Craters of the Moon National Monument

For thousands of years, people mostly avoided the lava fields of Idaho. Artifacts indicate that native people passed through, but they did not remain for long due to the lack of water. Later, the trails that the Shoshone-Bannock created around the northern edge of the lava provided a path for Oregon-bound migrants and ultimately highway motorists. Eventually, curiosity about this unknown region led others to seek it out. In the 1920s, Robert Limbert explored the area and shared his adventures with a wider audience through his photography and writing. In 1924, Pres. Calvin Coolidge established Craters of the Moon National Monument, ushering in a new era of National Park Service management. Three other presidents expanded the boundary, leading to a much larger monument and preserve. More than 100 years of Craters of the Moon's history are celebrated in this pictorial guide. Ted Ed. Stout served as a park ranger from 1988 to 2020 at seven different national parks. He spent the last 17 years of his career as chief of interpretation and education at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. To illustrate this book, the author drew from park archives as well as collections at Boise State University and the United States Geological Survey. The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.