Shoshone Falls, often referred to as the Niagara of the West, was formed nearly 14,000 years ago when the banks of huge Lake Bonneville (the remains of which are now known as The Great Salt Lake) burst and water flooded across the desert of northern Utah and southeastern Idaho and into the Snake River.  It now marks the upper limit of Salmon and other fish migration on the Snake. 
 
As well as being a source of food, over the centuries the falls served as a sacred place for many Native American tribes, especially the Lemhi Shoshone tribe for which the falls is named.