A History Lesson ON Our Drive

As we enjoyed the stunning drive of Hwy 95 through lush green hills and sweeping valleys between Boise to Lewiston, we also found ourselves enjoying the history lessons along the roadside.

There are many Historical Markers along this stretch of highway and a lot of history to share. We could not stop and read them all, but we did enjoy a few and followed up online for the rest.

We stopped at the Historical Marker by White Bird Pass and noticed a spiraling road off in the distance.. turned out it was the old Hwy 95. In Lewiston they have another one, they call the Spiral Hwy.

Fun Facts About the Spiral Hwy:

1. Songwriter Charley Ryan raced his hot rod against a Cadillac sedan driven by a friend in Lewiston, Idaho, driving up the Spiral Highway (former U.S. Route 95 in Idaho) to the top of Lewiston Hill. Some say he incorporated elements from this race in his lyrics to "Hot Rod Lincoln", but changed the setting to Grapevine Hill (a long, nearly straight grade up Grapevine Canyon to Tejon Pass, near the town of Gorman, California) to fit it within the narrative of "Hot Rod Race". - Wikipedia
   
2. If you experience car sickness or you are not a fan of heights, this road is not for you.
   
3. The Spiral Hwy has 64 tight curves and over a 2,000 foot drop in just 14 miles.
   
4. Prison labor helped construct the road.
   
5. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
   
6. By 1922, motorists could travel from Boise to Grangeville in about 18 hours driving time, according to A. S. McDougall's article, "A Little Journey Along Idaho's ‘Golden Road,'" in Western Highways Builder (July 1922). He stated that only those who had traveled through the area in earlier times "know the almost insuperable difficulties which faced the engineers who first began the task of putting an automobile road through the rugged, almost impassable canyons of the Little Salmon River."
   
7. It is here that the highway enters the Salmon River country, and one can gaze for an hour on this stupendous panorama and truly feel the meaning of the name "Idaho"-"Eee-dah-ho," in the language of the Nez Perces [meaning "Behold the sun coming down the mountain"]
   

Read More of the Hwy History

Scattered along the highway we noticed mine shafts close to the road. They were blocked off and warning signs were posted,  this introduced us to a bit of the history of the area and that it was once known for mining, the rest we had to learn online.

“The story of Florence is seldom told. Few visitors to the Nez Perce National Forest are even aware the site exists. Just driving through the area today, one can hardly tell there once existed a thriving mining community.”

Read more of the history

Riggins is now the “playground for the adventurous” but it was rich in history long before today’s generations discovered it.

The now friendly town of Riggins was once known as “Gouge Eye” after a vicious saloon fight in which the obvious happened between a couple of rough and tumble citizens who came here in search of gold in the 1850’s.

Riggins, which is now named after John Riggins, the area’s first mailman.

Riggins lies between the two deepest gorges in North America and rides the banks of the Little Salmon River and the famous Salmon River, the longest free-flowing river within the lower 48 states. Adventures east take you up the Salmon River to the “River of No Return” Wilderness, a name that the Indians used to warn Lewis and Clark; and also captured the spirit of Captain Guleke’s adventures in his one-way scow trips.

Read More about the History of Riggins

The Battlefield History

The gorgeous drive along Hwy 95 in Idaho was a wonderful lesson in history. As you take in the stunning view of White Bird and the valley below, you also get a lesson of the history and the battle that once took place here.

The drive along Hwy 95 was stunning.
Rich in color. Rich in beauty. And, Rich in History.
A quiet gem of a drive that hopefully will retain its history and its beauty.
A drive that we did not know about but I am so glad we discovered.