First explorations in the area around what now is Parma for a suitable location for a fur trading post took already place in 1811. In the next decade, several attempts to set up an outpost failed because of hostile natives.
In the fall of 1834, Thomas McKay, a veteran leader of the annual Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) Snake Country brigades, built Fort Boise as competition for nearby Fort Hall further east on the Snake River. Although Fort Boise may technically have been built as a private venture of Thomas McKay, it was fully backed and supported by the Hudson Bay Company who took over in 1836. From 1836-1837 onward, Old Fort Boise became an important supply post along the Oregon Trail. The post was a major stop for the wagon trains crossing the Snake River into Oregon. The Old Fort Boise was abandoned, however, in 1854 after severe flooding and increased skirmishes with area Native Americans. Near the original location of Fort Boise, you can find a commemorative marker.
In 1863, a new Fort Boise was constructed in present day Boise, but a replica of the first fort can still be found near the original site. The site of Old Fort Boise is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Although the replica fort is not completely accurate, it still offers visitors a taste of what life would have been like in the mid-1800s. The replica offers a historical museum and pioneer cabin amid the fort’s reconstructed concrete walls, as well as the annual Old Fort Boise Days. It is open to the public by appointment with the city office.
Text source: ultimateidaho.com & Wikipedia
Photo source: Oldfortboisedays.com
