Murder and Mayhem in Boise

Explore Boise's Bloody History!

Shortly after the nearby discovery of gold in 1862, outlaws and ruffians from all over began to congregate in newly platted Boise City. Saloon owner-turned-sheriff David Updyke's criminal empire met a violent end. One of the city's only recorded pistol duels settled a dispute between a covetous husband and the lover of a young damsel--both happened to be lawyers. What could be called the area's first mass shooting occurred when an...
More Description

Explore Boise's Bloody History!

Shortly after the nearby discovery of gold in 1862, outlaws and ruffians from all over began to congregate in newly platted Boise City. Saloon owner-turned-sheriff David Updyke's criminal empire met a violent end. One of the city's only recorded pistol duels settled a dispute between a covetous husband and the lover of a young damsel--both happened to be lawyers. What could be called the area's first mass shooting occurred when an Alaskan gold miner sought revenge against the young woman who stood him up. A local postmaster found himself in a notorious case of a love triangle gone wrong, falling prey to foul play at the hands of his wife and her new beau. Authors Mark Iverson and Jeff Wade go beyond the traditional histories to gain an appreciation for the lives often willfully removed from history's pages and thus forgotten.