A Brief History of Boise, Idaho

Given its name by French-Canadian trappers exploring the area, who had just crossed the dry and barren deserts, Boise means 'wooded' in French. The original fort that formed the city, built by the Hudson's Bay Company in the 1830's, was 40 miles west of the current location, along the Boise River. The fort was abandoned in the 1850's, but the US Army was prompted to build a new fort in the area in 1863, during the U.S. Civil War, to defend against massacres occurring along the Oregon Trail. The new location was selected due to its close proximity to the trail in question, as well as a major road connecting Idaho City and the Owyhee mining areas. Replacing Idaho City as the largest city in the area, Fort Boise was changed to be an incorporated city in 1864, replacing Lewiston as the capital in 1865

Boise is the county seat of Ada County, and the principal city of the Boise metropolitan area.