The Shoshone Falls first became a tourist attraction in the mid-19th century, despite its inhospitable and isolated surroundings.
Travelers on the Oregon Trail often stopped to visit the falls, which required only a "slight detour" to the north.
Promoters of tourism to the falls cited the "lonely grandeur" of the surrounding country and the fact that the falls were not "overshadowed by a city", perhaps in reference to Niagara Falls which at this time had become infamous for the rampant commercial development adjacent to it.
The first known reference to Shoshone Falls as "The Niagara of the West" was in an article from an unknown Salt Lake City paper, reprinted in the Philadelphia Bulletin in 1866, in which the falls were described as "a world wonder which for savage scenery and power sublime stands unrivaled in America".
The falls were painted by Thomas Moran, famous for his depictions of rugged Western landscapes such as Yellowstone, in 1900 for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition.

In 1869 gold was discovered in the Snake River Canyon in the vicinity of Shoshone Falls, and by 1872 about 3,000 miners had come to the area in search of the precious metal.
The richest deposits were said to be in the area between Murtaugh, about 15 miles (24 km) above Shoshone Falls, and Clark's Ferry, about 20 miles (32 km) below the falls.
The towns of Shoshone City, Springtown and Drytown were created as a result of the gold rush.
However, the boom quickly ended as the local geology and manner of sediment deposits made it difficult to remove gold.
The first miners were mainly of European descent, and were later replaced by Chinese miners who continued to work the claims into the early 1880s, in search of the fine gold particles known as "gold flour".

In 1876, Charles Walgamott, a local homesteader, foresaw the potential of the falls as a tourist destination, fenced large tracts of land surrounding the falls and began construction on a lodge, hoping to obtain title to said land through squatter's rights.
In 1883 the Oregon Short Line Railroad was extended to Shoshone, Idaho, making travel to the falls much easier, and Walgamott sold the land to "a syndicate of capitalists including Montana Senator William A. Clark, who intended to replace the hotel with a far grander establishment and to place a recreational steamship on the river."
In April of the following year Walgamott was granted a license to operate a cable ferry across the Snake River upstream of the falls.
Not surprisingly, this ferry was one of the most dangerous river crossings in Idaho.
In 1904 and 1905 boats broke loose from the cable and were swept over the falls, killing four people.
Many other near misses and incidents also took place.
The hazards of the crossing led to a demand for a road or rail bridge that would span the canyon just below the falls.
Although Twin Falls County commissioners deemed the idea "feasible", it was ultimately dropped due to its high cost.
In 1919, the Hansen suspension bridge was built across a narrower part of the Snake River Canyon about 6 miles (9.7 km) upstream.
The Shoshone Falls first became a tourist attraction in the mid-19th century, despite its inhospitable and isolated surroundings. Travelers on the Oregon Trail often stopped to visit the falls, which required only a "slight detour" to the north. Promoters of tourism to the falls cited the "lonely grandeur" of the surrounding country and the fact that the falls were not "overshadowed by a city", perhaps in reference to Niagara Falls which at this time had become infamous for the rampant commercial development adjacent to it. The first known reference to Shoshone Falls as "The Niagara of the West" was in an article from an unknown Salt Lake City paper, reprinted in the Philadelphia Bulletin in 1866, in which the falls were described as "a world wonder which for savage scenery and power sublime stands unrivaled in America". The falls were painted by Thomas Moran, famous for his depictions of rugged Western landscapes such as Yellowstone, in 1900 for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition.
In 1869 gold was discovered in the Snake River Canyon in the vicinity of Shoshone Falls, and by 1872 about 3,000 miners had come to the area in search of the precious metal. The richest deposits were said to be in the area between Murtaugh, about 15 miles (24 km) above Shoshone Falls, and Clark's Ferry, about 20 miles (32 km) below the falls. The towns of Shoshone City, Springtown and Drytown were created as a result of the gold rush. However, the boom quickly ended as the local geology and manner of sediment deposits made it difficult to remove gold. The first miners were mainly of European descent, and were later replaced by Chinese miners who continued to work the claims into the early 1880s, in search of the fine gold particles known as "gold flour".
In 1876, Charles Walgamott, a local homesteader, foresaw the potential of the falls as a tourist destination, fenced large tracts of land surrounding the falls and began construction on a lodge, hoping to obtain title to said land through squatter's rights. In 1883 the Oregon Short Line Railroad was extended to Shoshone, Idaho, making travel to the falls much easier, and Walgamott sold the land to "a syndicate of capitalists including Montana Senator William A. Clark, who intended to replace the hotel with a far grander establishment and to place a recreational steamship on the river." In April of the following year Walgamott was granted a license to operate a cable ferry across the Snake River upstream of the falls. Not surprisingly, this ferry was one of the most dangerous river crossings in Idaho. In 1904 and 1905 boats broke loose from the cable and were swept over the falls, killing four people. Many other near misses and incidents also took place. The hazards of the crossing led to a demand for a road or rail bridge that would span the canyon just below the falls. Although Twin Falls County commissioners deemed the idea "feasible", it was ultimately dropped due to its high cost. In 1919, the Hansen suspension bridge was built across a narrower part of the Snake River Canyon about 6 miles (9.7 km) upstream.
Shoshone Falls