Fort Boise

In November 1811, the first Euro-American explorers arrived in the Boise area. Led by Donald Mackenzie, the group was just one of many fur trapping expeditions that eventually passed through the Boise Valley. Fur trappers hunted beaver and traded with Native Americans as part of an extensive network. The British Hudson's Bay company established the original Fort Boise, located near current-day Parma at the confluence of the Boise and Snake rivers, as a trading post in 1834.

Beginning in the early 1840s, hundreds of thousands of people journeyed west via the Oregon Trail, and while travelers passed through the Boise Valley, many stopped at the original Fort Boise to rest and purchase supplies. In 1853, flooding destroyed the walls of the fort. In addition to flood damage, growing unrest and increased violence between travelers and Native Americans created unease that led to the fort's abandonment in 1855.

Following the discovery of gold in the Boise Basin in 1862, people flooded into the area. Rapid population growth led the federal government to form Idaho Territory on March 4, 1863. The U.S. Army established a military fort, also called Fort Boise, at the intersection of the Oregon Trail and freight roads that led into the mountains. Today, the VA hospital and Military Reserve recreation area occupy the grounds of the second Fort Boise.