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Preface to First Edition
I am very honored to be able to offer my viewpoint regarding "Rocks, Rails and Trails". This book is the natural progression of the class by the same name that Dr. Paul Link and Mr. Chilton Phoenix have been teaching through Idaho State University.

"Rocks, Rails and Trails" is a comprehensive guide to the history and geology of southeastern Idaho and gives one an appreciation of the tremendous forces of nature and the incredible perseverance of the human spirit which combined to create the wonderful place in which we live.

All to often, we get caught up in the day-to-day events of our modern world and forget about the land and the people who came before us. Paul and Chilton's book gives us the chance to rediscover and enjoy the history of the land and the people.

The compilations of historical photographs and personal accounts of the early inhabitants of our area brought together in this volume will excite and energize the reader to learn more about our physical and cultural environment.

You will also notice that the historic and geologic past is distinctly, and sometimes humorously, blended in with the issues and problems of our present-day lives. The authors gently point out that our problems and concerns, given the context of geologic time and prior human history, are a lot easier to solve than we may think.

I highly recommend that "Rocks, Rails and Trails" be given an honored place in your personal library. It is a fascinating book to read and will be a handy reference for the future. My thanks to Dr. Paul Link and Mr. Chilton Phoenix for compiling this outstanding work on Idaho geology and history.

Peter Angstadt
Mayor, City of Pocatello
June 20, 1994

"Potato-sized" basalt boulders being removed from site of new First Security Bank building, South Main Street, downtown Pocatello, (June, 1994). The boulders, both about 8 feet in diameter, were carried by the Lake Bonneville Flood from the Portneuf Narrows area.

Preface to Second Edition
 The first edition of Rocks, Rails and Trails sold out of its 1500-copy press run in 15 months, by March, 1996. It was the fastest-selling book in the history of ISU Press. As interest in Idaho history and the Oregon Trail grows, so does demand for this book. This second edition contains numerous minor changes which we hope will correct (almost) all the errors of fact and syntax in the first edition. We hope the second edition will stand for some years as a source of fact, reminiscence and pleasure related to southeastern Idaho.

We thank the many individuals who sent us corrections, in particular Fred Dykes (who provided 99 annotated comments), Marilyn Smith, Mary Dunham, and Dr. Alan Frantz. The Kackley Endowment again paid for typesetting costs. It was determined that marketing the book was more appropriate to the mission of the Idaho Museum of Natural History than to ISU Press. We are grateful to Dr. Allen Jackson, Museum Director, for his enthusiastic acceptance of this project, and to ISU President Dr. Richard Bowen for financial support of the second printing. Typesetting was by Brian Hawk, AutoCAD drafting by Jose Bunzow and Michelle Byrd, photographic assistance by Dave Myers, Susan Duncan and Julie Hillebrant.
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