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Twin Falls History Twin Falls has a strong sense of history. Shoshonian people settled in the region thousands of years ago, and during the mid-19th century, the area was heavily traveled by pioneers moving west on the Oregon Trail. Traces of the emigrant's route may still be seen near Twin Falls. Twin Falls itself was founded in 1904 to serve settlers arriving to take part in a new irrigation project spurred by the Carey Act, which encouraged pioneers to stake claims on 160-acre tracts at $25 an acre. Money made through the land sales was used to build canals to carry water from Milner Dam, constructed in 1905. Twin Falls was named the seat of newly created Twin Falls County in 1907. The irrigation project turned once-barren land into one of the nation's most productive farming regions, and when crops started springing up where once only sagebrush grew, the area became known as "the Magic Valley." The Perrine Bridge, completed in 1927 across the Snake River Canyon, was the highest cantilever bridge for its length in the world at the time, (It was replaced by the present span, the highest in Idaho, in 1976.) The Snake River Canyon is also noted as the site of Shoshone Falls, which -- at 212 feet tall -- is 25 feet higher than Niagara Falls. (The smaller but still pretty "Twin Falls" for which the city was named are located a mile or so upriver). Twin Falls' airport opened in 1948, followed by the town's first shopping center, the Lynwood, in 1957. The College of Southern Idaho began holding classes at Twin Falls High School in 1965, moving to its own campus three years later. Twin Falls is still an important agricultural center, with six of the city's 10 largest employers involved in processing food. Yet in recent years, Twin Falls has also evolved into the major retail and services hub for south-central Idaho and north-eastern Nevada. Twin Falls is enjoying a period of growth and prosperity spurred by new and relocating businesses and people seeking a better way of life, but it has succeeded in retaining a small-town friendliness long prized by residents and visitors alike.

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