Idaho's nickname, the Gem State, comes from the 72 different types of precious and semiprecious stones found there. In many places, Idaho is an unpolished gem: Mountain ranges spread the length of the state overlooking hidden gems that range from wild white-water rivers to steep gorges to highland lakes. Vast areas of wilderness are still untouched by roads.

Backpackers, rock climbers and river runners will be tempted to move to Idaho rather than merely vacation there. Those seeking more leisure in their leisure travel will find lots of plush resorts, including waterside summer getaways, windsurfing lakes, downhill ski and snowboarding mountains, and cross-country ski trails.

Geography

History

The area was settled more than 12,000 years ago by Native Americans. Later tribes included the Shoshone, Nez Perce (Sahaptin), Bannock, Kootenai, Coeur d'Alene and others. They were primarily hunter-gatherers, taking advantage of the region's abundant natural resources. The Nez Perce, for instance, depended a great deal on salmon fishing, and the Kootenai, influenced by Plains traditions, hunted bison. Lewis and Clark encountered the Nez Perce along the Snake, Salmon and Clearwater rivers when they explored the area in 1805.

After Lewis and Clark, fur traders entered the area. Missionaries, gold prospectors and Mormon (Church of Latter-Day Saints) settlers followed. It's estimated that during the California Gold Rush in 1849, 20,000 people immigrated to the area, which was then part of the Louisiana Purchase.

The Idaho Territory was officially formed in 1863. By 1867, the territory's first labor union was the Owyhee Miner's League. Lead, zinc and silver rounded out the mother lode of minerals that miners found. In 1884, silver was first discovered in the Coeur d'Alene mining district, an area that later became the country's wealthiest. Idaho won its statehood in 1890, well after the arrival of the railroads and the end of Native American resistance. Idaho now produces more silver than any other state in the U.S.

Range wars and violent labor disputes in the mines kept Idaho in a state of social upheaval until the early 1900s. But the rapid growth of farming and forestry soon helped to stabilize Idaho both socially and economically. In recent years, it has experienced rapid population growth as a number of high-tech businesses have settled there, and serves as the headquarters for many corporations. Agriculture and timber remain important to the state, as do manufacturing, mining and tourism.

Snapshot

Among Idaho's main attractions are skiing, outdoor adventure (especially river rafting and fishing), spectacular mountain scenery, camping, and lakeside and mountain resorts.

Idaho is for travelers who love the great outdoors and don't want to share them with large crowds, either in chairlift lines or rafting downriver. Those who desire the pace of an exclusively urban vacation will probably want to look elsewhere.

Potpourri

Before the Shoshone Ice Cave became a tourist attraction, local bartenders used it to keep beer cold for the many miners in the area.

Idaho is home to one of the country's largest Basque populations, complete with traditional Basque hotels, social clubs, restaurants and even courts for playing pelota, a game similar to handball. Many Basque immigrated to Idaho in the 1880s and found work as shepherds.

Rock climbing and mountain biking are very popular pursuits in Idaho. Among the ultimate spots are Silent City of Rocks (silent but incredibly crowded) for rock climbing and the Lolo Trail in Clearwater National Forest for cycling.

Wild rice is harvested each fall in Heyburn State Park.

Famous Idahoans include poet Ezra Pound, television inventor Philo T. Farnsworth, Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum, Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs, baseball slugger Harmon Killebrew, baseball pitcher Walter Johnson, Olympic skier Picabo Street and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.

The Paris Tabernacle is an impressive Romanesque Mormon church built in Paris, Idaho (in the southeastern corner of the state), in the 1880s. Its exterior consists of sandstone that was quarried locally. It was designed by a son of the Mormon Church leader Brigham Young, and the interior ceilings were carved by a shipbuilder. Tours of the restored church are available by appointment only.

The Boise State University Broncos play football in the only stadium in the world with blue Astroturf.

The history of the word "Idaho" is still up for grabs. A Coeur d'Alene chief claims Idaho is a variation of the word meaning "greeting by surprise." Other historians insist Idaho comes from the Apache word for "enemy." Another story is that of a flamboyant mining lobbyist who claimed the word was an adaption of a Shoshone word meaning "gem of the mountains."

At Priest Lake is the Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars, which has trees more than 150 ft/45 m tall and 15 ft/5 m around.

Weiser, near the Oregon border, is known for its National Fiddlers' Hall of Fame and the National Old Time Fiddlers Contest (June), one of the most prestigious in the country.

Lake Pend Oreille, at 1,150 ft/357 m deep, is one of the deepest lakes in the world and has been a training site for the U.S. Navy. It currently houses the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center's Acoustic Research Detachment.