Idaho is a state in the western region of the United States with the abbreviation ID. Idaho became the 43rd state on July 3, 1890, making the state 133 years old, as of July, 2023. The name Idaho is sometimes believed to come from the Shoshone phrase Edah hoe, meaning light on the mountains, however, the origin of the state’s name is uncertain. Some claim it came from an American Indian word of unknown meaning, while others say that it means gem of the mountains.
Idaho is the 14th largest state and the 37th most populous. The capital of Idaho is Boise, and the state’s demonym is Idahoan. Idaho is bordered by the states of Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington and the Canadian Province of British Columbia.
The motto of the state of Idaho is Esto Perpetua, which is Latin for Let it Be Perpetual.
The official nickname of Idaho is The Gem State, which refers to the state’s abundance of natural resources and scenic areas.
Most of Idaho is located within the Rocky Mountain Range, and the state’s landscape is filled with snow capped mountains, rapids, expansive lakes, and steep canyons.
Idaho is widely known for its potatoes, but it is also known for its trout, precious stones, and its rugged landscapes. The state is the leading producer of pumice, and it also possess garnet and other gemstones, feldspar, zeolites, lime, lead, molybdenum, silver, zinc, and copper.
In March of 1867, Gutzon Borglum was born in St. Charles, Idaho Territory. Borglum began building his reputation of painting and sculpting, eventually taking on a project that was conceived by South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson. Borglum designed the project, which turned out to be a sculpture of the faces of former US presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln carved into a South Dakotan mountain known as Mount Rushmore. Borglum began the construction in 1927, and he spent the last 14 years of his life sculpting Mount Rushmore; the project was considered complete only months after Borglum’s untimely death, leaving Rushmore virtually unchanged from the condition in which Borglum left it.
In 1927, in the small town of Rigby, Idaho, 21 year old Philo Farnsworth had successfully invented the first, fully electric television. Farnsworth had been working on this invention since about the age of 14. The city of Rigby proudly claims to be the birthplace of the television on its welcome sign to this day.
In July, 1877, the Battle of the Clearwater occurred in what is now Idaho County, Idaho. The battle was fought between the United States Army and the Nez Perce; the battle resulted in a victory for the United States, the Nez Perce were also successfully withdrawn.
One interesting fact about Idaho is that it contains the only county in the United States that was formed by an act of Congress: Latah County. The county was formed by Congress in 1888 to appease the citizens of the county after citizens in northern Idaho had threatened to separate from the rest of Idaho and join Washington.
One strange fact about Idaho is that it has one of the world’s most unique small towns, American Falls, which was completely relocated twice. The first permanent settlement of American Falls was established in 1800 on the west bank of the Snake River, but in 1888, the town was moved to the east bank of the Snake River, which is considered the original townsite. In 1925, the town moved again, but this time to make space for the American Falls Dam and to prevent the town from being flooded; 344 residents, 46 businesses, 6 grain elevators, 5 churches, 3 hotels, 1 flour mill, and 1 school were all moved to the new location, which is where the town is now located. The original townsite is now under the American Falls Reservoir.
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Source: Origins of State Names
Source: Demonyms for US States
Source: Invention of the Television
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