Local history spotlight

On August 20, 1854, a man named Alexander Ward led a train of five wagons with about 20 emigrants through Canyon County, going towards Fort Boise. On that evening, they were attacked by members of the Snake and Shoshone Native American tribes. Only two young boys survived the attack. The Ward Memorial Park, located off of Lincoln Road, is dedicated to the victims of the massacre. There are monuments and informational markers in this park that serve to pay tribute to the dangers emigrants faced while traveling the Oregon Trail.