Editing Boise, Idaho (section)

===Etymology===
[[File:Tubers Float the Boise River.JPG|thumb|220px|Floating the [[Boise River]]]]
The origin of the name is uncertain. One account credits Capt. [[Benjamin Bonneville|B. L. E. Bonneville]] of the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] as its source. After trekking for weeks through dry and rough [[terrain]], his exploration party reached an overlook with a view of the [[Treasure Valley|Boise River Valley]]. The place where they stood is called Bonneville Point, located on the [[Oregon Trail]] east of the city. According to the story, a [[French language|French]]-speaking guide, overwhelmed by the sight of the verdant river, yelled "{{lang|fr|Les bois! Les bois!}}" ("The woods! The woods!")—and the name stuck.

The name may also derive from earlier [[Mountain man|mountain men]] who named the river that flows through the city. In the 1820s, [[French Canadian]] [[fur trapping|fur trappers]] associated with the British-owned [[Hudson's Bay Company]] set trap lines in the vicinity. Set in a high-desert area, the tree-lined valley of the Boise River became a distinct landmark, an [[oasis]] dominated by [[Populus sect. Aigeiros|cottonwood]] trees. This led the French trappers to call the area "{{lang|fr|la rivière boisée}}" ("the wooded river").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idahohistory.net/reference%20series/0032.pdf|title=The name "Boise" |publisher=IdahoHistory.net|date=July 7, 2010|access-date=November 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930214321/http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0032.pdf |archive-date=September 30, 2009 }}</ref>

====Pronunciation====
Most local and longtime residents use the pronunciation {{IPA|/ˈbɔɪsiː/}} (BOY-see),<ref name=idaldpx>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gEBPAAAAIBAJ&pg=6908%2C2711950 |newspaper=Toledo Blade |location=-Ohio |agency=Los Angeles Times news service |title=Idaho: a land of wild paradoxes |last=Suplee |first=Curt |date=November 30, 1986 |page=F7 |access-date=August 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904034156/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gEBPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3wIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6908%2C2711950 |archive-date=September 4, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> as given on the city's website.<ref name="boiname" /> The pronunciation is sometimes used as a [[shibboleth]], as those from elsewhere tend to pronounce the city's name as {{IPA|/ˈbɔɪziː/}} (BOY-zee).<ref>{{cite web|last=O'Mara |first=Maggie |url=http://www.ktvb.com/community/blogs/maggie-omara/65582257.html |title=BLOG: Boise or Boize? Get it right people... PLEASE. |publisher=Ktvb.com |date=September 18, 2009 |access-date=November 28, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140527212928/http://www.ktvb.com/community/blogs/maggie-omara/65582257.html |archive-date=May 27, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Joni|last=Auden Land|title='Boy-see' vs. 'Boy-zee': A linguistic debate hundreds of years in the making lingers on|url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/boise/article257823873.html|work=[[Idaho Statesman]]|date=February 1, 2022|access-date=February 8, 2022}}</ref> In [[French language|French]], the name of the city is pronounced {{IPA|/ˈbwaz/}} (Bwaz).<ref>{{cite news|first=Joni|last=Auden Land|title='Boy-see' vs. 'Boy-zee': A linguistic debate hundreds of years in the making lingers on|url=https://www.idahostatesman.com/news/local/community/boise/article257823873.html|work=[[Idaho Statesman]]|date=February 1, 2022|access-date=March 22, 2024}}</ref>