Why is idaho named idaho

William Tecumseh Sherman ordered a fort named after them to be built on the lake. Sherman, but the name stuck to the city and the lake. It became Declo by joining the names of two prominent local families: Dethles and Cloughly. Dubois: Fred T. Dubois was among the settlers who came to the area in the s. He was a prominent figure in the Idaho territorial government, and later served two terms in the U.

Senate, where he was known for some pretty radical views. The town had been known as Dry Creek, but a local politician decided to rename it after Dubois. Eden : This area was, in fact, named after the Biblical Garden of Eden, because of the picturesque valley surrounding the town.

Felt : Apparently, John Felt and his brother name unknown came to the area in and claimed land near Badger Creek. The town site itself was dedicated many years later, in Also, there used to be a town very close to Filer called Eldridge, but Filer absorbed it in Firth : Named for Lorenzo J. Firth, an English immigrant who helped with the decision to place a railroad station in the town in He then gave some of his land to the railroad, who named the station in his honor.

Cannon, who visited the colony with him. Hamer : Named for Colonel Thomas R. Hamer, who moved to Idaho in and served as a state legislator and member of Congress. Hazelton : This town was named after Hazel Barlow, the daughter of Joe Barlow, who founded the town in Howe : Another example of that powerful Postal Department.

It became Eagle Rock after a boulder in the Snake River where bald eagles nested and remained that for many years until the growing town fell on hard times with the departure of railroad shops in the s. Irwin : This town was allegedly named for Joseph B. Irwin, who settled the area in and prospected successfully on the Snake River. Island Park : According to our research, local stagecoach drivers in the late 19th century used natural clearings in the timber as rest areas for horses and passengers.

In , William Budge, an early homesteader, renamed it Lanark after his birthplace in Scotland. Lyman : Theodore K. Lyman was the first settler there in The area was previously known as Lyon Creek. Mackay : In , an Irish immigrant named John Mackay, who had become a millionaire from the Comstock Lode mining in Nevada, bought the White Knob copper mine in the Lost River Valley and built a smelter and platted a town site just below it.

Marsing : Earl and Mark Marsing settled the area in , bought land, and platted a town site there. They called the town Butte because of Lizard Butte nearby, but the Postal Department rejected that name because there were too many Buttes already. The town suggested Marsing, which stuck, but to add confusion, different people continued to refer to the town as Butte, Erb the name of the railroad station , and Claytonia.

Milo : First, there was a small settlement named Leorin, as well as a Leorin School. Moore : This town, which started out as a livestock area in the s, was named for the first postmaster and the owner of the town site. Idaho is a mountainous state with an area larger than that of all of New England. The network of dams and locks on the Columbia River and Snake River make the city of Lewiston the farthest inland seaport on the Pacific coast of the contiguous United States.

The exact origin of the name remains a mystery. According to local knowledge, the name Idaho originated from the Nez Perce language and stands for "the Land of many Waters", a kidney-shaped drainage area in north central Idaho in which a multitude of rivers come together.

The famed steamboat was probably named 'Idaho' because it voyaged along the Columbia river to "the Land of many Waters". Next Up:. Available On Air Stations. All Streams. Idaho News. Wanna Know Idaho.

Like seriously, we can't make this podcast without you. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email. Oregon Historical Society. Idaho: a lot of us live here, but how many of us know the origin of the word itself? James Dawson.