Canyon County

	More About Canyon County
County Statistics
Interesting Facts
What To See And Do
Famous Canyon County Natives and Residents

Canyon County was established on March 7, 1891, with its county seat at Caldwell. It was the 17th county formed in the state. Current sources attribute the name of the canyon of the Boise River near Caldwell. However, both John Rees and Vardis Fisher believed it was named for the Snake River Canyon, which forms a natural boundary for the county. The Hudson's Bay Company established Fort Boise in 1834 near what is now Parma, but abandoned it in 1855. Emigrants traveled through Canyon County on the Oregon Trail.

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County statistics:

County Seat: Caldwell
Population: 158,038
Canyon County website

Borders:  Ada, Gem, Owyhee and Payette counties; Oregon

Interesting Facts:

The Idaho and Oregon Land Improvement Company owned and platted the townsite of Caldwell in 1883.   Its nicknames include Bugtown and Hamburg.  The town was formally named after the company president, Kansas U.S. Senator C.A. "Alexander" Caldwell. Caldwell served in the U.S. Senate from 1871-1873.

Canyon County, located in southwestern Idaho, borders on Oregon.  It ranks as the state's second most populated county and seventh smallest in area, and Canyon and Ada Counties comprise the Boise Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).  Unlike most Idaho counties, the vast majority of Canyon County is privately owned (90.9 percent).  While trade and service employment is high, the county also relies heavily on agriculture, food processing, and electronics manufacturing.  Annual average total civilian employment grew 39.1 percent from 1990 to 1997.  

Two excellent private colleges are located here, Albertson College of Idaho in Caldwell and Northwest Nazarene College in Nampa.  Boise State University offers both vocational and basic core academic courses at its Canyon County Center located in Nampa.  Canyon County is also the heart of Idaho's wine country, containing several award-winning wineries.

What To See And Do

Lake Lowell, which is five miles southwest of Nampa, provides fishing and boating opportunities.  It is a wildlife refuge with over 200 recorded bird species.  Historic features include embankment dams which are on the National Register of Historic Places.  Recreational activities at Lake Lowell include boating, fishing, hiking, hunting, picnicking and wildlife viewing.

Famous Canyon County natives and residents:

Although not a native of Canyon County, Joe Albertson left an indelible mark on two Idaho counties: Ada and Canyon. Albertson (1906-1993) was born in Oklahoma, and moved with his family to Caldwell when he was three. He attended the College of Idaho in Caldwell (now Albertson College), but had to leave when he ran out of money. He found work as a grocery-store clerk, and in 1939, he opened his own grocery store in Boise on 16th Street. He built Albertson's into a large supermarket chain, which now has stores throughout the United States. He also donated time and money to his former college, which in 1991 was renamed Albertson College in his honor.

Mike Garman (1949- ) broke into major league baseball playing for the Boston Red Sox as a relief pitcher. During his baseball career, which spanned from 1968 through 1978, he played for the Red Sox, the Cardinals, the Cubs, the Dodgers (during the 1977 World Series) and the Expos. He was born in Caldwell.

Dean Oliver (1930- ) won eight world championships in rodeo calf roping in the 1950s and 60s, along with three consecutive titles as world champion All-Around Cowboy by the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association from 1963 to 1965. He is from Nampa and decided on a career in rodeo after attending the Snake River Stampede in 1947. He still holds the PRCA record to tie-down roping world championship.

Dee Pickett was the 1984 World Champion Cowboy and was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in August 2003. Pickett was also the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association Rookie of the Year in 1978. He played for Boise State University as starting quarterback in 1976-77. Pickett is from Caldwell. His son, Cody Pickett (1950- ), followed in his father's footsteps, achieving success as a national rodeo champion during high school and playing professional football for the San Francisco 49ers and the Houston Texans in the NFL from 2004 to 2006.

(Sources include The Idaho Blue Book; Idaho Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary; County Profiles of Idaho.)