Did Idaho Get Its Name?


Originally suggested for Colorado, the name "Idaho" was used for a steamship which traveled the Columbia River. With the discovery of gold on the Clearwater River in 1860, the diggings began to be called the Idaho mines. "Idaho" is a coined or invented word and, despite popular folklore, is not a derivation of an Indian phrase "E Dah Hoe (How)" supposedly meaning "gem of the mountains."