Where's Betty (and Bill)?: Idaho City and Crooked River Trail

As promised in my last blog, here is the first entry about the visit Marilyn and I made to Idaho last August. The first adventure was a trip to Idaho City and a hike along the Crooked River trail.

Idaho City was established during the 1862 Boise Basin gold rush. The gold strike there was bigger than any other gold strike in America. The town has wooden sidewalks and many of the historical buildings still stand, housing restaurants and gift shops. There is a snowshoe/cross country ski trail around the airport and a sledding area east of town.

At the height of the gold rush, Idaho City had a population of over 20,000 and was the biggest city in the Northwest. Although more women and children lived in Idaho City than any other community in the Boise Basin, it had the reputation as the bawdiest town in the basin. The vigilante movement that spread across the West was started in Idaho City to try to control the violence. The current population is under 500 mostly law-abiding citizens.

For information about the history of Idaho City and the Boise Basin, check this link: http://www.boisecounty.us/Visit_Boise_County.aspx

After a pit stop in Idaho City, we hiked along the Crooked River Trail for a mile or so. The weather was perfect and the scenery was fascinating. We passed some fascinating granite rock formations, saw some mining claim markers, and enjoyed my favorite trailside features - wild flowers.