SECTION D
IDAHO FALLS ON AIRMAIL ROUTE
Salt Lake - Great Falls Airline Planes Stop Here Daily
With over six years of operating experience in the air
transportation field, the Salt Lake - Great Falls Airline, operated
by Alfred Frank over the route formerly flown by the National Park
Airways, commenced direct airmail, passenger and express service to
and from Idaho Falls September 1. Having flown over three and one-
half million miles, this airline has provided facilities between
Great Falls, Helena, Butte, Pocatello, Ogden and Salt Lake City.
Idaho Falls has been served as a flag stop on the line until the
airmail inauguration September 1.
The Salt Lake - Great Falls line has carried approximately 14
million pieces of airmail during the six years of operation.
Passenger service has been utilized by nearly 13,000 travelers. The
line has flown two and one-half million passenger miles, an average
of 194 for each passenger trip. Over ten thousand pounds of express
have been carried over the route.
Poundage Increases
During the summer season of 1934, airmail poundage has shown
a marked increase over the same period of 1933. Now able to offer
Idaho Falls the same excellent service that has been provided other
line cities, the Salt Lake - Great Falls line looks forward to
receiving enough mail from this city to maintain this increase in
the mail poundage during the coming months.
Through its connections at Salt Lake and Butte, the Salt Lake
- Great Falls route provides over night airmail, passenger and
express service to Boise, Spokane and Seattle in the Pacific
northwest, to all important California centers, to Cheyenne,
Denver, Omaha, Des Moines, Kansas City and other eastern points.
The plane which leaves Idaho Falls at 7:15 p.m., southbound, makes
it possible through Salt Lake City connections with United Airlines
for mail, passenger and express to reach Chicago by 11 o'clock the
following morning, and New York City by 5:45 o'clock in the
following evening.
As soon as factory delivery is possible, the local line will
place into operation new fast planes that will cut the present
schedule approximately 40 per cent.
[Cartoon captions]
COMIC CHARACTERS SEND PAPER GREETINGS
BOYOBOY! DON'T THINK WE COULD MISS OUT ON THIS.
THERE YA ARE, 50 BLAZING CANDLES!
i WANNA BLOW 'EM OUT AN' MAKE A GOOD LUCK WISH FOR THE POST-
REGISTER
COME ON, CHICK, GET GOIN'! SAY HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS, LIKE WE
TOLDJA TO.
THE POST-REGISTER 50TH ANNIVERSARY
[Cartoon caption]
WELL, WELL, IF IT AIN'T OLD ANDY HIMSELF
HERE'S HOPING YOUR BIRTHDAYS NEVER CEASE --
GOOD LUCK
TO THE IDAHO FALLS POST REGISTER WITH BEST WISHES FOR CONTINUED
SUCCESS - FROM - THE GUMPS -
SIDNEY SMITH
Mayor Clark Offers His Congratulations
[with photo]
Please accept my sincere congratulations on your achievement
of fifty years of service. Your long life is in itself a proof of
vitality.
The Post-Register has proved itself truly pioneer and western
in its adaptability to circumstances and its fortunes have varied
with those of its chosen community. Established in Eagle Rock when
the railroad shops were here, it faced a promising future; with the
removal of the shops and the subsequent slump, this newspaper made
legal tender of wood, hay, spuds, or whatever its patrons could
bring in as the price of a subscription.
It has consistently boosted progressive ideas, from irrigation
canals to churches and schools. It has had definite party leanings,
but has made news paramount to politics and has more than once
stepped over party lines in what it considered the interests of
good government. In short, even after an election, it was still our
newspaper.
Because of all these things, the files of this paper provide
a more reliable history of the Upper Snake River Valley than any
other available source of information.
May your next fifty years add to this enviable record!
Yours very truly,
BARZILLA W. CLARK, Mayor.
UCON TOWN OF SEVERAL NAMES
Known by Three Distinct Names at One Time; Thriving Place
The present village of Ucon at one time had three distinct
names, all at the same time. The railroad station was called Elva,
the postoffice was known as Ako, and the ward was named Willow
creek. All three of these names have been discarded for the present
one, Ucon.
The land in Ucon vicinity was homesteaded in the late
seventies and early eighties. At that time all of the territory
that now comprises Poplar, Milo, Shelton, Ucon, Ririe and Coltman
was known as Willow creek.
School was first conducted in private homes, and later in a
log cabin built for the purpose. Religious meetings, too, were held
in the homes. The first postoffice in that section was in what is
now the Milo community; it was called Leeorin, presumably in honor
of the first postmaster, Orin Lee. Mail was delivered twice a week.
