Idaho experienced little settlement until the 1860s, when the discovery of gold brought a reverse migration from Oregon, Washington, and California. Mining camps immediately sprang to life, and the busy noises of pick and shovel mixed with the wilderness sounds of wind and water. With the miners came merchants, loggers, ranchers, and farmers eager to take part in the new prosperity. Mining camps became towns as settlers from around the country and the world arrived daily, helping propel Idaho to statehood on July 3, 1890. The Land of the Yankee Fork Historic Area preserves Idaho's frontier mining heritage through the story of its people and place.