BOISE, Idaho — It may be hard to believe, but the mass influx of Californians and others moving into Idaho from other states was a fad well before today. In fact, it was a thing before Idaho was even a territory.
Prospectors were moving to the Boise Basin by the thousands, hoping to strike gold. One group did just that, in an area that was pegged to become the next big city, on this day in 1862.
Idaho City was once home to the largest town between St. Louis and San Francisco, thanks to the discovery of gold in the Boise Basin in the 1860s.
The story goes, that gold discovery - and the incoming prospector population - can be attributed to two men. George Grimes and Moses Splawn made their way to the Boise mountains in the summer of 1862.
Just days after arriving on August 2, Grimes and Splawn struck gold.
It was a new found fortune, cut short for Grimes, because apparently that gold was found on the hunting grounds of the Bannock Tribe and they weren't exactly thrilled about the prospect of more prospectors invading their land. So, they attacked Grimes' party, killing him.
Splawn told the story to a local paper about facing what seemed like 20 guns fired in their faces at the top of a hill. Grimes fell just as they reached the top.
"His last words were, 'Mose, don't let them scalp me.' Thus perished a brave and honorable man at the time when he stood ready to reap his reward. We carried him to a prospect hole and buried him amid silence."
Together, they worried whose turn would be next.
Buried in an unmarked grave, a creek, a mountain pass and the surrounding area memorably bare the name of George Grimes.
His grave was left unmarked for more than 60 years. In 1923, Dr. Francis Thomson, the Dean of Mines at the University of Idaho, worked to add a grave marker.
It's unknown who paid for the grave, but according to an article published in 1923, Dr. Thomson suggested it be paid for by the Idaho State Historical Society, or another state agency.
By the way, his grave can still be found in what is now the Grimes Pass Cemetery near Idaho City.
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