Weiser Idaho City Information

Local History

Weiser is located in and is part of the Snake River basin plain that covers most of the south end of the State of Idaho. Weiser is at the mouth of a tributary valley, referred to as the lower Weiser River Valley that flows into and becomes part of the larger Treasure Valley where Boise, Nampa and Caldwell are located. The Treasure Valley got its name because of its economic prosperity.

The Treasure Valley system runs from Vale, Oregon on the west, to Boise, Idaho on the east. It was formerly known as the "Lower Snake River Valley or Boise River Valley" until 1959 when the name was changed. The lower Weiser River Valley represents the northern most end of this system and is the gateway to Hells Canyon which is north of Weiser. Near the middle of the valley and the Idaho/Oregon border, five rivers, the Boise, the Payette, the Weiser, the Malheur and the Owyhee drain into the larger Snake River. This is considered a high desert area with most of the moisture occurring and collecting in the surrounding mountains and then being transferred into the valley by creeks, streams and rivers. There are diversion canals that come off the Weiser River which feed irrigation canals in and around Weiser making commercial agricultural possible. These waterways provide the irrigation water used by farmers across most of the south end of the state.

Weiser's location sprang to life in the earliest years of Idaho. In 1805, the Lewis and Clark expedition passed through the Treasure Valley following the Snake River going from east to west. In 1811, the Astorian Expedition under Wilson Price Hunt and McDonald McKenzie came through on the same route and explored parts of what was later to become the Oregon Trail route. McKenzie returned in 1818 with trappers to catch beaver on the Weiser River. A ferry crossing was established in about 1863 near Weiser called Olds Ferry. This was the same year Idaho was made a territory and about the same time silver and gold had been discovered in the general area. Pioneers had been passing through the valley since the 1850's but few stayed until the gold and silver discoveries of the 1860's. By 1866 there were steam boats operating on the Snake River which passed by Weiser.

In 1884, the rail road was developed into this location. This location was first referred to as "Weiser Bridge" but was eventually shorted to only Weiser. Weiser was first incorporated as a village in 1887. A bridge was not built across the Snake River until 1904. Weiser followed the pattern of most of the Southwest Idaho river communities by being first visited by Lewis and Clark, then shortly after used as fur trapping sites, later becoming part of the Oregon Trail, then becoming supply and shipping points when gold and silver was discovered, then becoming siding and shipping points for the railroad, then developing irrigation to develop farmland to support the mining, then becoming shipping and mill sites for the timber industry and then, with substantial development of diversion canals and dams because major agricultural centers for the region.

For a combination of reasons, Weiser started off being very progressive and attracted national attention. An example of this is the founding of the Intermountain Institute in Weiser in about 1899 by Reverend Paddock, Jane Slocum and Thomas Maryatt. Backers included Teddy Roosevelt, George Eastman and the Kimball Piano Company. This was a boarding type agricultural college that required 5 hours of practical labor each day, in addition to tuition, in return for an advanced education. The campus was self sufficient producing milk, eggs, meat, grains etc. and teaching the most advanced agricultural practices of the time along with liberal education. In 1923, the school had the largest payroll within the county. The school was devastated by the depression and eventually its assets were sold off. Most of the solid concrete buildings still exist today and are being used by different organizations. Weiser is also known for having more mansions per capita than any other Southern Idaho community. For a combination of reasons, Weiser never blossomed into what its founding fathers had envisioned for it, with most of the fame and fortune gravitating over to Boise, the capital and economic center of Idaho.

Weiser is part of the greater Boise economic region of Southwest Idaho, referred to as the "Treasure Valley." Boise is the economic and political hub of this region being the capital of the state, the largest city in the state and the primary location for non- agriculturally based jobs in the region. Recent growth has come mainly through the introduction of clean industries, such as Hewlett Packard and Micron Technologies, in the last 20 years. Weiser is the northern edge of the Boise Metro area that now has the greatest concentration of people between Salt Lake City Utah and Portland Oregon at about 588,000. Boise and the surrounding areas have also become a hub for transportation and storage, higher education, communication call centers, medical services and most other major demographic factors that allow clean and sustained growth. Because of the relatively long commute to Boise and high fuel costs, Weiser has not become much of a support community for the large employers around Boise. The regional prison in Ontario, at about 20 miles, now represents the largest employer in the general area. Good to its rich history, Weiser has become a "fiddlers" capital with a national fiddler's competition being hosted in Weiser each summer. The combination of historic, economic and geographic pressures has forged Weiser into a small but richly endowed community attractive for those seeking a different pace and lifestyle in a very stable and friendly environment.

Whatever your reasons for coming to Weiser, it can be considered a good choice and one of the positive puzzle pieces and Gems that make up the "Treasure Valley" whose real treasure has always been its people. Trust the experts at Stewart Realty, LLC to help you find your own piece of Weiser Idaho real estate.

Still unsure about where you want to move? Keep reading about Weiser Idaho or check out other city pages to find the area of the Treasure Valley that best fits your needs. This site also has up to date information from the Boise MLS on available homes in the area so you can find the perfect home.