History

Named for Shoshone Indian Chief Pocatello, who granted the railroad a right-of-way through the Fort Hall Indian Reservation, Pocatello’s history began long before it officially became a city in 1882.

With the Shoshone and Bannock Indian Tribes inhabiting this area in southeastern Idaho for centuries before the journey made by Lewis and Clark across the state in 1805, one can truly look on the Pocatello area as a center for the cultural development of Idaho.

Stories of the area’s bountiful resources attracted fur trappers and traders to the region, and Hudson’s Bay Company founded one of the initial permanent settlements at Fort Hall, nine miles north of present-day Pocatello, in 1834.

Fort Hall became a supply point for many immigrants traveling the Oregon Trail, and with the discovery of gold in 1860, large numbers of settlers were attracted to this scenic Portneuf Valley region. The wagon ruts that are still visible at the Coldwater Area, and Register Rock displays the carved names of those who traveled the Oregon Trail. A diversity of cultures settled in the area, and those who turned to agriculture drew upon the Snake River for irrigation.

Initially served by stage and freight lines, the advent of the railroad served to further develop Idaho’s mineral and agricultural resources, and Pocatello became an important transportation hub as the Union Pacific expanded.