Ada County - by Hawley 1920

"As thus established, Ada County included the present counties of Canyon, Payette and Washington, and the greater part of Adams and Gem counties. The county is now bounded on the north by Gem County; on the northeast by Boise; on the east by Elmore; on the south by Owyhee, from which it is separated by the Snake River; and on the west by Canyon County. In the northern and eastern sections the surface is somewhat mountainous, but the land there is well adapted to stock raising, the fine pasturage supporting animals for about nine months out of the year without feeding.

"Boise City was named as the county seat in the act creating the county. Except the residents of the city the original settlers of the county were farmers and for the first few years barely made a living while putting their land in good condition for the production of crops. Irrigation had not been introduced, seed grain had to be brought from Oregon at considerable expense, none could afford to hire help, and it was not an uncommon occurrence for an Ada County farmer to go to some mining district and work a while for wages to buy the necessities of life for himself and family. Those who possessed cattle or sheep had better success, as the stock ranges were good and mutton and beef found a ready market in the mining camps. In fact the market was so good that quite a number of the farmers sold all their live stock to the butchers and left the country.

"The early records of the county are incomplete. but early in January, 1865, J. C. Geer was appointed sheriff; A. G. Cook, probate judge; L. D. Montgomery, auditor and recorder; A. G. Redway, treasurer: S. L. Carr, county clerk; William Law, Jr., clerk of the district court; S. S. King and Charles H. Warren, county commissioners—the records do not show the name of the third commissioner. In March, 1865, David C. Updyke succeeded Mr. Geer as sheriff; John T. H. Green's name appears in the records as treasurer; and Robert S. Gillespie succeeded A. G. Cook as probate judge. These officers served until the election in August, 1865.

"During the first ten years of the county's history the question of taxation and public expenditures caused considerable anxiety. County warrants were issued in payment of claims and these warrants were often sold for forty or fifty cents on the dollar. The Ninth Territorial Legislature, which met on December 4, 1876, passed an act providing that 35 per cent of all revenues collected in Ada County should be placed in a "Redemption Fund," to be used in paying outstanding warrants, and the other 65 per cent should be called the "Current Expense Fund," to be used in defraying the current expenses of the county. Under the operations of this act the outstanding warrants (about $80,000) soon went to par and in a few years the county was practically on a cash basis. The present courthouse, on the northeast corner of Sixth and Jefferson streets, was built in 1884.