Table Rock (Ada County, Idaho)

Table Rock is a mountain pillar located just south-east of downtown Boise, Idaho, United States in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains; an illuminated 60-footcross at its summit (3,629 ft) has been the subject of a lawsuit involving the separation of church and state (the cross itself stands on four square feet of land sold to the Jaycees for $100 in 1972, hence it stands on private property). The legality of the land sale to the Jaycees is disputed, as the land board meeting minutes, which discuss the sale, indicate that the sale was structured specifically to sell the land to the Jaycees for the purpose of insulating the cross from legal attack. The sale included language that allowed the Land Board to reject any offers, with the stated intent of rejecting offers other than from the Jaycees. A prominent local landmark, it is a popular spot for day hiking from the Old Idaho State Penitentiary which offers easy access to panoramic views of the Treasure Valley and the Owyhee Mountains as well as the Boise Foothills themselves. Shortly after midnight on June 30, 2016 illegal fireworks usage on Table Rock initiated a 2,500 acre wildfire.

Table Rock was sacred to the Northern Shoshone, who used the high plateau, numerous caves, and nearby hot springs as a ceremonial meeting place. Artifacts have been found in the course of the construction of nearby subdivisions, including obsidian bi-face knives of varying sizes; the site and its surroundings were also used as burial grounds. To this date, no public attributions of any archeological or cultural importance have been made to the site, despite its well-known prehistorical importance. Bafflingly, public attention continues to center on the presence of religious iconography on the butte, as opposed to preserving any knowledge of actual historical or anthropological importance.

The cross that stands on top of Table Rock has had a volatile 60 plus year history.

The controversy began in 1956 when the Junior Chamber of Commerce, or Jaycees, built the cross on what was then Department of Correction land. At the time the Department of Correction owned a 109-acre tract that included the bluff of Table Rock.

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