In 1996, the Snake River Stampede donated 30 acres to the City of Nampa. The property was the original Snake River Stampede Rodeo grounds; In return the City would help the Rodeo Board build an asset that would be used 365 days a year instead of 5 days a year. was formed in 1994 and one of their projects was building the Idaho Center. The ground breaking for the 12,000 seat arena was in April 1996
and the first event, the Girls State Basketball Tournament, was held on February of 1997. That same year the Snake River Stampede moved to the Idaho Center where it is held the third week of July and the Continental Basketball Association made the Idaho Center their home. The first concert held at the Idaho Center was the Moody Blues. It now annually hosts such events as Snake River Stampede, Monster Jam, Vans Warped Tour, Mayhem Festival, Boys and Girls State Basketball tournaments, God and Country Rally, the Boys and Girls Club annual fundraiser, trade shows and many other concerts and community events. Three memorable events were the visit from President Bush, Eric Clapton (twice) and the Rolling Stones first ever visit to Idaho. In 1998 the Amphitheater was completed. The first concert hosted by the 11,000 seat Amphitheater was Shania Twain. The Idaho Center Sports Center was completed in 2002. The Sports Center is home to the Boise State University indoor track team from November to March each year. The first horse event held at the center was the Idaho Cutting Horse Futurity, in 2002. In 2003 the Idaho Center formed ICtickets. They not only handle all ticket sales for the Idaho Center, they handle ticket sales for several entertainment and production companies throughout the valley. The Ford Idaho Center is currently managed by Spectra Venue Management.
