Idaho History Lesson 1

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These children are putting
on a play about history.
What events in history
do you think they are
showing us?
How does history and
geography shape the
way we live?
Let’s Learn
about Idaho!
The BIG

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1
The story of Idaho is full of
rich history and interesting
people and places. Studying
the history and geography
of our beautiful state can be
an adventure.
You need to prepare by
choosing the right tools
and packing the best maps.
Then begin your adventure
into the past!

3. artifact
document
historian
history
oral history
point of view
primary source
secondary source
Setting the Stage
1
Key Terms
History is the story of
•
the past.
Places, people, and objects
•
have stories to tell.
Historians use tools to
•
discover what happened in
the past.
Key Ideas What Is History?
L
ook at the word history and notice another word inside
of it: story. Everyone has a story of his or her life.
Our stories take place over time—the past, present,
and future.
You already know a lot about your own story. You know
when you were born. You also know about events that took
place when you were younger. Ask your parents questions to
learn more about your past. Where did you live when you were
a newborn baby? What were your first words? When you were
five, were you excited to start school?
Chapter 1
4

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Let’s Learn about Idaho!
my family mOved
TO BOISE.
I gOT my dOg.
Idaho’s Story
Because you live here, Idaho’s story is now part of your
story. Like people, all places have a history. This means that
cities, states, countries, and even the Earth have a history. This
book tells the story of Idaho’s history. The authors wrote it in
the 21st century. It is different from books written 100 years
ago. It will be different from books written in the future, too.
Your Past, Present, and Future
The past is everything that has happened up until this very
moment. Events could be things that happened an hour ago or
yesterday. They could also be things that happened when you
were a tiny baby. What are some past events in your life?
The present is now. Think about what you are doing,
feeling, and thinking right now. Who are your friends? Who
is your family? What do you look like? What do you like to do
and not like to do?
The future has not happened yet. What might you be doing
in 5 years? In 10 years? In 20 years?

5. 6 Chapter 1
Sometimes bad things can
happen in our lives. Even
though they are bad, they can
still help us learn. Then we can
try to make things better.
Lessons from the Past
Some history is exciting and fun to learn. History, however,
was not always peaceful. Sometimes people fought and did
terrible things to each other.
Studying history helps us learn that some people made
decisions that were not wise. They caused harm to others.
Other people solved, or figured out, problems and kept trying.
We can learn a lot from these people.
Cause and Effect
Every day we do things that cause other things to happen.
What happens when we enter a room and turn on a light? The
room fills with light. When we eat breakfast, our bodies get
energy from the food. This process is called cause and effect.
In the first example, the cause is turning on the light
switch. The effect is the room filling with light. In the
second example, the cause is eating breakfast. The effect
is the body getting energy.
Life is full of cause and effect relationships. So is history.
The things people did caused other things to happen.

6. Let’s Learn about Idaho!
Think Like a Historian!
People who study history are historians. As you study this
book, you can think like a historian. You can ask questions
such as:
What
• happened?
When
• did it happen?
Who
• took part in it?
Where
• did it happen?
Why
• did it happen?
How
• did it change things?
Many things happened in the past. We cannot learn
everything about what happened, so we look for clues.
Imagine putting together a 100-piece puzzle. You know that
each piece is important to making a complete picture. Each
piece is like a small clue.
Now, what if you were able to use only some of the pieces?
What kind of picture could you make? Some pieces will fit
nicely together, making some of the picture clear. Other pieces
will seem to fit nowhere, but they belong somewhere. You need
as many pieces as possible to complete the picture.
How does a historian see the whole picture?
He or she uses two kinds of clues: primary
and secondary sources. Each kind gives
important information about
the past.
7

7. Primary and Secondary Sources
Primary sources were made or used by people who were there when an event took place.
Let’s say your great-grandfather sailed to the United States on a ship. In his diary, he wrote
down what happened every day. The diary is a primary source because your great-grandfather
was there at the time. It was his story.
Secondary sources are made by people later, after an event has happened. They are different
from primary sources, but they also teach us about history. For example, a book written today
about your great-grandfather is a secondary source. It may include parts of his diary and
photographs. There are different kinds of primary and secondary sources. Artifacts, documents,
photographs, art, oral history, and books can tell us how people lived.
Artifacts
An artifact might be a worn-out hat or a dish. It could be an Indian
basket from long ago. It is important to study artifacts. They can help us
learn about the people who made and used them. Artifacts can be great
clues to the past.
Documents
Documents can tell us what someone did, saw,
or thought. Paper and digital records give firsthand
information about people and events of the past. For
example, these can be letters, birth certificates, or
newspaper articles.
Photographs
Photographs are also primary sources. They give us
firsthand information about the past. A photograph may
only show a tiny part of something. A photographer
might not capture the whole scene. A photo of a Native
American may show him dressed in fancy costume.
But this may be different from what he actually wore.
Another person may look sad. Many years ago, it was
unusual for people to smile in photos.
Chapter 1
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8. What kind of book are you
reading right now? Is it a
primary or a secondary
source? Why?
Art
Drawings and paintings can be primary or
secondary sources. Let’s say an artist paints what
he sees in front of him. His work is a primary
source. How about if an artist wants to paint a
picture from the past? He would paint what he
thinks a place might have looked like. In this
case, the painting is a secondary source.
Oral History
It is interesting to look at objects from the
past. It can be more interesting to listen as people
tell their stories. Your grandmother might tell you about when
she got stung by a bee. A neighbor might tell you how much
candy cost many years ago. A story told aloud and passed
down from person to person is called oral history.
Books
To learn about history, people read books. There are so
many books! Some books are fiction and are made-up
stories. Other books are nonfiction. They give all
kinds of true information.
An autobiography is when a
•
person writes about his or
her own life.
A biography is when
•
someone else writes
about a person’s life.
Let’s Learn about Idaho! 9

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Point of View
Point of view is a way of seeing an event. For example,
what if you and your teacher describe the first day of school?
Your stories would not be exactly the same. You might
describe sitting at your desk, wondering who the new children
are. Your teacher might describe how smart and polite all the
children are.
Authors of history books also have different points of view.
For example, each side in a war will have a different point of
view. Everyone’s point of view adds something to the story.
What Is the True Story?
In history, there are facts and there are opinions. It is
important to know the difference if you want a true history. A
fact is something that can be proven.
Here are some examples of facts:
Our calendar has 12 months in a year.
•
Idaho became a state in 1890.
•
The name of this book is
• The Idaho Adventure.
The way you feel about animals
at the zoo is your opinion, or
point of view. What animals do you
like the best? Do you think this
monkey likes being in a zoo?

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Let’s Learn about Idaho!
As a class, tell about your first hour at school. Do you all feel the
same about what happened? Do you have different points of view?
An opinion is something someone
believes to be true. For example, some
people would agree that winter is better
than summer. Others would not agree.
Different people have different opinions.
Here are some opinions:
Snowy weather is the best kind of weather.
•
Wild animals are scary.
•
It is better to live in a city than on a farm.
•
Lesson Reviews
You are about to go on a great adventure! Are you ready? Before
you begin, you should know about an important tool. This tool will help
you learn about Idaho history. It is called the lesson review. This is found
at the end of most lessons throughout a chapter. Let’s take a closer look to see what is included.
Good luck and have fun on your journey!
Places to Locate People to Know Events to Remember
This will be a list of places
that are important for you
to know.
These are the people you
should remember from
the lesson.
This will list main events
that affect our state.
Lesson Review Activity
This section will tell you what to do
with the terms.
What Did You Learn?
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LESSON