Ward Organized
In 1888, the L. D. S. ward was organized. Meetings were held
in a log chapel. The territory included in the original Willow
creek ward has been divided to form five separate wards. The
present chapel was built in 1896 and the recreation hall in 1898.
The recreation hall, unpainted and tottering, has been the scene of
hundreds of dances. It is still in use.
D. T. Ingersoll ran the first store at Ucon. His business was
later taken over by the Groom brothers. The railroad company asked
the community to submit a name for its station when the railroad
was built through the village. Elva was chosen by popular acclaim.
Postal authorities objected to this name for the postoffice, so the
name Ako was selected by Robert Andrus, the postmaster, and
accepted by the postoffice department. The ward was still known as
Willow creek. The community has since been renamed Ucon.
School House Built
A brick four room school building was erected to replace the
first log structure. Since that time the present brick building has
supplemented the schooling facilities. Ucon conducts a rural high
school, at which about 125 students attend. [Buses] are in the
surrounding communities to bring the high school children to
school. Thirteen teachers are employed in the elementary and
secondary system. A flour mill and several stores and gasoline
stations make up Ucon's business section.
Many of Ucon's first families still reside on their homesteads
in and around the village. Among those who should be mentioned as
early settlers are the following family names: Robinson, Simmons,
Thompson, Nelson, Storer, Andrus, Groom, Berrett, Huffaker, Bates,
Ritchie, Nowlin, Coupler, Coles, Buck, Kiefer and Jackson.
IDAHO GOLD HUNT BOOMS
Higher Prices for Yellow Metal Stirs Activity in Field
BOISE. (UP) --....
[This story does not concern Idaho Falls, so it is not copied.]
Jerry Dineen is Colorful Figure in City's History
One of the most colorful personalities of Idaho Falls during
its epic of growth from jerk-water station to metropolis, is Jerry
Dineen, who came here exactly 50 years ago. Jerry, who is known
throughout the valley as a sportsman and conversationalist, came to
Eagle Rock in 1884 "with a guitar and one collar."
Jerry had already traveled the United States from east to
west, and north to south, with extra trips to Canada and Alaska,
before he was sent here from Chicago by the Pullman company to
paint seven railroad cars, he said. In his own words he found the
"nicest people in the world" in this region, and so he remained,
making Idaho Falls his home for an even half century.
Jerry ran a saloon for 11 years following his arrival here. He
boasts today that no minors were ever sold liquor in his
establishment, nor did anyone ever become intoxicated there. His
saloon was a self-styled "reading room for gentlemen," he says.
Was Under Sheriff.
In 1887, Jerry served as under sheriff. He was deputy for
several years, under Ed Winn. On one occasion, during his tenure of
office, Lum Nickerson, with Ed Harrington, Woods, and Jackson,
horse thieves, held up the jail, forced Dineen and all others who
happened along at that moment, into cells, locked them up, and
escaped, he says. They were afterwards caught, and two of them
hanged. Woods, a negro barber, and Jackson were executed, according
to Jerry. Nickerson was given six months, for holding up the jail
and Harrington 25 years for theft. Harrington was later found to
have been "framed" and was released through the efforts of Mr.
Dineen, after serving 18 months in prison.
Jerry has always been a traveler. He made a trip to Ottawa,
Canada, near Toronto, every year to see his mother, who lived at
that place. According to Jerry, his mother lived to be 102 years
old, having been buried the day Jerry was 77 years old.
Today, at 83, he is a familiar figure at the Elk's club, where
he is known and accepted as a "dead game sport," whose art of
living lies in a happy-go-lucky enjoyment of all life has to offer.
photo caption: JERRY DINEEN
Flow of Natural Gas Is Reported
Heavy flow of gas from the old boring of the original
operating company in the Teton valley has been reported by John
Boyd, secretary of the Grand Teton Oil company, after visiting the
property. Mr. Boyd said Walter Preston, president of the Cascade
Oil company of California, joint operator with the Grand Teton
company in drilling of a deep well on the Horseshoe creek structure
in Teton county, was in Idaho Falls buying supplies for the camp
near Driggs.
"Mr. Preston," Mr. Boyd states, "reports a heavy flow of
natural gas in the old well drilled in 1925 by the Teton Valley
Land company was succeeded by the Grand Teton. This well was
abandoned late in 1925 at a depth of 1322 feet. The present
operator, who plans to drill the new well about 1000 feet south of
this old location, was pulling casing from the old well when, at a
depth of around 1000 feet, gas blew water to the top of the
derrick. Mr. Preston plans to cap this flow and utilize the gas in
drilling the new well."
