The current concerns expressed by members of Idaho's congressional delegation about potential involvement in Syria are in keeping with a tradition that dates back to Idaho's earliest days. When Idaho Territory was created on March 4, 1863, the country was in the midst of the Civil War. That same month, the Union government passed its conscription act, making all men ages 20 to 45 liable to be called for military service. About that same time, the Confederate government passed its second conscription act, which applied to all males ages 18-45 beginning July 15, 1863. The Idaho mines were soon populated with many men seeking the anonymity of Idaho in an effort to avoid conscription. The territorial officials in the executive and judicial branches were Lincoln appointees with strong allegiances to the Union. However, much of the territory's population came from Southern states with strong ties to the Confederacy, reflected in early Idaho place names such as Leesburg, Pittsburg Landing, the Sesech River, Dixie and Atlanta/Marty Peterson, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Did you know of the influence of Southerners in Idaho's settlement?