Editing Twin Falls, Idaho (section)

==History==
[[File:Idaho - Twin Falls - NARA - 23939521 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|View of Twin Falls, 1934]]

Excavations at [[Wilson Butte Cave]] near Twin Falls in 1959 revealed evidence of human activity, including arrowheads, that rank among the oldest dated artifacts in North America.<ref name="wilsonbutte">[http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/fo/shoshone/wilson_butte_cave.html BLM.gov] Retrieved January 16, 2010 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926051542/http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/fo/shoshone/wilson_butte_cave.html |date=September 26, 2012 }}</ref> Later [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribes predominant in the area included the Northern [[Shoshone]] and [[Bannock (tribe)|Bannock]].<ref name="shoban">[http://www.everyculture.com/North-America/Northern-Shoshone-and-Bannock-Economy.html Northern Shoshone and Bannock Economy] Retrieved May 7, 2007</ref>

The first people of European ancestry to visit the Twin Falls area are believed to be members of a group led by American [[Wilson Price Hunt]], who attempted to blaze an all-water trail westward from [[St. Louis, Missouri]], to [[Astoria, Oregon]], in 1811 and 1812. Hunt's expedition met with disaster; much of his expedition was destroyed and one man was killed in rapids on the [[Snake River]] known as [[Caldron Linn (Idaho)|Caldron Linn]] near present-day [[Murtaugh, Idaho|Murtaugh]]. Hunt and the surviving members of his expedition completed the journey to Astoria by land.<ref name="hunt">[http://www.nps.gov/archive/jeff/LewisClark2/Circa1804/WestwardExpansion/EarlyExplorers/FurTradeExplorers.htm The Fur Trade Explorers] Retrieved May 7, 2007</ref>

In 1812 and 1813, [[Robert Stuart (explorer)|Robert Stuart]] successfully led an overland expedition eastward from Astoria to St. Louis, which passed through the Twin Falls area. Stuart's route formed the basis of what became the [[Oregon Trail]].<ref name="stuart">[http://www.win.tue.nl/~engels/discovery/astor.html The Astorians] Retrieved May 7, 2007 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901210823/http://www.win.tue.nl/~engels/discovery/astor.html |date=September 1, 2012 }}</ref> Some 150 years later, Robert Stuart Middle School in Twin Falls was named in his honor.

[[File:Snake river canyon 20070602.JPG|thumb|[[Snake River Canyon (Idaho)|Snake River Canyon at Twin Falls, Idaho]]]]
[[File:Ibperrinestatue.JPG|thumb|upright|Statue of [[I.B. Perrine]], founder of  Twin Falls, Idaho]]
The first permanent settlement in the area was a stage stop established in 1864 at Rock Creek near the present-day townsite.<ref name="rockcreek">[http://www.idahohistory.net/rockcreek.html Rock Creek Station and Stricker Homesite] Retrieved May 7, 2007 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016171050/http://www.idahohistory.net/rockcreek.html |date=October 16, 2015 }}</ref> By 1890, a handful of successful agricultural operations were in the Snake River Canyon, but the lack of infrastructure and the canyon's geography made irrigating the dry surrounding area improbable at best.

To address this issue in 1900, [[I. B. Perrine]] founded the Twin Falls Land and Water Company, largely to build an irrigation canal system for the area. After an August 1900 area survey of {{convert|244,025|acre|ha}} in October 1900, the company was granted the necessary [[water right]]s to begin construction of the irrigation system. Several lots in the surveyed area were set aside specifically for future townsites. These lots eventually became the settlements of Twin Falls, [[Kimberly, Idaho|Kimberly]], [[Buhl, Idaho|Buhl]], [[Filer, Idaho|Filer]], [[Hansen, Idaho|Hansen]], and [[Murtaugh, Idaho|Murtaugh]]. In 1902, the project nearly failed, as most of the original investors pulled out, with only [[Salt Lake City, Utah|Salt Lake City]] businessman Stanley Milner maintaining a stake in the company.<ref name="Smith">Smith, Paul. [http://www.tfid.org/DocumentView.aspx?DID=422 The History of Twin Falls] (Retrieved January 17, 2012)</ref>