Georg W. Edgington, president of the Grand Teton said:
"Beginning of actual drilling has been delayed by the great amount
of preparatory work necessary. Mr. Preston has spent the better
part of a month salvaging casing from the Blevins well, drilled by
this company, and putting down a new water well. The quantity of
oil seeping from the old water well has rendered the water unfit
for boiler use. Also, it has been necessary to grade the gravel
road to the well, so that heavy machinery may be moved over it in
rainy weather.
"The new well has been located and the derrick is now being
built," Mr. Edgington continued. "Mr. Preston has a crew of 15 men
at work and expects to drill the new well to completion within 60
days."
IRRIGATION HISTORY GIVEN
Lynn Crandall, Watermaster, Writes of Work Done in 50 Years.
By LYNN CRANDALL
The early settlers who first dug the canals diverting water
from Snake river during the eighties held the opinion for many
years that the river could never be drained dry. The year 1889 was
one of short run-off, but the area irrigated at that time was so
limited that the shortage in water supply was not of material
consequence. During the summer of that year, however, the river
dropped to a flow of 2200 second-feet at Idaho Falls, and Willow
creek is reported to have gone dry at the mouth of its canyon near
Ririe, as it has done during 1934 for the first time since 1889.
During the early 1890's the river discharged large volumes of
water, culminating in 1894 in the heaviest run-off ever experienced
on the stream since records of its flow have been secured. In 1894
the river at Idaho Falls, then Eagle Rock, reached a maximum
discharge during June of over 70,000 second-feet, filling the
canyon at Idaho Falls to the height of the stringers on the old
bridge across the river at that point. Diversions by the canals at
that time scarcely made an impression on a discharge of that
magnitude, and the stream flowed in apparently undiminished volume
to the ocean.
In 1905 the first shortage of water was experienced on the
river. During the latter part of the summer in that year the river
went dry below the lowest canal heading near Blackfoot and remained
dry for a period of several months. At that time the rights of the
various canals had never been adjudicated, but the shortage
experienced in 1905 led to the so-called Rexburg water suit, and
after several years of collecting testimony, making surveys of
irrigated areas, etc., a decree was entered in 1910 adjudicating
the water rights of all canals above Blackfoot. This decree awarded
rights of 12,278 second-feet to canals diverting from the main
river between Heise and Blackfoot, 6048 second-feet to canals
diverting from the North fork, Teton and Fall rivers, and about 800
second-feet to diversions from miscellaneous tributaries or a total
of about 19,000 second-feet to canals in the so-called upper valley
above American Falls. Subsequent decrees added about 2290 second-
feet of flood-water rights to upper valley canals, as well as
19,000 second-feet of rights to lower valley canals below
Blackfoot, making a total of rights now decreed of about 40,000
second feet from Snake river and its principal tributaries. This
water is used for the irrigation of about 1,250,000 acres of land
in water district No. 36, extending north and east from Twin Falls
to the state line. Inasmuch as this acreage requires several times
as much water as is afforded by the natural flow of the river
during the late summer there has been a continuous development of
storage reservoirs to furnish water during periods of shortage.
Lake Walcott, formed by the Minidoka dam, was developed in 1908 to
store about 100,000 acre-feet for the Minidoka project. Jackson
lake dam was built at the same time to hold about 400,000 acre-
feet. It was later enlarged, in 1915, by dredging the old outlet
channel and raising the dam to its present capacity of 847,000
acre-feet. Of the present capacity of Jackson lake, 102,000 acre-
feet is owned by canals above Blackfoot, 326,000 acre-feet by the
Minidoka project, and 10,000 acre-feet by the North Side Canal
company and 97,000 acre-feet by the Twin Falls Canal company.
Henry's Lake
Henry's lake reservoir was completed in 1923 to hold about
80,000 acre-feet for use of canals in the vicinity of St. Anthony.
Due to low run-off it has not been over one-third filled for a
number of years past.
American Falls, the last and largest reservoir on the stream,
was completed in 1926 to store 1,700,000 acre-feet, of which about
390,000 acre-feet is owned or leased by canals above Blackfoot and
the balance by lower valley canals below American Falls. The upper
canals are able to secure American Falls water through exchange for
water in Jackson lake belonging to the Minidoka and Twin Falls
projects.
