantic to have an outlet on the Pacific. The Shoshoni tribe, the same natives that used the trail across Elmore County and spent their summers along the Boise Rivers provided the horses that made the continuation of the expedition possible. The famous Indian girl Sacagawea who traveled with the Corps of Discovery was born in Idaho and possibly as a young girl had traveled the Indian Road and summered with her family here.
The first explorers to reach Southern Idaho was the Wilson Price Hunt party who came overland from St. Louis, arriving in Southern Idaho in the fall of 1811. They tried to navigate the treacherous Snake River, (then known as Lewis’s Fork of the Columbia) in canoes. Disaster happened to them at Caldron Linn where a canoe and the expert Canadian steersman, Antoine Clappine was drown when his canoe was wrecked in the “Devils Scuttle Hole.” Hunt proceeded on foot toward the Columbia crossing Elmore County on what later was the general route of the Oregon Trail in mid-November. Another part of the expedition under Donald, ‘Perpetual Motion’ McKenzie who became a famous trapper, (This man was a giant of over 300 pound a crack shot with a rifle, respected and admired by both Indians and other trappers.) In 1818 to 1821, leading his own expedition, he made the first contact with the tribes in the Boise Valley and named many rivers including the Boise and Malade, both of which headwater in Elmore County. Although he was known as a ‘North Wester’ because of his association with the North West Fur Company during his famous expedition into the ‘Snake Country’ as Southern Idaho was then called. Soon, other trappers in search of beaver followed and by the late 1840’s the beaver population was almost trapped out.
The relationship between the Indians and the white men during the fur-trapping era was generally peaceful. The trappers lived in a lifestyle similar to that of the Indian, and white exploration and trade did not seriously disrupt Indian social or cultural institutions. The conflict between cultures arose during the next era, when wave after wave of emigrants arrived and settled the west.
Between 1840 and 1862, more than 250,000 emigrants traveled through Elmore County on their way “west”. They traveled the historic Oregon Trail, a grueling 2000-mile trail that was referred to as the “longest cemetery in the nation”. One of the more hazardous parts of the journey involved crossing the Snake River at Three Island Crossing near Glenns Ferry. The crossing was often risky and many animals, supplies, and wagons were lost. Three Island Crossing is now Three Island State Park with its Oregon Trail Interpretative and Education Center that exhibits many parts of the pioneers life and travels; it has become one of the most popular camping destinations in Idaho.
During this early westward period the majority of emigrants passed through Idaho on their way to California or Oregon. Only a handful of pioneers settled in Idaho and they mostly were merchants who supplied the needs of the wagon trains. But in the early 1860’s the discovery of gold in Idaho resulted in a population boom. For the first time in our nation’s history a reverse migration eastward occurred. The California miners returned to Idaho and Alturas County, later to become Elmore County. Alturas is a Spanish name that means “mountain summit or heavens” and was one of the original counties in Idaho. Established on February 4, 1864, Alturas encompassed a huge area in southern Idaho, extending from the north fork of the Boise River, south to the Snake River, and from American Falls west to Indian Creek.
In the beginning years, the county’s population was concentrated in what was known as the South Boise Mines, including Rocky Bar, Atlanta Esmerelda and Junction Bar. These early mining communities reflected the disruption of the Civil War then raging in the East, making a mixture of people from all walks of life. Some were petty thieves, shysters, and restless unfortunates who rushed from strike to strike with visions of wealth bright in their eyes. Some were miners from the earlier gold rush to Elmore Mining District in Alabama who went to California as ‘49ers and then came to Idaho Territory, bringing their southern names with them. Their influence is evident in the names of a town, Atlanta and gold mines the Jeff Davis, and Southern Confederacy. Also participating in the early mining camps were the Chinese. A census in 1870 showed that a large portion of miners were Oriental. The Chinese miners were often willing to work for less, almost slave wages, and had the reputation for being very industrious and clannish miners keeping to themselves and living a frugal and healthy lifestyle.
