Idaho Trivia & Tidbits - Page 9

Looking for Idaho trivia? Try our list Idaho little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

The building that housed the Bank of Montpelier, which Butch Cassidy robbed on Aug. 13, 1896, still stands in Montpelier (pop. 2,785). Although it’s now home to a printing company, the building features a Western facade and includes a sign that reads “Bank of Montpelier, Est. in 1891.”

first appeared: 6/13/2004

In the 1960s, the bark of the Pacific yew tree—which grows in northern Idaho, particularly near the South Fork of the Clearwater River—was found to contain taxol, a compound that has proven effective against ovarian and other cancers. Also known as the Western yew, the Pacific yew’s hard, durable wood was traditionally used for archery bows and canoe paddles.

first appeared: 6/6/2004

Poet Ezra Pound was born in Hailey (pop. 6,200) in 1885. Pound is best known for his epic poem The Cantos and for his modernist influence on 20th-century poetry. He helped open communication between American and British writers, and encouraged many poets and writers, including T.S. Eliot and James Joyce.

first appeared: 5/30/2004

Between 1870 and 1973, the Old Idaho Penitentiary—also known as the Idaho Territorial Prison—in Boise housed more than 13,000 convicts, 215 of whom were women. The prison began as a single-cell house, but was expanded over the years into a complex of buildings constructed by the convicts from stone that they quarried from nearby ridges.

first appeared: 5/23/2004

The Paris Tabernacle in Paris (pop. 576) was dedicated by Mormon pioneers in 1889. It took some 20 years to build the sandstone church, which can seat 1,500 people—almost three times the town’s population.

first appeared: 5/16/2004

Dog sled races have been part of the Winter Carnival in McCall (pop. 2,084) since it was founded in 1924. The first races, which celebrated the sled dogs that carried the U.S. Mail when the snow was too deep for horses, were held on a mile-long course between McCall and Payette Lake.

first appeared: 5/9/2004

Two national forests in southeast Idaho were combined in 2000 to create the 3-million-acre Caribou-Targhee National Forest, headquartered in Idaho Falls (pop. 50,730). President Theodore Roosevelt established the Caribou National Forest area, named for early gold miner Cariboo Jack, in 1903, and also preserved the Targhee National Forest five years later, in honor of a Bannock Indian warrior.

first appeared: 5/2/2004

Purchased for $5 million in 1999, Box Canyon State Park near Buhl (pop. 3,985) is one of Idaho’s newest state parks. The 350-acre canyon features North America’s 11th largest spring, which pours 180,000 gallons of water per minute into the Snake River. It’s also home to the Shoshone sculpin, a rare fish found only in Idaho.

first appeared: 4/25/2004

The formations at City of Rocks, a national reserve in southern Idaho near the Utah border, gave the appearance of a city rising out of the Great Basin desert to early travelers making their way West. The names of some pioneers were written in axle grease on the rocks and can still be read today.

first appeared: 4/18/2004

Lake Coeur d’Alene in northern Idaho is home to the largest nesting population of osprey in the western United States. The falcon-like bird nests on top of pilings at the water’s edge or high in trees, and in flight puts on spectacular diving performances. Ospreys have been known to wrestle fish as large as 4 pounds from the water.

first appeared: 4/11/2004

The Paris Tabernacle, a Romanesque-style Mormon place of worship, was completed in 1889 of red sandstone that was quarried 18 miles away and transported by wagon and sled to Paris (pop. 576), the oldest town in Bear Lake County. Fine woodwork adorns the interior of the structure, considered one of the true pioneer landmarks of the West. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

first appeared: 4/4/2004

The native tribes of Idaho, whose ancestors arrived as early as 25,000 years ago, include the Coeur d’Alene, Kalispel, Kootenai, Nez Perce, Northern Paiute, Palouse and Shoshone-Bannock.

first appeared: 3/28/2004

Drought in the state has lasted so long (several years, depending on the region) that “many south Idaho anglers may have forgotten how to fish in a year of adequate water,” according to the state’s Department of Fish and Game.

first appeared: 3/21/2004

Seven Devils’ Peaks near Hells Canyon is one of the highest mountain ranges in Idaho. From Heaven’s Gate Lookout near Riggins (pop. 410), it is possible to see into four states.

first appeared: 3/14/2004

The South Fork of the Boise River below Anderson Dam east of Boise is known for its superb fly-fishing waters.

first appeared: 3/14/2004

Since 1953, Weiser (pop. 4,571) has been home to the week-long National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest, held

first appeared: 3/7/2004

the third full week in June. Each contestant plays a waltz, a hoedown, and a tune of choice.

first appeared: 3/7/2004

The entire town of American Falls (pop. 3,757) was moved in 1925 when American Falls Dam was constructed. Parts of the original town can still be seen when water levels are low in the reservoir—but not the United Methodist Church, which was dismantled and reassembled in a new location, brick by brick.

first appeared: 2/29/2004

A grasshopper infestation in 1985 caused severe crop damage to more than 6 million acres in the state. The U.S. Department of Agriculture declared four counties to be disaster areas.

first appeared: 2/22/2004

Standard Idaho license plates (not special plates) have a letter or number/letter combination designating the county in which the vehicle is registered. For example, Ada is 1A, Adams is 2A, Elmore is E (it’s the only county beginning with E), and so forth.

first appeared: 2/22/2004

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