Archives West Finding Aid

In 1986, Congress established the Defense Environmental Restoration Program directing the Secretary of Defense to "carry out a program of environmental restoration at facilities under the jurisdiction of the Secretary." The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was assigned the responsibility for formerly-used defense sites, one of which was Boise Barracks in Boise, Idaho.

First occupied by the U.S. Army in 1863, Fort Boise was established to protect travelers on the Oregon Trail. Almost immediately the city of Boise sprang up near the fort, spurred by the discovery of gold in the nearby mountains. That same year Congress created the Idaho Territory, and a year later the booming little town of Boise became its capital. In 1873 a military reservation surrounding the fort was formally set apart from the public domain and the fort was renamed Boise Barracks. Boise Barracks was an active Army post until 1913. In 1919 the principal structures on the post were turned over to the Public Health Service for use as a veterans hospital. The Idaho National Guard also used part of the reservation for military purposes. The Army returned briefly during World War II, but after the war Boise Barracks' military use came to an end. The hospital continued (now the Veterans Administration Medical Center); a Federal Building was constructed on a corner of the site; and much of the reservation was transferred to the city of Boise for use as a park. Throughout its history the U.S. Army and the Idaho National Guard used and stored explosives and ordnance on the site. There were a number of firing ranges on the reservation, including an anti-aircraft firing range during World War II. The purpose of the reports in this collection was to identify the use of ordnance and explosives at Boise Barracks and formulate plans for the removal of potentially dangerous materials (such as unexploded shells) within the bounds of the old reservation and surrounding areas in the Boise foothills.

N.B. The U.S. Army's Fort Boise, adjacent to the city of Boise, should not be confused with another Fort Boise, a non-military fur-trading post operated by the Hudson's Bay Company in the 1830s, 40s, and 50s. The Hudson's Bay Company trading post was located on the Boise River many miles downstream from the site of the U.S. Army's Fort Boise/Boise Barracks.

Historical information derived from Archives Search Report, Box 1.