01Summary
A Hudson's Bay Company post near the mouth of the Boise River, where wagons forded the Snake River. From here the trail headed across eastern Oregon toward the Blue Mountains.
02History
Thomas McKay, a veteran Hudson's Bay Company trapper and the stepson of John McLoughlin, built Fort Boise in the fall of 1834 to compete with Nathaniel Wyeth's new Fort Hall. By 1836 it was fully a company post. It first stood a few miles up the Boise River, and in 1838 it was moved to the east bank of the Snake River at the mouth of the Boise, in present-day Canyon County, Idaho.
From 1835 to 1844 the fort was run by François Payette, and many of its workers were Hawaiians. Under Payette and later managers it was known for its unusual hospitality to travelers. The trail crossed the Snake at a ford just below the fort, and from here wagons headed northwest across eastern Oregon toward the Blue Mountains.
A flood in 1853 destroyed most of the adobe fort. In 1854 Shoshone warriors attacked the Ward party of emigrants about 20 miles up the Boise River and the Army struck back, and the next year the company gave up the post. When the Army built a new Fort Boise in 1863, it chose a site about 50 miles to the east, where the city of Boise grew.
03Today
The site of the old fort, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is in the Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area near the Snake River. A replica of the fort stands in the town of Parma. The Army's 1863 post in Boise is now the home of the Boise VA Medical Center.
05Stops nearby
The Oregon Trail ran about 2,170 miles from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City. The stops just before and after this one are below. You can also find Fort Boise on the interactive map.