Fun Facts - Stanley Basin
Lower Stanley, Idaho. This image is Released under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Stanley has some of the cleanest air quality in the Pacific Northwest, and in fact the air quality index has shown improvement from 2008 through 2011. (reference HomeFacts)
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Town of Stanley, Idaho
Fur Trappers from the Hudson's Bay Company discovered the Stanley Basin in the 1820s, but moved on because of the scarcity of beaver. In the 1860s, Captain John Stanley led a group of prospectors through the basin, but they also moved on and eventually discovered gold along the Yuba River, near Atlanta, Idaho at the southern tip of the Sawtooth Mountain range. The town of Stanley was eventually recognized as a "city" in 1919, nearly 100 years after the area was discovered.
The town's population peaked shortly after in 1920 and remained at its height through the 1930s with approximately 155 residents. As of the 2010 census, 63 full-time residents call Stanley home. |
Sawtooth Mountain Range, Central Idaho
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Stanley is nestled between the Sawtooth Wilderness Area to the southwest and the White Cloud and Boulder Mountains, to the southeast. To the north are the many mountains, lakes, rivers and high meadows comprising the Frank Church Wilderness of No Return, the largest expanse of contiguous wilderness in the lower 48 states.
The White Cloud and Boulder Mountains are currently being considered for status as Federally protected wilderness. |
Redfish Lake, just south of Stanley, Idaho
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Redfish Lake is home to specific species of sockeye salmon which were listed as endangered in November 1991. They were the first Idaho salmon species to be listed on the endangered list. These salmon are unique among sockeye. They travel from their birthplace near Redfish Lake more than 900 miles to the Pacific ocean where they live for 1-4 years, only to return the same 900 miles, and climb more than 6,500 feet in elevation, as they return from the Ocean to the rivers and streams near Redfish Lake to spawn.
They are the southern most North American sockeye population. |
