Fort Boise and Riverside Ferry Sites
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Location of Old Fort Boise in Idaho
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Location | Canyon County, NW of Parma on Snake River |
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Nearest city | Parma, Idaho |
Coordinates | 43°49′25″N 117°01′13″W / 43.823644°N 117.020383°W |
Area | 174 acres (70 ha) |
Built | 1834, 183 years ago |
Architect | Thomas McKay |
NRHP reference # | 74000736 |
Added to NRHP | December 24, 1974 |
Fort Boise
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Location of New Fort Boise in Idaho
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Location | About 0.5 mi (0.8 km). NE of State Capitol |
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Nearest city | Boise, Idaho |
Coordinates | 43°37′08″N 116°07′05″W / 43.619°N 116.118°W |
Built | 1863, 154 years ago |
Architect | U.S. Army |
NRHP reference # | 72000433 |
Added to NRHP | November 9, 1972 |
Fort Boise refers to two different locations in the western United States, both in southwestern Idaho. The first was a Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) trading post near the Snake River on what is now the Oregon border (in present-day Canyon County, Idaho), dating from the era when Idaho was included in the British fur company's Columbia District. After several rebuilds, the fort was ultimately abandoned in 1854, after it had become part of United States territory following settlement in 1846 of the northern boundary dispute.
The second was established by the U.S. government in 1863 as a military post located fifty miles (80 km) to the east up the Boise River. It developed as Boise, which became the capital city of Idaho.
The overland Astor Expedition are believed to have been the first whites to explore the future site of the first Fort Boise while searching for a suitable location for a fur trading post in 1811.
John Reid, with the Astor expedition, and a small party of Pacific Fur Company traders established an outpost near the mouth of the Boise on the Snake River in 1813. Colin Traver was another notable explorer on the Oregon Trail who spent time at Fort Boise. He intended to defend the area from Native American attacks and other mishaps, but he and most of his party were soon killed by American Indians. Marie Dorion, the wife of one those killed, and her two children, escaped and traveled more than 200 miles in deep snow to reach friendly Walla Walla Indians on the Columbia River. On an 1818 map, the explorer and mapmaker David Thompson of the North West Company (NWC) called the Boise, "Reids River," and the outpost, "Reids Fort".Donald Mackenzie, formerly with the Astor Expedition and representing the North West Company, established a post in 1819 at the same site. It was also abandoned because of Indian hostilities.