The Sawtooths

The Sawtooths have been called the American Alps. The Sawtooths, so named because of their distinctive shape, are part of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area in Central Idaho. The SNRA, as it is sometimes called, was created in 1972 to help preserve the rugged landscape. Today, the Sawtooth National Recreation Area is one of Idaho's most popular attractions.

The Sawtooths owe their unique shape to ice. Two million years ago, massive glaciers covered much of what is now Idaho, scouring the ground and sculpting ancient volcanic rock. As the ice melted, it revealed the sheer peaks, broad valleys and high lakes that characterize the area.

About the time the ice melted, humans first appeared on the scene. Prehistoric hunters came to hunt deer, elk, antelope, mammoth, bison and bighorn sheep, to gather plants, and to harvest spawning salmon. The early hunters sought cover in crude rock shelters. The Redfish Rockshelter, near Redfish Lake, shows evidence of use 9,500 years ago.

Thousands of years later, fur trapper Alexander Ross was the first Caucasian to glimpse the Sawtooth Range. In 1824, Ross wrote, "The view we enjoyed repaid us well for our troubles." Years later, others came seeking gold and silver, creating mining towns like Obsidian, Vienna, and Sawtooth City. When the mines played out, the towns were abandoned.

Others found something else of value in this rugged landscape. In 1883, one suggested preserving the area. In 1911, Idaho women's clubs took up the effort, comparing the Sawtooths to the Alps. Six decades passed before the Sawtooths gained protection. In 1972, Congress created the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. The 756,000 acre area includes the Sawtooths and three other mountain ranges. With 40 peaks 10,000 feet or higher, 1,000 high mountain lakes and the headwaters of four of Idaho's major rivers, the Salmon, South Fork of the Payette, Boise and Big Wood, the SNRA is one of Idaho's most popular attractions.

Links:

Sawtooth National Recreation Area
Sawtooth National Forest
Idaho Public Television's "Outdoor Idaho: Sawtooth Silver Anniversary"