At the time that plans for the American Falls reservoir were
being prepared it was believed that this reservoir would furnish an
adequate water supply for the existing projects on the river and
permit the irrigation of some additional land north of the present
Minidoka project, extending from the town of Minidoka westward. For
a period of 12 years from 1907 to 1918, inclusive, the average
annual run-off of Snake river at American Falls, had been 7,500,000
acre-feet, of which not over 3,000,000 acre feet annually were
required to supply downstream projects. Beginning in 1919, however,
the river run-off began to suffer a relapse. During the ensuing 10
years it averaged only 5,600,000 acre-feet annually, while for the
past five years it has only averaged 3,700,000 acre-feet, reaching
a low point in 1934 of less than 3,000,000 acre-feet at American
falls.
This record of decreasing river flow has been paralleled by
and is the result of a lessened precipitation on the watershed.
During the years of high river run-off, from 1906 to 1918, the
average annual precipitation at Idaho Falls was 14.4 inches. These
were the years of the great development of dry farm wheat lands on
the Snake river plains. During subsequent years the precipitation
steadily declined and for the past five years has averaged only 9.5
inches annually at Idaho Falls.
How long the downward trend may continue is a matter of
speculation. It is known that in past ages great changes in climate
have occurred in this area. At one time the precipitation was so
heavy for years that Great Salt lake overflowed the rim of its
drainage basin into Portneuf river and discharged past Pocatello
into the Snake river. The large boulders now encountered in
excavations in Pocatello are silent witnesses of the former
existence of this overflow from the ancestral Great Salt Lake. On
the other hand, there are geologic evidences of long periods of
extremely arid conditions.
Fresh Water Examined
Several fresh water lakes in western Nevada were examined by
I. C. Russell of the U. S. geological survey in 1885. These lakes
are located in the basin of the ancient Lake Lahontan. When the
waters of this ancient lake receded because of climatic changes
they became salty and as they completed disappeared the salt became
buried and absorbed by playa clays. From a study of the present and
ancient lakes, as well as tree ring records in the high Sierras,
the geologists concluded in 1885 that the then existing wet period
began some time before 1870 and had been preceded by an arid period
lasting for 250 years. In this connection the tree ring record of
the Fifield basin juniper that was cut in 1929 on the desert
southwest of Idaho Falls is of interest. This tree started to grow
in the year 300 A. D. and lived for over 1600 years. It is by far
the oldest tree that has ever been found in Idaho and ranks in age
with many of the California redwoods. There are many variations in
its growth from year to year, but over long time periods it showed
wet periods about the years 600, from 1220 to 1300, 1400 to 1500,
and 1850 to 1920. Particularly dry periods occurred from 800 to
1000 and from 1720 to 1820. The record of the growth of this tree
discloses several periods in its history when for a century or more
at a time its rate of growth was far less than during the
relatively recent period that the region has been settled and water
used for irrigation.
The Shoshone Indians have a tribal legend of a time when the
river was dry at Idaho Falls and they had to "go way up" to get
water. Perhaps this occurred during the drouth of about 1740
indicated by the tree rings.
Regardless of tribal legends and tree ring records, however,
Snake river irrigators are planning for still further conservation
of the stream flow to tide them over during short years such as are
now being experienced. Reservoir sites at various points on the
upper reaches of the river are now being studied by the United
States bureau of reclamation. Many of these sites are located at
points where basaltic lava flows have changed the ancient stream
channels, and this fact resulted in disappointing reports from the
drilling operations and ground-water studies at a number of sites
that were superficially favorable. Sites on the Teton river below
Tetonia, North fork at Trude ranch, and South fork at Dry Canyon
below Swan Valley have been found unsatisfactory on account of
likelihood of heavy leakage from the proposed reservoirs. Upwards
of $100,000 has been expended during the past three years by the
bureau of reclamation in the study of these sites. The problems
involved are such as require the best judgment of skilled
geologists and engineers. The estimated cost of construction of the
proposed dams will amount to about $10,000,000 and on a project of
that magnitude the most complete preliminary investigations are
warranted, so that the undertaking will be a success insofar as can
be humanly possible.
At the present time the principal sites under investigation on
the North fork are the Buffalo site and Ashton site. The former is
located on Henry's fork, a mile above the mouth of the Buffalo
river, where a dam can be built to store about 100,000 acre-feet.
The latter is at the Ashton power dam on the North fork near
Ashton, which can be raised to store about 45,000 acre-feet.
