Rick Just
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Rolling Into Idaho

3/12/2021

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In 2016, the US Census Bureau estimated the population of Idaho as 1,683,140. Meanwhile, the Idaho Transportation Department registered 1.7 million vehicles that same year. So, every man, woman, and child in the state could, theoretically, have their own set of wheels. Yet, it wasn’t that long ago there wasn’t a single wheel in sight.
 
The first wheel to enter what is now Idaho, was probably one of four on what was the first wagon to come here. That was in 1836, when the Reverend and Mrs. Henry Spalding (Eliza), accompanied by Dr. and Mrs. Marcus Whitman arrived in this land. They had run out of road when they hit the Green River in Wyoming, then struck out across country on their mission to spread their religion.
 
The missionaries got the wagon nearly to where Fort Hall had been established as a trading post two years earlier. The going got tougher, so they abandoned two of the wheels and converted their wagon into a cart. That got them at least to Fort Boise (the early version of same, which was also a fur trading establishment).
 
We’re only concerned with that first wheel today, so won’t tell more about the Spaldings and the Lapwai Mission printing press, or the demise of the Whitmans, which discouraged the Spaldings out of almost-Idaho in 1847. Not this time.

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    The first book in the Speaking of Idaho series is out. Ask for it at your local Idaho bookstore, find it on Amazon, or, if you want a signed copy, click the button.
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    The second book in the Speaking of Idaho series is out. Ask for it at your local Idaho bookstore, find it on Amazon, or, if you want a signed copy, click the button.
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    Author, Speaker

    Rick Just has been writing about Idaho history since 1989 when he wrote and recorded scripts for the Idaho Centennial Commission’s daily radio program, Idaho Snapshots. One of his Idaho books explores the history of Idaho's state parks: Images of America, Idaho State Parks. Rick also writes a regular column for Boise Weekly.

    Rick does public presentations on Idaho's state park history and the history of the Morrisite war for the Idaho Humanities Council's Speakers Bureau.idahohumanities.org/programs/inquiring-idaho/
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    Check out Rick's history of Idaho State Parks.

    The audio link below is to Rick's Story Story Night set called "Someplace Not Firth"

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