About Us
In 1834 Thomas McKay, an associate of the Hudson Bay Company, built a fort on the east bank of the Snake River. The fort, now known as Old Fort Boise, was located at the mouth of the Boise River, 40 miles from present day Boise. In 1854, due to frequent Indian raids, the fort was abandoned. Despite this, the military desired to build another fort in the area, but, before this plan could go into effect, gold was discovered in the Boise Basin in 1862. It was now necessary, more than ever, to protect the vast number of travelers coming to the area.
On July 4th, 1863, the military chose a location for the new Fort Boise and construction began soon afterward. A town site was located next to the fort, and with the protection of the military, the town grew quickly. A major reason for this growth, other than the gold rush, was its location along the Oregon Trail. Parma’s Old Fort Boise on the Eastern edge of town has a replica of Fort Boise, a museum and an authentic pioneer cabin. An RV park, picnic area and campground are available at the west end of the park.
Old Fort Boise Days Grand Marshals
We’d like to introduce you to The Dickesons, they are our 2021 Grand Marshals!
Come see them at the Old Fort Boise Days Parade on June 12th at 11am and at The Inferno that evening.
Hello Parma from the Dickesons! We feel blessed to be chosen as the Grand Marshals for this year’s Old Fort Boise Days. Our family moved here in July from Texas. Jeff is the principal at Parma Middle and Reagan teaches 1st grade at MJE. Their children, Brityn and Patton, are 10 and 7 and are about to finish 1st and 4th grades. Brityn loves horses and gymnastics and Patton loves drumming and sports! Jeff is excited about exploring Idaho and hiking and camping. Reagan is about to return to her alma mater, Boise State, to start working on her Masters in Counseling. We love Parma and are so happy to be a part of this amazing community!
2021 Old Fort Boise Days Theme Announced!
FUND FOR THE WHOLE HERD!
Since we didn’t get to use the chosen 2020 theme, we decided to use it for 2021. FUN FOR THE WHOLE HERD will be the 2021 theme for Old Fort Boise Days. The theme contest winner is Emellia Summers. She will ride in the parade as the JR Grand Marshal. We’re excited to see what float ideas will come from the theme.
** Thank you to all the students that participated in the theme contest!
Donate Now
Please support Old Fort Boise Days by donating today!
