Just as US-20/26 does today, the historic Oregon Trail crosses between Idaho and Oregon at the confluence of the Boise and Snake Rivers, southwest of I-84 at the town of Parma. Sugar beets and onions fill the fields around the tiny town, which takes pride in its replica of Fort Boise, one of the first European outposts in the Pacific Northwest. Originally established in 1834 by the Hudson’s Bay Company, Fort Boise was famous for its frontier hospitality, entertaining and supplying travelers and traders until the mid-1850s, when it was closed because of declines in demand and an increase in Indian hostilities. The original Fort Boise stood along the banks of the river and was washed away long ago. The site is marked today by an odd, horse-headed stone obelisk festooned with the Hudson’s Bay Company flag, which stands along the Snake River at the end of Old Fort Boise Road, two miles west of US-20/26. The less-than-authentic steel-and-stucco reconstruction of the old fort that stands along US-20 near the center of town is the site of the annual Old Fort Boise Days in early May.
