The Past

Lake Idaho once covered what is now the Snake River Plain, while Table Rock was the bottom of the lake. After the area dried out a bit, Native Americans would travel through this region on an annual nomadic migration. Since deer would winter in the Boise Valley and Deer Flats area, food must have been abundant. Early white explorers commented on the encapments around the base of Table Rock, presumably taking advantage of the geothermal activity found there. In the early 1800's, Captain Bonneville glimpsed a cottonwood grove along the Boise River and exclaimed, "Le Boise! Le Boise!" or "The Trees! The Trees!" and thus the moniker stuck. As Oregon Trail travelers passed through, many chose to stay and become the early white settlers of the area. In many ways the migration of folks seeking the good life continues even today.