When mining activities in the camps began to show results the character of the mining camps changed. On the heels of the prospectors came permanent settlers. The camps had attracted not only faro dealers, bawdy houses, and dance hall girls but also merchants, lawyers, and editors, men and women who were willing to endure the rugged life for the high prices that their services could demand. The largest camps are now only ghost towns, with only memories remaining.
By 1896 the district had produced 100,000 ounces of gold. But gold, silver, and other precious metals were not the only things to come out of the Alturas mining camps. A wealth of western stories involving shootings, hangings, and other assorted skullduggery were produced during the heyday of the camps. The stories and characters were always full of grit, courage, warmth, and perseverance.
Early farmers and ranchers arrived upon the heels of the miners. Small ranches and farms began to spring up around the way stations. The families settled on land near transportation routes and water. Settlement was encouraged by the offer of up to 320 acres to each individual who could make the required land improvements and locate water. This process was called “proving up the land”. The ranchers and farmers continually expanded operations to supply agricultural products to the booming mining communities.
Many farm and ranch families came to Elmore County because of land schemes promoted by the railroad and land developers. Promotional campaigns referred to Idaho as the “Switzerland of the west”, and Mountain Home as the garden spot of southern Idaho. Settlers were promised successful crops, plentiful water, and a healthful climate. The claims, although exaggerated, contained some truth. The land was rich, producing 3 to 5 times as many bushels per acre as land in Illinois, Virginia, or Tennessee. The land was also capable of producing a variety of crops, and prosperous farmers invested in cherries, plums, apples, grain, cattle, horses, and sheep.
Cattle, horse, and sheep raising became important industries in Elmore County. By 1888 the county had 35,000 cows, 60,000 sheep, and 8,000 horses. Wool and mutton production rivaled the cattle and horse industry. Sheep adapted well to the desert and high mountain ranges, although according to cattlemen they ruined the ranges for grazing cattle. Conflict resulted between the Glenns Ferry cattlemen and the Mountain Home sheepherders. The disagreements persisted until sheep production became more profitable than cattle. From the 1890’s until after 1918 Mountain Home was one of the Horse Capitals of the world and Kitty Wilkins was known everywhere as the “Horse Queen of Idaho.”
Young Basque men from the Pyrenees Mountains, between France and Spain, provided the labor for the sheep industry. In their native land they had been fishermen, craftsmen, and farmers, but in America, they turned their hands to sheep herding and shearing. These Basque emigrants had a significant cultural impact on Elmore County.
As the communities of Mountain Home and Glenns Ferry grew, Rocky Bar and Atlanta declined the Alturas County seat was changed to Hailey as it was reached by the railroad in 1882. Almost immediately residents began to push for a new county and the creation of Elmore County was hotly debated. Finally, as its last act, the last Territorial Legislature created Elmore County on February 7, 1889. The county seat was first returned to Rocky Bar but soon changed to Mountain Home.
The period from 1890 to 1913 was known as the growth years for the county. The completion of the Oregon Short Line (OSL) railroad in 1883 allowed for the shipment of mining and agricultural products to world markets. The outbreak of WWI intensified demand for these products; especially wool that was used to manufacture military uniforms. The end of the war also was the end of the agricultural boom. The slump that began in the 20’s intensified during the Great Depression. Many small farmers and ranchers lost their land. Economic conditions did not improve significantly in the county until 1941 when construction was begun on Anderson Ranch Dam, then the highest earth-filled dam in the world and then with the outbreak of WWII crop prices improved and construction of Mountain Home Air Force Base began.
The post-war era heralded permanent changes in the character of the county. The mining industry had collapsed, cattle replaced sheep, and farming exploded with the introduction of high lift pumping and new technologies. The Air Base remained after the war, although it de-activated for brief periods between 1945 and 1964. The base had a tremendous impact on the community. First, it became the largest employer in the county. Second, the influx of military personnel and their families resulted in a rapid growth of population. Thirdly, business sectors grew to meet the needs of the air base and its military family. And, finally a diverse military population provided the community with a wealth of cultural diversities unique in the state of Idaho.
Early settlers were attracted to Elmore County because of the promise of unlimited opportunities. These opportunities still exist today. And the future promises to be as exciting, turbulent, and unpredictable as the past.