IMAGINE TRAVELING THROUGH A FOREST.

HOW WOULD YOU LIVE?

LEWIS AND CLARK FACED THAT CHALLENGE.

THEY OPENED UP IDAHO FOR THE REST OF US.

COME, LEARN MORE ABOUT IDAHO'S EARLY EXPLORATION.

LEWIS AND CLARK CAME TO LEMHI PASS IN AUGUST OF 1805.

THEY WERE SEARCHING FOR A WAY TO CROSS IDAHO.

I'M PHYLLIS EDMUNDSON.

LEWIS AND CLARK FOUND A LAND RICH IN NATURAL RESOURCES.

BUT THEN, IDAHO WAS JUST A PLACE TO TRAVEL THROUGH.

PRESIDENT JEFFERSON SENT LEWIS AND CLARK OUT WEST TO STRENGTHEN HIS CLAIM ON THE OREGON TERRITORY.

CLARK'S SLAVE, YORK, AND A SHOSHONI WOMAN, SACAJAWEA ALSO WENT ON THE TRIP.

LEWIS AND CLARK'S TRAVEL OPENED THE WAY TO THE WEST.

OTHERS SOON FOLLOWED.

WHY WOULD OTHERS WANT TO GO WEST?

THERE WAS ONE THING THEY WERE INTERESTED IN FINDING.

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT THAT WAS?

HOW ABOUT THE BEAVER?

BEAU BRUMMEL IN LONDON, ENGLAND, WORE BEAVER HATS.

TRAPPERS CAME TO FIND THE BEAVERS.

HOWARD DUTTON KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED.

Howard Dutton: THE BEAVERS WERE ALMOST COMPLETELY TRAPPED OUT.

THE INDIAN, WHITE MAN AND ENGLISH WERE LOOKING FOR THEM.

THE ENGLISH WOULD TAKE ALL THE BEAVER THEY COULD FIND.

Phyllis: THE BRITISH BUILT A NUMBER OF TRADING FORTS IN IDAHO... KULLYSPELL AND FORT BOISE.

AMERICANS BUILT FORT HALL TO COMPETE.

THERE, TRAPPERS WOULD TRADE THEIR GOODS.

SOMETIMES SUPPLIERS WOULD BRING GOODS TO THE TRAPPERS.

THESE GATHERINGS WERE CALLED RENDEZVOUS.

Howard Dutton: THE GOODS CAME FROM ST.

LOUIS.

TRAPPERS NEEDED THE GOODS IN ORDER TO LIVE.

THEY LIKED A GOOD SHIRT.

RENDEZVOUS WAS LIKE GOING TO THE STORE NOWADAYS.

YOU COULD BUY A RIFLE OR TRAPS.

RENDEZVOUS HAPPENED ONLY ONCE A YEAR.

TRAPPERS HAD TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR EQUIPMENT.

Phyllis: IMAGINE ONLY GOING TO THE STORE ONCE A YEAR.

A RENDEZVOUS WAS THE ONLY CHANCE FOR THE TRAPPERS TO GET TOGETHER.

BY 1830, 600 TRAPPERS LIVED IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

MANY TRAPPED FOR A FEW YEARS.

MANY MORE DIED IN THE WILDERNESS.

Howard Dutton: EACH MAN SET THEIR TRAPS IN THE MORNING AND CHECKED THEM AT NIGHT.

THEY HAD TO GET THE HIDES READY.

THEY WERE NO GOOD IF YOU DIDN'T TAKE CARE OF THEM.

SOME WINTER DAYS THEY WOULD RELAX.

THIS WAS THE TIME FOR STORYTELLING.

Phyllis: TO THESE MEN, IDAHO WAS NOT HOME.

NATIVE AMERICANS DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE WAYS OF THE WHITES.

THE TRAPPERS WOULD TAKE THINGS, LIKE BEAVER, AND THEN LEAVE.

BUT SOON MORE WHITE PEOPLE CAME AND STAYED.

THEY STARTED PLOWING UP THE FIELDS AND TEARING UP THE RIVER BANKS.

NATIVE AMERICANS FOUND THAT THEIR FOOD SUPPLY WAS IN DANGER.

AND YET, THE WHITES KEPT COMING.

IN 1846, GREAT BRITAIN GAVE THE OREGON TERRITORY TO THE UNITED STATES.

MORE PEOPLE BEGAN MOVING TO IDAHO.

PEOPLE WERE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO MAKE MONEY OTHER THAN TRAPPING BEAVER.

A NEW ERA BEGAN... THE GOLD RUSH.

MINING TOWNS WERE BUILT UP OVERNIGHT.

WHEN THE GOLD WAS GONE, THE TOWNS WOULD DIE.

