July 3 - Idaho Day

Today's post comes from my dear, sweet mother, June Spencer Asisi!  You can find her blog by clicking HERE!  I hope you enjoy her post as much as I did!  Love you Mom!
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~  ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Idaho State Song

And here we have Idaho
Winning her way to fame.
Silver and gold in the sunlight blaze,
and romance lies in her name.
Singing, we're singing of you,
Ah, proudly too,
All our lives thru, we'll go
Singing, singing of you,
Singing of Idaho.

There are more verses, but I can't remember them all.  I learned this song in the 4th grade when we studied the history of Idaho.  We learned about the Shoshone Indians who originally lived in most of what we know now as Idaho.  We learned about the mountain men and the rendezvous they had.  We learned about Louis and Clark and how their expedition put Idaho on the map.

I was and still am proud to be from Idaho.  When you mention Idaho, most people think about potatoes, because that is something Idaho is know for.  Our license plates have always said "Famous Potatoes".  There are even several brands of potato products that have Idaho in their names, such as Idahoan, and Ore-Ida.  Yes, Idaho has vast acres in potato farms.  I had a roommate at BYU from Burley, Idaho and her dad was a potato farmer.  That area of Idaho is very flat and is the perfect climate for raising potatoes.

There are several other areas of Idaho known for different things.  Northern Idaho has vast acres of forest around the Coure de Lene area.  This is a very beautiful area and I am privileged to have been able to visit it once.  Unfortunately, the beauty is marred by the history of white supremacist groups who hide out in the forests of Northern Idaho.

Another area known for it's beauty is Sun Valley.  A popular ski area in the winter and a summer sports area.  This area has long been a vacation spot for the jet set and Hollywood types.

I am from the Southeast corner of Idaho which I consider the most beautiful part.  Anyone who has ever made the drive from Logan to Garden City, Utah can't help but have their breath taken away when they come down from the Summit of Logan Canyon.  Bear Lake lies across the valley floor, half in Utah and half in Idaho.  Of course, I was born and raised on the Idaho side. 

Bear Lake from the Summit of Logan Canyon

Bear Lake is famous for several things:  being part of the route of the Oregon Trail, being settled by the Mormon pioneers, and the Bear Lake Monster.  When I was a child we used to get very upset about all the Utahns who came to the Idaho beach instead of staying on their own side.  We called them Carrot Snappers and Cricket Stompers.  I'm sure you can understand the Cricket Stompers, but I have no idea where the Carrot Snappers came from.  Now I'm just happy that the lake is there to be enjoyed by all.

The northern end of the Bear Lake Valley has a number of towns named after famous cities.  I'm sure this is because of homesick pioneers who were just trying to keep a little bit of where they came from with them.  Some of the names are Geneva, Bern, Montpelier, Bloomington, and of course Paris where I lived.  I have always been proud of the fact that Gutzlum Borglum who carved the faces in Mount Rushmore was born in St. Charles, Idaho, only 6 miles from where I grew up.

Paris Tabernacle

All in all, Idaho is a great state.  I'm happy to tell people I'm from Idaho.  By the way, Idaho has the highest per capita number of millionaires than any other state.  Wish I was one of them.