The landscape is part of the homeland of the Shoshone, Bannock, and Northern Paiute Indians, who occupied these lands for countless generations before the arrival of Euro-Americans. Living in small bands of several families, they followed seasonal rhythms, migrating in search of edible plants, deer and bison, and the plentiful salmon that spawned in the Boise River. The river valley below was an oasis, trading hub, and crossroads for native peoples, where regional bands gathered to fish, hunt, and trade. Explorers, fur trappers, and emigrants encountered Indian camps along the Boise River, and the Indians often exchanged food and services with early Euro-American travelers. By the 1850s, however, Oregon Trail wagon trains and accompanying livestock overgrazed the grasses and depleted resources. Tensions and hostilities increased greatly after 1856, when Hudson’s Bay Company abandoned their southern Idaho fur trade posts. In 1864 and 1866, the Idaho Territorial Governor negotiated two treaties with local bands of the Shoshone, Bannock, and Paiute, but neither treaty was ratified by the United States Government. The Indians were retained in temporary camps until they were forced onto the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in 1869, Duck Valley Indian Reservation in 1877, and other reservations in Oregon and Nevada. Today these Indians are self-governing nations working to protect the natural resources that continue to inspire and sustain their lives and culture.