Table Rock (Ada County, Idaho) facts for kids
Table Rock is a mountain pillar in the western United States, located just south-east of downtown Boise, Idaho, in the foothills of the Boise Range of the Rocky Mountains. Its summit elevation of 3,650 feet (1,115 m) above sea level is 900 feet (275 m) above the city center.
Located between downtown Boise and the foothills, Table Rock has multiple caves and ledges and overlooks the Treasure Valley.
A prominent local landmark, it is a popular spot for day hiking from the Old State Penitentiary which offers access to views of the Treasure Valley, Owyhee Mountains, and the Boise Foothills themselves. Trailhead access and parking is behind the Bishop's House in the Penitentiary Historic District. The Idaho State Historical Society manages Table Rock Mesa. Table Rock is open to foot and bike traffic from sunrise to sunset. A gate is installed on Table Rock Road to prevent vehicle access.
An illuminated sixty-foot (18 m) white cross at its summit has been the subject of a lawsuit involving the separation of church and state (the cross itself stands on four square feet (0.4 m2) of land sold to the Jaycees for $100 in 1972, hence it stands on private property). The legality of the land sale to the Jaycees is disputed, as the land board meeting minutes, which discuss the sale, indicate that the sale was structured specifically to sell the land to the Jaycees for the purpose of insulating the cross from legal attack. The sale included language that allowed the Land Board to reject any offers, with the stated intent of rejecting offers other than from the Jaycees.
The Table Rock Mesa was first quarried in the 1860s with much of the sandstone around Boise coming from Table Rock, including the Old Idaho Penitentiary. It continues to be an active quarry today.
In 2016, illegal fireworks usage on Table Rock shortly after midnight on June 30 initiated a 2,500-acre (10 km2) wildfire.
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Prehistory
Table Rock was sacred to the Northern Shoshone, who used the high plateau, numerous caves, and nearby hot springs as a ceremonial meeting place. Artifacts have been found in the course of the construction of nearby subdivisions, including obsidian bi-face knives of varying sizes.
In 1893, prisoners quarrying stone for the penitentiary discovered Native American remains. In addition to skeletal remains, they also unearthed beads and bracelets, adding evidence that Table Rock is a sacred Native American burial ground.
The Cross
Building the Cross
The idea for putting the cross on Table Rock came from a TV program titled "This Is Your Life". The Jaycees asked volunteers to build the cross. The Jaycees club's original goal in building the cross was to promote Christianity as well as taking a stand against communism in the mid-1950s. $880 was raised to fund the project. Dick Wilcolm, Rich Jordan, and Chet Sawyer were the three volunteers that dug the hole and placed the cross in the ground. The original cross required $60 a month to power the lights that illuminated the cross, however in 2011 the lights were changed to LED lights, cutting the price down to $20.
Gallery
- Table Rock
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Table Rock from the parking lot of the defunct Idaho State Penitentiary, itself a tourist destination.
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Table Rock Fire.webm
The Table Rock Fire at 5:24 a.m. on July 1, 2016 from S. Federal Way just east of the Bunting Memorial Scenic Overlook; Table Rock is burning on the left.
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TableRockFireAftermath.webm
The aftermath of the Table Rock Fire. This video was taken from the Bunting Memorial Scenic Overlook on S. Federal Way the day after the fire.
