Here We Have Idaho
by
Brent Hill
How much do you know about this state in which we live? Do you know the words to both verses of "Here We Have Idaho"? Did you know we have an official state insect? Test your knowledge of Idaho history and politics by answering the following True-False questions.
| 1. T or F | There are over 2,000 lakes in Idaho. |
| 2. T or F | The smallest incorporated city in Idaho is located in Fremont County. |
| 3. T or F | Fremont County was once part of Madison County. |
| 4. T or F | The potato is the official state vegetable of Idaho. |
| 5. T or F | Idaho has never had a governor assassinated. |
| 6. T or F | Over half of Idaho is owned by the federal government. |
| 7. T or F | Idaho’s tax rates are among the lowest in the nation. |
| 8. T or F | All of the tax cuts made in 2001 are still in effect. |
| 9. T or F | Public school teachers in Utah are paid an average of 10% more than teachers in Idaho. |
| 10. T or F | Idaho has one of the lowest crime rates in the nation. |
Now, let’s see how you did:
1. True. Idaho is a land of unparalleled beauty. In addition to over 2,000 pristine mountain lakes, Idaho has 82,747 miles of rivers and 3,250 miles of whitewater.
2. True. Warm River, Fremont County, with a population of 10, is the smallest incorporated city in Idaho.
3. False. It was the other way around. Fremont County was created on March 14, 1893, and included the area now known as Madison County. In 1913, newly-elected legislators from Fremont County went to Boise intent on creating a new county. On February 3, R. S. Hunt introduced House Bill 173, calling for the creation of Madison County from Fremont County. The bill passed by a vote of 35 to 9. All those voting against the bill were from north or west Idaho, fearing another county in eastern Idaho would give us more political clout. State Senator John W. Hart of Rigby got the bill through the Senate without a dissenting vote. On February 18, 1913, Idaho Governor John M. Haines signed the enabling act for Madison County in the presence of Representative Hunt (who became known as the "Father of Madison County"), Senator Hart, and Lloyd Adams, the man who had chaired the county division committee.
4. True. Thanks to several fourth grade classes across the state, this year’s legislature passed House Bill 525 designating the potato as Idaho’s official state vegetable. The legislation was signed by the governor on March 11. The potato joins a distinguished list of other official state symbols, including:
| Bird | Mountain Bluebird |
| Tree | White Pine |
| Flower | Syringa |
| Fruit | Huckleberry |
| Insect | Monarch butterfly |
| Horse | Appaloosa |
5. False. Frank Steunenberg served as Idaho’s governor from 1897 to 1901. In 1899 he called in federal troops to suppress a riot in the Coeur d'Alene mining district after the Bunker Hill concentrator was dynamited, killing two men. After his term in office, Steunenberg was assassinated by a bomb wired to his front yard gate in Caldwell. Union terrorist Harry Orchard was convicted of the murder and implicated three leaders of the Western Federation of Miners in the plot.
6. True. 63.7% of Idaho is owned by the federal government. An additional 5.1% of Idaho is state-owned land, leaving less than one-third of the state’s land for private ownership.
7. False. Idaho’s individual income tax rates are 21% higher than the national average and our corporate tax rates are 11% higher. The 2001 tax reductions were aimed at making Idaho’s tax system more conducive to business development and ease the excessive tax burdens of our citizens.
8. False. Although the omnibus tax relief act passed by the Idaho legislature in 2001 was not repealed this year, it contained a number of tax cuts that automatically expired at the end of 2001. No longer available are the 80% capital gain exclusion, the county incentive investment credit, and the expanded jobs credit.
9. False. Today, the average teacher salary in Idaho, not counting fringe benefits, is $39,017. In Utah, the average teacher salary is $37,974. Regionally, in the Rocky Mountain states, only Colorado ranks above Idaho in annual average teacher salaries. Nationally, though, Idaho ranks 36th in teacher salaries. Although that is an improvement from 46th ten years ago, we have a long way to go in providing financial incentives to retain and attract good teachers in Idaho.
10. True. Idaho ranks 38th among the fifty states in the overall crime rate—42nd in violent crimes, 47th in murder, and 48th in robbery. Idaho’s low crime rate is a tribute to our high family and spiritual values and the integrity of our people.
So, how did you do? If you learned anything that makes you proud to live in this great state, it was worth taking time to read this article. We have some challenges to face in the months and years ahead, but those challenges must never tarnish our love for the freedoms, the opportunities and the neighbors we enjoy in this beautiful part of the world. It has been an honor for me to serve in the government of this forty-third state of the greatest nation in the world. "And here we have Idaho, winning her way to fame. Silver and gold in the sunlight blaze and romance lies in her name."