SOME MINERS CAME TO IDAHO TO MAKE THEIR FORTUNE AND THEN LEAVE.

BUT WHEN GOLD WAS FIRST DISCOVERED, IDAHO WAS A VERY EXCITING PLACE TO BE.

NATIVE AMERICANS KEPT MINERS OUT OF IDAHO TO PROTECT THEIR LAND.

IN 1860, ELIAS PIERCE FOUND GOLD IN THE CLEARWATER RIVER.

THIS STARTED IDAHO'S GOLD RUSH.

WHY WOULD A LITTLE BIT OF GOLD BRING SO MANY PEOPLE TO IDAHO?

PEOPLE WANTED TO GET RICH.

IT WAS CALLED GOLD FEVER.

OLD MINERS WERE CALLED "YON-SIDERS" OR "SOURDOUGHS."

THOSE JUST STARTING WERE CALLED "TENDERFEET."

WERE THERE ANY GOLD FINDS NEAR WHERE YOU LIVE?

ONE OF THE BIGGEST FINDS WAS IN THE BOISE BASIN.

IDAHO CITY WAS AN IMPORTANT MINING CAMP.

BYRON JOHNSON'S GREAT GRANDFATHER WAS ONE OF THE FIRST MINERS IN THE AREA.

Byron Johnson: "IN THE 1860S, IDAHO CITY WAS LIVELY.

THERE WERE LOTS OF MUSICALS THAT CAME TO TOWN.

AND THERE WERE LOTS OF SALOONS.

THEY HAD DOG FIGHTS IN THE SALOONS.

THEY ALSO HAD WALKING CONTESTS.

PEOPLE HAD TO KEEP WALKING FOR 24 HOURS OR MORE.

THERE WEREN'T A LOT OF WOMEN IN THE EARLY MINING CAMPS.

A DAILY MINER'S LIFE WAS REALLY HARD.

HE WOULD MOVE HEAVY LOADS OF DIRT OR GRAVEL.

AND MIGHT GET A FEW DOLLARS WORTH OF GOLD.

THAT WAS WORTH QUITE A BIT THEN.

THE COST OF LIVING WAS MUCH LESS."

Phyllis: IN 1863, IDAHO CITY WAS THE LARGEST CITY IN THE NORTHWEST.

Byron Johnson: "LEWISTON WAS THE CENTER OF ACTIVITY BEFORE THEN.

WHEN IDAHO BECAME A TERRITORY, LEWISTON WAS THE FIRST CAPITAL.

IN 1864, THE COUNCIL VOTED TO BRING THE CAPITAL TO SOUTHERN IDAHO.

BOISE WAS JUST A LITTLE OUTPOST WITH 800 PEOPLE.

IDAHO CITY HAD MORE PEOPLE.

BUT THE WEATHER WAS TOO BAD IN THE WINTER.

SO THEY MADE BOISE THE CAPITAL.

THE PEOPLE IN NORTHERN IDAHO DIDN'T LIKE THE MOVE.

Phyllis: MINERS WEREN'T THE ONLY PEOPLE COMING TO IDAHO DURING THE GOLD RUSH.

MORE WOMEN AND CHILDREN STARTED LIVING IN THE MINING CAMPS.

SOON THERE WERE MANY CHILDREN IN IDAHO.

MORE MISSIONARIES WERE COMING TO THE STATE.

TOWNS WERE ESTABLISHED.

BUSINESSES WERE GROWING.

THE WILDERNESS WAS TURNING INTO CIVILIZATION.

IN 1863, DURING THE CIVIL WAR, PRESIDENT LINCOLN MADE IDAHO A TERRITORY.

MANY PEOPLE THOUGHT IDAHO WAS A PLACE TO FIND SOMETHING AND THEN LEAVE.

BUT OTHERS NOW SAW IDAHO AS HOME.

LEWIS AND CLARK OPENED THE WAY TO IDAHO... THE TRAPPERS LOOKED FOR BEAVER... THE MINERS FOUND GOLD AND THE PEOPLE CREATED TOWNS... AND IDAHO BECAME A TERRITORY.

WHEN LEWIS AND CLARK REACHED THIS SPOT, THEY RAN INTO THE MOUNTAINS OF THE BATHOLITH.

THEY HAD TO FIND ANOTHER WAY TO CROSS.

IT TOOK THEM 2 1/2 MONTHS TO CROSS IDAHO.

IDAHO'S EARLY TRAVELERS FACED MANY CHALLENGES.

THERE ARE STILL CHALLENGES FOR YOU, TOO.

GET OUT AND EXPLORE.

I'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.

CLOSED CAPTION TRANSCRIPTION BY SARA J. HANSEN