Idaho’s boundaries have been a little fluid during its short history. I’ve written about it here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and now here. One could argue that today’s border story is about one stubbornly solid border.
Alta, Wyoming is home to one of Idaho’s 18 ski areas. Look it up. Grand Targhee is on the Wyoming side of the border, but it’s accessible only from Idaho. According to current census estimates, some 600 residents live in Alta, though the official population lists only 294 counted in 2020.
The area was a part of Idaho at one time, but when they carved up the too-big territory of Idaho in 1868 to make the still very large territory of Wyoming, Idaho lost a few things. It lost what would become Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and much uninhabited land that would one day include Alta.
Some nameless Congressman at the time said, “there is not a single inhabitant in that portion of Idaho transferred by this bill.” That was probably close to true if you weren’t counting Indians as inhabitants.
The people who settled Alta weren’t wild about being in Wyoming. A memorial from the Idaho Legislature in 1897 made an argument for annexing the area:
“That that portion of the drainage of Teton River which is situated in the State of Wyoming contains an area of approximately 300 square miles, of which about 10 square miles is agricultural land and the balance is mountainous; that there are twenty-five families residing on said area; that the county seat of Uintah County, in which said areas is situate [sic], is Evanston, more than 300 miles distant by the usual route of travel; that said usual route of travel extends through Fremont, Bingham, Bannock, and Oneida counties in Idaho, and Cache, Boxelder, Weber, Morgan, and Summit counties in Utah; that the Teton range of mountains, forming the eastern boundary of said area, is an impassable barrier; that the interests and business of the people residing in said area are entirely with Fremont County in Idaho; that the present situation imposes many annoyances and unnecessary hardships upon said residents without in any manner benefiting the State of Wyoming; that no injury can result to the State of Wyoming from the annexation of said area to the State of Idaho; that the said residents are all in favor of such annexation, that the following is a description of said area:”
And the resolution went on to describe the area. The reply from Washington, DC upon receipt of the memorial, was, “talk to us when you learn how to use periods.”
No, I’m joking; the reply was the sound of crickets.
A few years later, in 1903, Alta-ites learned that a very early mistake in locating the American Meridian was keeping them in Wyoming. Changing that meridian would move the Idaho border about 2.29 miles to the east. Voila! Problem solved!
But Congress, content in its own infallibility, was not moved to move the border. It took them nearly 30 years to appoint a commission on the subject, which concluded that it wasn’t worth the trouble it would cause to rejigger the Idaho/Wyoming border.
By that time, residents of Alta, Wyoming—you know how those Wyomingites are—decided they were happy enough staying in Wyoming, anyway. By that time, their county seat was in Jackson, Wyoming, only 34 miles away.
Alta, Wyoming is home to one of Idaho’s 18 ski areas. Look it up. Grand Targhee is on the Wyoming side of the border, but it’s accessible only from Idaho. According to current census estimates, some 600 residents live in Alta, though the official population lists only 294 counted in 2020.
The area was a part of Idaho at one time, but when they carved up the too-big territory of Idaho in 1868 to make the still very large territory of Wyoming, Idaho lost a few things. It lost what would become Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and much uninhabited land that would one day include Alta.
Some nameless Congressman at the time said, “there is not a single inhabitant in that portion of Idaho transferred by this bill.” That was probably close to true if you weren’t counting Indians as inhabitants.
The people who settled Alta weren’t wild about being in Wyoming. A memorial from the Idaho Legislature in 1897 made an argument for annexing the area:
“That that portion of the drainage of Teton River which is situated in the State of Wyoming contains an area of approximately 300 square miles, of which about 10 square miles is agricultural land and the balance is mountainous; that there are twenty-five families residing on said area; that the county seat of Uintah County, in which said areas is situate [sic], is Evanston, more than 300 miles distant by the usual route of travel; that said usual route of travel extends through Fremont, Bingham, Bannock, and Oneida counties in Idaho, and Cache, Boxelder, Weber, Morgan, and Summit counties in Utah; that the Teton range of mountains, forming the eastern boundary of said area, is an impassable barrier; that the interests and business of the people residing in said area are entirely with Fremont County in Idaho; that the present situation imposes many annoyances and unnecessary hardships upon said residents without in any manner benefiting the State of Wyoming; that no injury can result to the State of Wyoming from the annexation of said area to the State of Idaho; that the said residents are all in favor of such annexation, that the following is a description of said area:”
And the resolution went on to describe the area. The reply from Washington, DC upon receipt of the memorial, was, “talk to us when you learn how to use periods.”
No, I’m joking; the reply was the sound of crickets.
A few years later, in 1903, Alta-ites learned that a very early mistake in locating the American Meridian was keeping them in Wyoming. Changing that meridian would move the Idaho border about 2.29 miles to the east. Voila! Problem solved!
But Congress, content in its own infallibility, was not moved to move the border. It took them nearly 30 years to appoint a commission on the subject, which concluded that it wasn’t worth the trouble it would cause to rejigger the Idaho/Wyoming border.
By that time, residents of Alta, Wyoming—you know how those Wyomingites are—decided they were happy enough staying in Wyoming, anyway. By that time, their county seat was in Jackson, Wyoming, only 34 miles away.
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