Fort Hall Replica

A visit to the Fort Hall Replica is to enter the 19th Century world of explorers, trappers, fur traders, Native Americans, pioneers, Gold seekers, historic figures, and common folk; all of whom visited the place called Fort Hall on the banks of the Snake River in what is now Southeast Idaho. The roads to the Replica follow close to the Oregon and California Trails and other famous roads and byways.

Forthall History

Before Fort Hall was established the general location was known as a favorable fur region. Located in a sheltered bend of Snake River near the junction of Blackfoot and Portneuf Rivers with the main stream, "The Bottoms" as the area came to be called, had for perhaps hundreds of years been a favorite gathering and camping place for the Shoshone-Bannock Indians.

The Fort Hall Replica Commission

invites you to come and join us. As you browse the above links you will find: The Fort Hall Diary, a collection of first hand account of the Forts Hall and vicinity taken from letters, diaries, journals, and other accounts; a brief History from Wyeth's Fort to the Replica; The Old Fort Hall Broadsheet with a variety of articles; Plants includes pictures and descriptions of plants found on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation and/or Southeastern Idaho originally identified and cataloged by Thomas Nuttall, plus plants found by Lewis and Clark in Idaho; On the Trail containing the names of the traders and visitors with amplifying data; Links to related on-line sites; Tourist Information on Replica with map; and Fort Hall Recipes with traditional foods.

Why A Replica of Old Fort Hall

Pocatello and Southeast Idaho have a story to tell. It is a story of one of the most thrilling periods of American history, when a young nation fun of adventure and wanting new lands began the trek Westward, first in trickles, then in swarms, growing into the greatest [voluntary] migration that any nation had known. A story of the hardships and heroism, the sadness and the happiness, the anguish and success, the weak and the strong, a story of the will and determination to overcome all obstacles and conquer a vast wilderness. It is a story of the days of the Old Oregon Trail. The major factor in determining that the Oregon Trail came through this territory and also the main reason for maintaining it from its start to its crest and on to its ebb, was the small outpost on the banks of the Snake River, Fort Hall.

Built in 1834 as a trading post by Nathaniel, Wyeth, it was to prove to be of benefit expansion of the nation. Allowed to wither and decay, with the last of its timbers hauled away in 1863 to help build a stage station, it is now but a memory. But this memory should be prodded anew into life and its story told. Each individual, whether his or her lot, owes homage or respect to an ancestor or forbearer. People feel a bondage that ties them to ancestry. Collectively, groups who feel that they are proud of the heritage that has been given to them, strive to show their appreciation. So it is up to us, who are reaping the benefits of some of the most dedicated, sincere and hardworking people who pioneered the Northwest, to retell their story and provide a monument to their memory.

Explore Related Categories