Authored by renowned regional historian Leonard J. Arrington, History of Idaho provides a comprehensive two-volume chronicle of the Gem State, tracing its evolution from an arid indigenous homeland and fur-trapping frontier into a modern agricultural and industrial powerhouse. The book meticulously examines the sweeping economic forces that shaped the state, from the 1860s gold rushes and the grueling labor struggles of the Coeur d'Alene mining district to the vast reclamation projects that turned the Snake River Plain into fertile farmland. Through exhaustive archival research and a deep appreciation for the state's diverse topography, Arrington captures the rugged independence of a population shaped by immense geographical isolation. A keen insight drawn from the work is how Idaho's unique historical trajectory was forged by a perpetual tension between radical extraction capitalism and fierce pioneer individualism; by highlighting how outside corporate mining and logging syndicates clashed with self-reliant local homesteaders, the history reveals that the state's legendary political conservatism was born out of a deep-seated defensive reaction against distant corporate and federal exploitation.