IDAHO TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT RESEARCH REPORT Historic Survey of Roads in Idaho’s State Highway System Volume 1: Historic Context RP 267 By Mead & Hunt www.meadhunt.com Prepared for Idaho Transportation Department ITD Research Program, Contracting Services Highways Construction and Operations December, 2019 Disclaimer This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Idaho Transportation Department and the United States Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The State of Idaho and the United States Government assume no liability of its contents or use thereof. The contents of this report reflect the view of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Idaho Transportation Department or the United States Department of Transportation. The State of Idaho and the United States Government do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names appear herein only because they are considered essential to the object of this document. This report does not constitute a standard, specification or regulation. Historic Context of Idaho’s Highways 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. FHWA-ID-19-267A 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Historic Survey of Roads in Idaho’s State Highw ay System Volume 1: December 2019 Historic Context 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Angela Hronek, Sebastien Renfield, Chad Moffett 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Mead & Hunt, Inc. 2440 Deming Way 11. Contract or Grant No. Middleton, WI 53562 94703 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Idaho Transportation Department Final Report Division of Engineering Services, Contracting Services, Research Pre-1863- 2019 Program 14. Sponsoring Agency Code PO Box 7129 RP 267 Boise, ID 83707-7129 15. Supplementary Notes Project performed in cooperation w ith the Idaho Transportation Department and Federal Highw ay Administration. 16. Abstract The multi-volume Historic Survey of Roads in Idaho’s State Highway System provides the development of Idaho’s State Highw ay System and a history of the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) and its predecessor agencies to serve as a basis for evaluating the National Register of Historic places (National Register) eligibility of roads w ithin the State Highw ay System. This report, Volume 1: Historic Context, is the first component in the ITD’s effort to evaluate historic highw ays throughout the state. This report provides a basis for evaluating the historic s ignificance and integrity of individual highw ays or highw ay segments throughout Idaho in order to complete National Register eligibility determinations. Information gathered for this report may also be useful for interpretation of highw ays for public appreciation and to inform Idahoans of the crucial role transportation has played in the grow th and development of the state. Individual sections that describe the physical development of Idaho’s State Highw ay System and the related important historical themes. This report provides the basis for developing criteria for evaluating the state’s highw ays based on the standards of the National Register in a companion report titled Volume 2: Application of the National Register of Historic Places Criteria for Evaluation. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement History, cultural resources, historic sites Copies available from the ITD Research Program 19. Security Classification (of this 20. Security Classification (of this 21. No. of Pages 22. Price report) page) 217 None Unclassified Unclassified FHWA Form F 1700.7 Page i Table of Contents Table of Contents Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................1 PROJECT BACKGROUND..........................................................................................................3 A. Research Design and Methods ............................................................................3 B. Purpose .............................................................................................................4 INFLUENCE OF IDAHO’S GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE ON TRANSPORTATION ............................6 A. Climate and Geology...........................................................................................6 B. Geography .........................................................................................................8 C. Influence On Highway Development ....................................................................9 EARLY TRAILS AND TRANSPORTATION (THROUGH 1889) ....................................................... 11 A. Early Trails and Trade Routes (pre-1863)............................................................ 11 (1) Pre-contact Native American groups and associated trails ............................. 11 (2) Euro-American contact and trade routes ..................................................... 13 (3) Euro-American settlement and territorial expansion westward ........................ 16 B. Idaho’s Territorial Period (1863-1889)................................................................. 19 (1) Gold rush, population growth, and transportation ......................................... 19 THE PROGRESSIVE ERA (1890-1913) ....................................................................................... 23 A. National Trends ................................................................................................ 23 (1) Federal involvement in road building .......................................................... 23 (2) Good Roads Movement ........................................................................... 23 B. Policy, Funding, and Administration .................................................................. 24 C. Construction and Engineering ........................................................................... 30 DAWN OF THE STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM (1913-1929) ............................................................. 32 A. National Trends ................................................................................................ 32 (1) Federal aid............................................................................................. 32 (2) Interstate travel and tourism...................................................................... 33 B. Policy, Funding, and Administration .................................................................. 33 (1) The first highway commission ................................................................... 33 (2) Post-World War I growth .......................................................................... 39 C. Automobile Tourism ......................................................................................... 49 (1) Named auto trails .................................................................................... 49 (2) Idaho’s Own: The Sampson Trails ............................................................. 51 Page ii Historic Context of Idaho’s Highways D. Construction and Engineering ........................................................................... 54 (1) Road standards and surfacing................................................................... 54 THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND THE NEW DEAL (1930-1940)..................................................... 59 A. National Trends ................................................................................................ 59 (1) New Deal relief programs ......................................................................... 59 B. Policy, Funding, and Administration .................................................................. 60 (1) Highway funding changes......................................................................... 61 (2) Depression-era relief programs in Idaho ..................................................... 66 C. Construction and Engineering ........................................................................... 69 (1) Improved surfacing .................................................................................. 69 (2) Safety and standards ............................................................................... 71 WORLD WAR II AND ITS EFFECTS ON IDAHO’S STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM (1941-1955) ............. 77 A. National Trends ................................................................................................ 77 (1) World War II impacts in Idaho ................................................................... 78 B. Policy, Funding, and Administration .................................................................. 83 (1) Department organization .......................................................................... 84 (2) Travel and Tourism ................................................................................. 86 (3) Road funding .......................................................................................... 89 (4) Road studies and planning ....................................................................... 93 C. Construction and Engineering ........................................................................... 96 (1) Construction ........................................................................................... 96 (2) Maintenance .........................................................................................