Idaho Territory is organized by the U.S. Congress
- When
- 1863–1864
- Where
- Washington, D.C.; Idaho Territory
- Episodes
- 2
Idaho Territory was officially organized by the U.S. Congress on March 3, 1863, through an Act signed by President Abraham Lincoln. The initial territory encompassed present-day Idaho, Montana, and most of Wyoming. Lewiston served as the first capital until 1866, when the seat moved to Boise. The territory lacked immediate legal codes, which were adopted in January 1864.
Episodes
- Congressional Organization
The U.S. Congress officially organized Idaho Territory on March 3, 1863, through an Act signed by President Abraham Lincoln.
- Adoption of Laws
Congress failed to provide codes upon inception, so the territory's original laws were adopted on January 4, 1864.
Background and detail
Background. By 1863, the area west of the Continental Divide had been separated from the coastal Washington Territory. The remnant of the Oregon Territory was officially unorganized. The newly organized Idaho Territory covered all present-day Idaho and Montana, plus almost all of Wyoming, omitting only a small corner in the southwest.
Legislation. The territory was officially organized on March 3, 1863, by Act of Congress and signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. Congress failed to provide official criminal or civic codes upon inception, so the territory's original laws were not adopted until January 4, 1864.
Capital. The first territorial capital was at Lewiston, from 1863 to 1866. Boise was made the territorial capital in 1866 by a one-vote margin of the territorial supreme court. Regular newspapers were active in Lewiston, Boise, and Silver City by 1865.
People involved
- Abraham Lincoln · President
- U.S. Congress · Legislative Body
Sources
- Idaho Territory Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-05
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.