Idaho's Unique Shape: History or Strategy? (music)

Have you ever noticed how Idaho looks like a chimney sticking up into Canada? That shape wasn’t

an accident. In the 1860s, gold was discovered in what is now Montana and suddenly,

everyone wanted control of the richest mining land. At the time, Idaho Territory

was huge and included most of present-day Montana. But in 1864, Congress split the

area to create Montana Territory. And lawmakers tried to give Montana as much mining land

as possible. They used an invisible vertical line — the 117th meridian — to slice Idaho

straight down. Everything east of that line went to Montana. But everything west

stayed with Idaho, forming its long, skinny panhandle. Unlike most states shaped by rivers