Boise Valley

The question has been posed to us of this: How has the history of the Boise River influenced the nature of our valley?  When Mr. Davis first discovered Boise in the 1800s all he came upon was the Boise River and a desert that surrounded it.  Maybe he thought that would be enough to build a city on.  Turns out it was!  From the very beginining the river was the supply of "life".  When farmers came into the valley they needed the water to supply to their crops.  They also needed a consistent flow so the first dam was built.  As time went on more people and farmers came into the valley so a second dam was built and eventually a third dam was built.  These were put in place to help regulate the flow and prevent from flooding.  So the valley started expanding away from the river.  Remember that this valley is a desert so water is going to be needed to be transported to the outskirts.  The Army Corps of Engineers decided to create Diversion Dam which basically diverted the water to a canal called the New York Canal.  It is called this because the engineer, Arthur Foote, had to go to New York to get investors to be able to build the canal.  This allowed people to start living all over the valley and have access to water.  So to answer the question, the history of the Boise River has influenced the valley by allowing it to expand and become a thriving community of water sports, crops, and even be called the City of Trees.

The question I pose to you is how has water influenced your life?  What have you been able to do since you have had access to water?