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Northend Attractions Home
Boise Beginnings From Wikipedia
 While there is a tale tells of the famous Bonneville expedition trekking for weeks through rough terrain happening upon the sight of the Boise River Valley. Legend had it that a French guide overwhelmed by the sight of the verdant river exclaimed "Les Bois! Les Bois!" - French for "the trees! the trees! But this is more than likely just legend....
Todd Shallat, City Historian and Professor of History at Boise State, suggested that "the story might be legend because the Boise River was so named before Bonneville's expedition, and the "Les Bois" part was reported by the essayist Washington Irving. The trappers probably did say "Les Bois" or something similar, but that is not how the river, let alone the city, got its name."
In the 1820’s French furtrappers set traps in the area where Boise now lies and it became a center for trade between the native inhabitants and the new people of the West.
Though mostly an area of high desert, a prominent landmark was the tree lined Boise River Valley, which they called "La Riviere Boise" which means "wooded river." Though the connection between the Bonneville tale and the naming of the city is dubious, it is clear that the area was referred to as Boise long before the establishment of Fort Boise.
 The original Fort Boise was 40 miles (64 km) west, down the Boise River, near the confluence with the Snake River at the Oregon border. This fort was erected by the Hudson's Bay Company in the 1830s. It was abandoned in the 1850s, but massacres along the Oregon Trail prompted the U.S. Army to re-establish a fort in the area in 1863, during the U.S. Civil War.
The new location was selected because it was near the intersection of the Oregon Trail and a major road connecting the Boise Basin (Idaho City) and the Owyhee mining areas, both booming at the time. Idaho City was the largest city in the area, but the new Fort Boise grew rapidly (as a staging area to Idaho City) and Boise was incorporated as a city in 1864. The first capital of Idaho was Lewiston, but Boise replaced it in 1865.
The Northend
 From the 1890's into the 1950's the Northend was first a remote area of town then the main area of residential growth with developments like Brumbach addition adding hundreds of homes and cottages to the grid layout north of State Street. At the same time Harrison Boulevard began taking shape. Harrison Boulevard, one of Boise's most picturesque thoroughfares, is named for President Benjamin Harrison, who signed the Admissions Act making Idaho a state. His visit in 1891 prompted the City Council and local landowner Jeremiah Brumback to rename 17th Street in honor of the 23rd president.
As Boise boomed in the first decades of the 20th Century, many of the City's most prominent citizens built their homes on the Boulevard, resulting in a superb collection of architectural styles. With the addition of the median parkway and street lights in 1916. This unique combination of stately homes and medians make Harrison Boulevard one of Boise's most historic and beautiful neighborhoods. Harrison Boulevard was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and designated as a local historic district by Boise City in 1989.
As Boise grew through the 60's, much of the Northend began a period of decline. The Queen Anne homes were being split into apartments to accomodate the growth of the student population at then Boise Junior College and the influx of new residents that grew Boise from a population of 34,000 in 1960 to over 75,000 by 1970. The Northend Neighborhood Association was formed to take on the issue and successfully changed the free-for-all zoning that threatened the intergity of the neighborhood in the mid 70's.
The Northend Today
 Simply the best place to spend an afternoon sightseeing, shopping, or just relaxing in a coffee shop or park, the Northend offers pedestrians and bicyclers an eyeful of historical and natural beauty. It is renowned for it's trees, flowers and gardens, dozens of parks and is known nationally as the gateway to the Boise foothills, Bogus Basin Recreation Area and home to Hyde Park - the heart of the Northend.
The Northend is filled with history. Most of the neighborhood has been designated a Boise Historic Preservation District and boasts many sites that are listed on the National Historic Register. Wander these pages to learn more about this unique urban neighborhood!
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