WHAT MAKES YOUR LIFE FUN?

WHY DO YOU WANT TO LIVE IN IDAHO?

YOUR ANSWER IS YOUR DEFINITION OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE.

THE DEFINITION OF QUALITY OF LIFE HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS.

LEARN HOW BY LOOKING AT IDAHO'S QUALITY OF LIFE.

HI, I'M PHYLLIS EDMUNDSON.

I'M AT REDFISH LAKE IN THE SAWTOOTH NATIONAL RECREATION AREA.

TODAY, PEOPLE LIKE TO COME HERE TO HAVE FUN.

BUT IN THE 1860s THIS WASN'T A PLACE TO PLAY.

IT WAS A PLACE TO SURVIVE.

IDAHO WAS ONE OF THE LAST PLACES EXPLORED IN THE UNITED STATES.

ITS HIGH MOUNTAINS MADE IT HARD TO GET AROUND.

THE LAND NEEDED WATER.

IT COULD BE TOO HOT OR TOO COLD FOR THE COWS AND SHEEP.

IT WAS HARD TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST SETTLERS.

THE WILDERNESS SEEMED TOO BIG.

BUT THERE WAS A RICHNESS IN IDAHO.

TREES, FARMS AND MINERALS, IT WAS THERE FOR THE TAKING.

YOU JUST HAD TO GET TO IT.

ONE WAY TO FIND A QUALITY OF LIFE WAS TO BUILD A TOWN.

IN A TOWN YOU WEREN'T ALONE.

PLAYS WERE IMPORTANT TO EARLY MINERS.

BOOKS AND NEWSPAPERS WERE IMPORTANT TOO.

AS IDAHO BECAME A STATE IN 1890, PEOPLE BEGAN THINKING ABOUT WAYS TO IMPROVE THEIR LIFE.

ELECTRICITY, TELEPHONES AND THE RAILROAD CAME TO IDAHO.

WHY WOULD INVENTIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE QUALITY OF LIFE?

WHEN A SCHOOL OPENED IN FRANKLIN, THERE WAS ONLY ONE BOOK.

BUT WHEN IDAHO BECAME A STATE, MOST SCHOOLS HAD LOTS OF BOOKS PEOPLE GOT TOGETHER AND HAD FUN.

IN THE EARLY 19OOs THE CHAUTAUQUA BROUGHT PLAYS AND TALKS TO TOWNS ACROSS THE STATE.

AT THAT TIME MOST OF IDAHO'S JOBS CAME FROM THE LAND.

BUT SOMETHING WAS DIFFERENT.

SOME PEOPLE SAID THE LAND SHOULDN'T ALWAYS BE USED UP.

BACK IN THE 1920s, NELL SHIPMAN MADE MOVIES IN IDAHO.

SHIPMAN PLAYED A GIRL NAMED DREENA.

SHE, BILLY BOY AND GRANDPA, LIVED WITH NATURE.

AT THE END OF THE MOVIE, DREENA DROPS A BEAVER TRAP INTO PRIEST LAKE.

WHY DO YOU THINK SHE DOES THAT?

SHE SHOWED THAT PEOPLE AND NATURE CAN LIVE TOGETHER.

NOT EVERYONE AGREED WITH HER.

MANY THOUGHT THE WILDERNESS SHOULD BE DEVELOPED.

BUT SOME THOUGHT WILDERNESS SHOULD BE LEFT AS IT WAS, NO MINING OR TIMBERING.

IN THE 193OS, A CREW FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE FLOATED THE MIDDLE FORK OF THE SALMON.

THEY SHOWED THE WONDERS OF IDAHO.

ABOUT THE SAME TIME, AVERILL HARRIMAN BUILT SUN VALLEY.

BUSINESSES MADE MONEY FROM TOURISM.

PEOPLE CAME TO SUN VALLEY FOR SKIING AND FISHING.

THEY THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HAVE LAND FOR THOSE THINGS.

AND IF THERE WAS NO OTHER WAY TO SAVE THE LAND, THEY WOULD BUY IT AND SET IT ASIDE.

BUT WHAT ABOUT ALL THE LAND OWNED BY THE GOVERNMENT?

HOW MUCH OF IT SHOULD BE LEFT ALONE?

ONE BATTLE BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT AND PRESERVING THE LAND HAPPENED HERE.

IN 1970, A COMPANY WANTED TO DIG A PIT MINE.

THEY PICKED A SITE AT CASTLE PEAK IN THE WHITE CLOUDS.

