Governor C. L. “Butch” Otter - The State of Idaho

Chronological History of Idaho

STATE OF IDAHO 1960-79

1960	Idaho population: 667,191. Seven month strike at Bunker Hill Mine. July and August forest fires in Hells Canyon and Idaho City area. State employee group insurance system established.
1961	Oxbow Dam completed on Snake River. W.A. Harriman and E. Rolland Harriman provided that their holdings at Railroad Ranch eventually become a state park, providing that the state establish a professionally managed park system. Ernest Hemingway dies in Ketchum July 2.
1962	Lewis and Clark highway (U.S. 12) in the Lochsa Canyon completed.
1963	Legislative Council established. Idaho State College in Pocatello attains University status. Lewis-Clark Normal becomes a four year college. Horse Racing Act, to permit pari-mutuel betting, becomes law over Governor's veto (first override in twenty years). Idaho celebrates Territorial Centennial.
1964	Combined convention and primary system implemented, parties attempt to restrict the number of state primary candidates appearing on the ballot. Federal Court ends Bible reading in Boise public schools.
1965	State parks department, water resource board, and personnel system created. Nez Perce National Historic Park established in north-central Idaho. Boise Junior College given 4-year status.
1966	Governor Smylie defeated for 4th term. Voters uphold 3 percent sales tax in referendum. Northern Pacific ends passenger service between Lewiston and Spokane.
1967	Legislative Compensation Commission established. International Boy Scout Jamboree held at Farragut State Park.
1968	Hell's Canyon Dam completed.
1969	Annual legislative sessions commence.
1970	Idaho population: 713,015. Voters reject proposed revision of Idaho Constitution. Voters pass strict legislative pay initiative. National Farmers Organization stages 120 vehicle caravan to Boise to protest potato prices.
1971	Legislature enacts a stream protection law. Last log drive on the Clearwater River. Rail passenger service ends May 1 for all places in Idaho except Sandpoint. Fire destroys $25,000 worth of property during a riot at the Idaho State Penitentiary.
1972	New Idaho uniform probate code goes into effect. Idaho voters return to open primary system. Sawtooth National Recreation Area established, includes the Sawtooth Wilderness Area. Dworshak Dam completed. Constitutional amendment adopted requiring state government reorganization into no more than 20 agencies. Fire at the Sunshine Mine in Kellogg takes the lives of 91 men.
1973	U.S. Congress passes a bill to replace the deteriorating American Falls Dam. Boise State College attains university status.
1974	State agencies reorganized into 19 departments. Kootenai Indians in northern Idaho declare war on the U.S. government to gain money and land. Voters pass the Sunshine Initiative to require lobbyist registration and political campaign disclosure. Evel Knievel fails in attempt to ride his "Skycycle" across the Snake River canyon near Twin Falls.
1975	Presidential preference primary to be held on the fourth Tuesday of May adopted. White Bird Hill bypass opens June 16. Legislature passes Local Planning and Zoning Act. New prison opens south of Boise. Port of Lewiston opens.
1976	Hells Canyon bill creates the scenic Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, and bans construction of hydroelectric projects in the canyon. Senator Frank Church becomes a candidate for President, the first Idahoan since William E. Borah in 1936. The 310 foot high Teton Dam collapses in southeastern Idaho, killing 11 and forcing 300,000 people to flee their homes. Constitutional amendment creates Citizens Committee on Legislative Compensation. The Public Utilities Commission rejects proposal by Idaho Power Company to build an electric coal-fired power plant between Boise and Mountain Home.
1977	Governor Cecil D. Andrus resigns to become Secretary of the Interior. Legislature rescinds their 1972 ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Many Idaho counties declared disaster areas due to severe drought. Boise, Nampa, Mountain Home, Shoshone, and Pocatello become stops on Amtrak's Seattle-Ogden line.
1978	President Jimmy Carter floats the River of No Return in central Idaho. Voters pass initiative limiting property taxes to 1 percent of market value. Pocatello businessman Bill Barlow wins U.S. Supreme Court decision against Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
1979	An investigation by the Idaho Statesman reveals that plutonium had been injected into the Snake River plain aquifer at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Senator Frank Church becomes Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

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