By Randy Stapilus

Did one woman single-handedly save the members of the Lewis and Clark expedition from certain death? According to legend, a Niimiipuu woman urged her tribe not only to spare the travelers’ lives, but to help them on their journey. If not for her courage and compassion, the story of the American West might have taken a much different trajectory.

Could there really be a monstrously large serpent plying the depths of Bear Lake? Many dismiss the stories as Native American legends originally told to keep whites from settling the area. Yet, for over a century, alleged eyewitness accounts, newspaper articles, and even TV shows continue to feed belief into the existence of a Bear Lake Monster.

Is it true that the town of Kellogg was almost named Jackass? According to legend, the discovery of ore that led to a massive silver rush in Idaho’s panhandle should be credited not to Noah Kellogg, but to the down-on-his-luck prospector’s donkey, Bill. Unfortunately, neither Noah nor Bill reaped the full benefits of what became one of the world’s richest mining districts.

From President Cleveland’s alleged love child to the UFO highway, Idaho Myths and Legends makes history fun and pulls back the curtain on some of the Gem State’s most fascinating and compelling stories.

(193 pages)