THE MINE MEANT JOBS.

BUT IT WOULD ALSO DESTROY A BEAUTIFUL AREA.

PEOPLE WANTED TO SAVE THE AREA.

AND CASTLE PEAK BECAME KNOWN AS THE MOUNTAIN THAT ELECTED A GOVERNOR.

CECIL ANDRUS WAS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR IN 1970.

DON SAMUELSON WAS RUNNING TOO.

SAMUELSON WANTED THE MINE.

ANDRUS SAID THE MINE SHOULD BE IN A DIFFERENT PLACE, THAT THE MOUNTAIN SHOULD BE SAVED.

ANDRUS WON.

HE AND OTHERS THOUGHT THE WHOLE AREA SHOULD BE SAVED.

CONGRESSMAN ORVAL HANSEN, SENATORS FRANK CHURCH AND LEN JORDAN AND CONGRESSMAN JAMES MCCLURE PROPOSED SAVING THE AREA IN 1972.

IN LESS THAN A HUNDRED YEARS, IDAHOANS THOUGHT ABOUT WILDERNESS DIFFERENTLY.

IDAHOANS WANTED JOBS FROM THE LAND.

BUT THEY ALSO WANTED TO SAVE PARTS TO KEEP A CERTAIN QUALITY OF LIFE.

Gov.

Cecil Andrus: "WE HAVE TO TRY FOR A BALANCE.

FIRST THING, YOU HAVE TO MAKE A LIVING FOR YOUR FAMILY.

BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A LIVING THAT'S WORTHWHILE.

AND EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE YOU'VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO GO TO THE OUTDOORS TO HAVE FUN."

Phyllis: ANDRUS IS TALKING ABOUT KEEPING A CERTAIN QUALITY OF LIFE.

IT'S TOUGH TO DO.

HOW WOULD YOU FIND THAT BALANCE?

"THE QUALITY OF LIFE MEANS HAVING HOUSES AND GETTING TO GO CAMPING."

"WE SHOULD THINK MORE ABOUT OUR ANIMALS AND SAVE SOME TREES."

"WE SHOULD GIVE ALL OUR OLD NEWSPAPERS TO THE CARRIERS TO RECYCLE."

"I'M GLAD WE CAN HUNT.

I LIKE TO GO CAMPING IN THE FOREST."

"MOSTLY, ALL YOU CAN SEE IN OTHER TOWNS IS CARS AND BUILDINGS AND IN HERE IT'S REAL NICE."

"WE CAN HAVE PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT LANDS COME HERE TO IDAHO TO SEE EVERYTHING."

Phyllis: "FOLK SINGER ROSALEE SORRELS KNOWS ABOUT THE QUALITY OF LIFE."

Rosalee Sorrels sings: "MY LOVE IS A RIVER WHERE THE WHITE WATERS POUR.

I'VE HUNTED AND TRAPPED HER THROUGH THE GATES OF LEADORE.

MY LOVE IS A CURTAIN OF HIGH MOUNTAIN RAIN.

BUT I DUG HER BRIGHT SILVER IN THE HIGH COEUR D'ALENE.

BUT SHE'LL NEVER BE MINE.

SHE'LL NEVER BE MINE.

I HAVE WON ALL HER TREASURES SO SIMPLE AND FINE.

I GUESS SHE'LL NEVER BE MINE."

Phyllis: IDAHOANS' QUALITY OF LIFE HAS ALWAYS BEEN TIED TO THE WILDERNESS.

IDAHO WAS ONE OF THE LAST AREAS TO BE EXPLORED BECAUSE OF ITS HIGH MOUNTAINS.

THOSE FIRST SETTLERS BUILT TOWNS TO TAME THE WILDERNESS.

THE LAND HAD TO BE TURNED INTO SOMETHING USEFUL.

BUT SLOWLY, SOME BEGAN TO THINK SOME LAND SHOULDN'T BE DEVELOPED.

ESPECIALLY PLACES LIKE THE WHITE CLOUDS.

IT'S HARD TO DECIDE HOW TO USE THE LAND.

HOW MUCH LAND SHOULD WE DEVELOP?

HOW MUCH SHOULD WE SET ASIDE?

THESE ARE QUESTIONS YOU WILL HAVE TO DECIDE SOMEDAY.

YOU'LL HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT DEFINES YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE.

I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT TIME.

CLOSED CAPTION TRANSCRIPTION BY SARA J. HANSEN