Our destination was Soda Springs, a mining town and rail stop. What’s mined nearby is phosphate, from which Monsanto, Simplot, and others extract elemental phosphorus, used in many things, including soft drinks and explosives.
It is open-pit mining, which creates enormous piles of overburden which they are required to carefully convert back into low mountains covered with grass. The mining area is, of necessity, not pretty but interesting.
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Apropos of the post immediately below, Idaho is next door to Wyoming. It has a state income tax, WY has none.
Along their shared border both have scenic and resort-like environments (no mining). Both states are politically conservative.
Which side of the border do you expect is more developed? If you guessed WY you'd be correct and the difference is dramatic. The only differentiator I can identify is the existence of an ID income tax.
