- Fast Facts -
Originally a part of the Washington Territory, Idaho became a territory on March 3, 1863, and was admitted into the Union as the 43rd state on July 3, 1890. As a territory Idaho included all of present day Montana and most of Wyoming. As a state it still has an area larger than all of New England. The Frank Church - River of No Return Wilderness Area, by itself, contains 2.3 million acres and is the largest protected wilderness in the continental United States. You can view the progression of the territories here, courtesy of the USGenWeb Census Project®.
Among the beautiful vistas found in Idaho is Shoshone Falls, on the Snake River,
which plunges 212 feet (45 feet higher than Niagara Falls).
Idaho is one of the Rocky Mountain states. It includes the Bitterroot Range, Lost River Range, Clearwater Mountains, Salmon River Mountains, White Cloud Mountains, and the most famous mountain range, the Sawtooth Range.
Although popularly known as the "Potato State" its actual nickname is the "Gem State" because virtually every known type of gemstone has been found there.
Idaho is divided into 44 counties. The first permanent incorporated community was Lewiston, in 1861. The state capital, and largest city, is Boise which was founded in 1863 and incorporated the following year. Alturas County, one of the original counties form in 1864, was abolished in 1895. Alturas records are held in Blaine County.
We are working on providing you with McConnell's 1913 "Early History of Idaho".
The genealogical records held here are for use by the general public. These records have been submitted to the USGenNet Data Repository by volunteers and researchers just like you for permanent on-line free-access.