By 1903, Perrine, who had been a successful farmer and rancher in the Snake River Canyon, had obtained private financing from Milner and others under the provisions of the [[Carey act|Carey Act of 1894]] to build a dam on the Snake River near Caldron Linn. Completed in 1905, [[Milner Dam]] and its accompanying canals made commercial irrigation outside the Snake River Canyon practical for the first time.<ref name="founding">[http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/geog/rrt/part3/chp8/71.htm Ira Burton Perrine] Retrieved May 7, 2007</ref> As a result, Perrine is generally credited as the founder of Twin Falls.<ref name="perrine">[http://www.magicvalley.com/specialsections/summerfun2006/pg_0010.pdf Times-News Summer Fun Guide]{{dead link|date=August 2014}} Retrieved May 7, 2007</ref>

A [[land lottery|land drawing]] was held for the future townsite in July 1903, with disappointing results. A much more successful drawing was held in October 1904.<ref name="Smith"/> Twin Falls city was founded in 1904 as a [[planned community]], designed by celebrated Franco-American architect [[Emmanuel Louis Masqueray]], with proceeds from sales of townsite lots going toward construction of irrigation canals. Twin Falls was incorporated as a village on April 12, 1905.<ref name=":1">[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~idtwinfa/ Welcome to Twin Falls County, Idaho] (Retrieved January 17, 2012)</ref> The city is named for a nearby waterfall on the Snake River of the same name. In 1907, Twin Falls became the seat of the newly formed Twin Falls County.

After Milner Dam was constructed, agricultural production in south-central Idaho increased substantially. In 1909, the privately owned Twin Falls Land and Water Company was reorganized as the shareholder-owned Twin Falls Canal Company.<ref name="Smith"/> Twin Falls became a major regional economic center serving the agriculture industry, a role which it has sustained to the present day. The city became a processing center for several agricultural commodities, notably [[bean]]s and [[sugar beet]]s. In later years, other food-processing operations augmented the local economy. By 1960, Twin Falls had become one of Idaho's largest cities, though its origins were still within living memory for many.

Twin Falls became the center of national attention {{Time ago|1974}} in September 1974, when daredevil [[Evel Knievel]] attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon in a specially modified [[Skycycle X-2|rocket cycle]]. Watched by millions on closed-circuit television on a Sunday afternoon, the attempt ultimately failed due to high winds and a premature deployment of Knievel's parachute.<ref name=wsromt>{{cite magazine|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1088985/index.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203081113/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1088985/index.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 3, 2013|magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Jones |first=Robert F. |title=We shoulda run one more test|date=September 16, 1974 |page=26 }}</ref><ref name=epwpc>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=X7tSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CH4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=5008%2C1925031|newspaper=Deseret News |last=Miller |first=Hack |title=Evel puzzle: what popped chute? |date=September 9, 1974 |page=1C}}</ref><ref name=jfbkui>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wB5OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NO0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3418%2C3797490|newspaper=Spokesman Review |agency=(New York Times) |title=Jump fails, but Knievel uninjured |date=September 9, 1974 |page=1}}</ref><ref name=cswctd>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v6dYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=o_gDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2417%2C2070587|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |agency=Associated Press |title=Chute system's weakness cited |date=September 9, 1974|page=6}}</ref> The launch ramp's foundation lies on private land on the canyon's south rim. Less than 2 miles west (3&nbsp;km) of [[Shoshone Falls]], it is still visible ({{coord|42.597|-114.423|display=inline}}).

During the last quarter of the 20th century, gradual diversification of the agriculture-based economy allowed the city to continue to grow. Major Twin Falls employers in 2006 included [[Dell]], [[Glanbia]] and [[Jayco]]. In September 2009, Dell announced it would close its Twin Falls facility by January 2010.<ref>[http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2009/09/11/Dell-to-close-Twin-Falls-call-center Dell to close Twin Falls call center]</ref> Later in 2010, the call center company C3 opened a facility in the former Dell location.<ref name=":2">[http://magicvalley.com/business/local/update-c-to-add-jobs-in-twin-falls-company-to/article_41a8864a-74e0-5865-b72a-a8ba1f60a763.html C3 to Add 300 Jobs in Twin Falls; Company to Expand into Texas, Arizona] ''[[Times-News (Idaho)|Times-News]]'', August 4, 2011. (Retrieved January 17, 2012)</ref>

The [[College of Southern Idaho]] had administered a refugee program in Twin Falls from 1980 until 2024, when management was taken over by the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.<ref>[https://www.kivitv.com/twin-falls/after-more-than-40-years-the-refugee-program-will-have-new-management-as-csi-steps-back After more than 40 years, the Refugee Program will have new management as CSI steps back] ''Idaho News 6'', Jan 30, 2024. (Retrieved Aug 19, 2024)</ref>