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IDAHO - USA
Idaho is a state located in the northwestern United States. Its capital is
Boise and the U.S. postal abbreviation is ID.
The USS Idaho was named in honor of this state.
Name
Idaho is perhaps the only state to be named as the result of a hoax. When a
name was being selected for new territory, eccentric lobbyist George M.
Willing suggested "Idaho," an Indian term he claimed meant "gem of the
mountains." It was later revealed Willing had made up the name himself, and
the original Idaho territory was re-named Colorado because of it. Eventually
the controversy was forgotten, and modern-day Idaho was given the made-up
name when the Idaho Territory was formally created in 1863.
History
The Lewis and Clark expedition entered present-day Idaho on August 12, 1805,
at the Lemhi Pass. At that time, approximately 8,000 Native Americans lived
in the region.
Idaho was subsequently part of Oregon Territory and later Washington
Territory, fur trading and missionary work attracting the first settlers to
the region. While thousands passed through Idaho during the California gold
rush of 1849, few people settled there. The first organized town in Idaho
was Franklin, settled in 1860 by Mormon pioneers. When organized as a
territory in 1863, Idaho's total population was under 17,000.
On March 4, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act creating Idaho
Territory. The political stability of the territorial period encouraged
settlement. Almost immediately, a public school system was created, stage
coach lines were established and a newspaper, the Idaho Statesman, began
publication. In 1865, Boise replaced Lewiston as capital. The 1861 discovery
of gold in Idaho and the completion of the transcontinental railway in 1869
brought many new people to the territory, including Chinese laborers who
came to work the mines. When President Benjamin Harrison signed the law
admitting Idaho as a U.S. state on July 3, 1890, the population was 88,548.
An interesting fact is that Idaho almost never became a state - in 1887,
President Grover Cleveland refused to sign a bill that would have combined
southern Idaho with Nevada and northern Idaho with the Washington Territory.
Sectionalism in early Idaho was abated by moving the University of Idaho
from its planned location in Eagle Rock (near Idaho Falls) to Moscow in
northern Idaho. Idaho still operates under its original (1889) state
constitution.
As Idaho approached statehood, mining and other extractive industries became
increasingly important to her economy. By the 1890s, for example, Idaho
exported more lead than any other state. Although Idaho's dependence on
mining has decreased, the state remains a top producer of silver and lead.
Today, Idaho's industrial economy is growing, as plants are built to process
the state's rich agricultural and natural resources. Since in the late 1970s
Boise has emerged as a center of semiconductor manufacturing.[1 (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar04.html)]
A troubling recent development in Idaho has been the location therein of
many right-wing extremist political groups, most notably those holding
Neo-Nazi views, such as the Aryan Nation. These groups are most heavily
concentrated in the northern part of the state, particularly in the vicinity
of Coeur d'Alene. Their existence has become so proverbial in American
popular culture that an unfortunate joke asks what Idaho is most famous for,
and the answer is: "Potatoes and Nazis."
Law and government
The current constitution of Idaho provides for 3 branches of government, the
executive, legislative and judicial branches. The legislative body consists
of the Senate and the House.
The Governor of Idaho is Dirk Kempthorne (Republican) and the U.S. Senators
are Larry E. Craig (Republican) and Mike Crapo (Republican).
Geography
Idaho borders Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and the
Canadian province of British Columbia (the Idaho-BC border which is 48 miles
long). Idaho has a rugged landscape with some of the largest unspoiled
natural areas in the country. Idaho is a Rocky Mountains state with exciting
scenery and enormous natural resources. Idaho has towering, snow-capped
mountain ranges, swirling white rapids, peaceful lakes and steep canyons.
The churning waters of Snake River rush through Hells Canyon, which is
deeper than the Grand Canyon. Shoshone Falls plunges down rugged cliffs from
a height greater than that of Niagara Falls.
The major rivers in Idaho are the Snake River, the Clearwater River and the
Salmon River. Other significant rivers include the Boise River and the
Payette River.
Idaho's highest point is Borah Peak in the Lost River Mountains north of
Mackay. Idaho's lowest point is in Lewiston, where the Clearwater River
joins the Snake River and continues into Washington.
Lakes
Coeur d'Alene
Payette Lake (McCall)
Pend Oreille
Sawtooth National Recreational Area
Redfish Lake
Alturas Lake
Petit Lake
Sawtooth Lake
Parks
Balanced Rock
City of Rocks
Craters of the Moon National Monument
Farragut State Park
Harriman State Park
Hells Canyon
Massacre Rocks
Yellowstone National Park
Economy
The state's gross product for 1999 was $34 billion placing it 44th among the
states. The Per Capita Income for 2000 was $24,180.
Idaho is an important agricultural state, producing nearly one third of the
potatoes grown in the United States. Other important agricultral products
are beans,lentils, sugar beets, cattle, dairy products, wheat, and barley.
Important industries in Idaho are food processing, lumber and wood products,
machinery, chemical products, paper products, electronics manufacturing,
silver and other mining, and tourism. The Idaho National Engineering and
Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), a government lab for nuclear energy
research, is also an important part of the eastern Idaho economy.
Demographics
The 2000 population was 1,293,953.
Education
Colleges and universities
Albertson College of Idaho
Boise State University
Brigham Young University-Idaho
Idaho State University
Lewis-Clark State College
Northwest Nazarene College
University of Idaho
Professional sports teams
The Minor League baseball teams are:
Boise Hawks
Idaho Falls Chukars
Other minor league sports teams:
Idaho Stampede
Idaho Steelheads
Miscellaneous information
Major highways
Interstate 15
Interstate 84
Interstate 86
Interstate 90
Interstate 184
U.S. Highway 2
U.S. Highway 20
U.S. Highway 26
U.S. Highway 95
U.S. Highway 93
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