The Shoshone and Bannock tribes were nomadic and traveled across the western landscape to hunt, fish, and gather wild plants. They introduced the horse to other tribes in the 1700s. The arrival of settlers on the Oregon and California trails caused conflicts with the tribes, culminating in the Bear River Massacre. The Fort Bridger Treaty established the Fort Hall Indian Reservation for the Shoshone and Bannock people, but off-reservation rights were later restricted. Today, the tribes are federally recognized and manage their own assets and economic development.

Fort Hall was a key travel stop and crossroads on the journey west for pioneers in the 1800s. The Oregon and California trails passed through here, as well as other trails like Goodale's Cutoff, the Montana Goldfield Road, and the Lander Trail. Old Fort Hall was the first permanent American post in Oregon Country, but it fell into disrepair after the fur trade ended, and the site was rediscovered by preservationist Ezra Meeker in 1916.