Two sites on the South fork are being explored at the present
time. At the Grand Valley site a reservoir would be formed by a dam
in the narrow river canyon at Calamity Point between Swan Valley
and Grand Valley. A dam could be built to store a million acre-feet
at this point. The foundation for the dam is clay to a depth of 200
feet or more, and it would probably be necessary to build an
earthen dam on that account. Backwater would extend to the Alpine
bridge above the mouth of Salt river. The other site now being
drilled is the Johnny Counts site in Wyoming, at the head of the
river canyon below the mouth of the Hoback river at the lower end
of Jackson's Hole.
Need Idaho Reservoir
From the standpoint of Idaho waterusers it would be preferable
to have a reservoir in Idaho rather than in Wyoming, so as to avoid
questions of property damage and taxation, either of the irrigation
works or power output, etc. It is hoped that by the end of the
current year the bureau of reclamation will be prepared to state
definitely where dams might feasibly be constructed on the upper
river.
Inasmuch as American Falls reservoir has not filled for four
years past, the question naturally arises as to where any water is
to come from to fill additional reservoirs. The principal source of
water supply will be the surplus waters of years of high run-off
that now flow to the ocean, supplemented by saving water now
utilized for power below American Falls during the non-irrigation
season. It is proposed that the new reservoirs will be built of
sufficient capacity to hold water for periods of four or five years
from the wet years to the dry ones. In this connection, the records
of water discharged past Milner, the point of lowest canal
diversion on the river, since American Falls reservoir was built in
1926, are of interest. All water passing Milner goes to the ocean
and is unutilized for irrigation. In 1927 American Falls reservoir
filled and 1,700,000 acre-feet additional passed Milner. In 1928
the reservoir filled again and 3,900,000 acre-feet was discharged
past Milner.In 1929 the reservoir reached 1,570 000 acre-feet with
2,000,000 acre-feet passing Milner.In 1930 the reservoir stored
1,320,000 acre-feet after discharging 1,200,000 acre-feet past
Milner. In 1931 the reservoir held 1,550,000 acre-feet and 600,000
acre-feet spilled past Milner. In 1932 the reservoir filled to
1,280,000 acre-feet and discharged 350,000 acre-feet past MIlner.
In 1933 it stored 1,400,000 acre-feet and spilled 370,000 acre-
feet. In 1934 it reached 1,140,000 acre-feet with 170,000 acre-feet
passing Milner. The reduction in discharge past Milner during the
last few years has been brought about by agreement with the Idaho
Power company whereby that company has voluntarily refrained from
drawing all of its so-called secondary storage right.
Power rights below American Falls that are of earlier priority
than the reservoir right consist, first, of a right owned by the
government power plant at Minidoka dam to use 2700 second-feet.
About 1800 second feet of this right is used during the winter
months to carry the present load. During the five winter months
this would amount to about 540,000 acre-feet. The canals at Milner,
however, draw about 360,000 acre-feet of this amount for stock and
domestic water during the same period, leaving the rest to spill
over MIlner dam. The other power right is that owned by the Idaho
Power company. This consists, first, of a primary right to draw
45,000 acre-feet from the reservoir at any time of the year and to
have this amount discharged past Milner for use by power plants at
Shoshone Falls, Salmon Falls and Swan Falls. The secondary right of
the Idaho Power company is to the use of the first 255,000 acre-
feet entering the reservoir after October 1 of each year to be used
at American Falls before the beginning of the ensuing irrigation
season. A portion of this right estimated at about 100,000 acre
feet annually, may be required to pass Milner to maintain certain
specified discharges at the head of Shoshone Falls if the water
being used by the Minidoka government plant is insufficient to
maintain the specified quantities. The balance of the Idaho Power
company's right is available after passing the reservoir, for use
by canals between American Falls and Milner, if desired.
Arid Cycle
If the present arid cycle continues, the exigencies of the
situation will require that the river be kept practically dry at
American Falls during the winter months. To do this will require
that an amount of power equivalent to that now being produced be
furnished to the government power plant and the Idaho Power company
and that arrangements be made to furnish stock and domestic water
from wells and cisterns on the two Twin Falls projects. The least
amount of water ever discharged from American Falls reservoir
during the non-irrigation season occurred last winter and amounted
to 678,000 acre-feet. This would have filled the reservoir last
spring, with 100,000 acre-feet to spare.
A study of these figures will demonstrate that by creating new
holdover storage of large capacity in connection with a program to
eliminate winter discharges past American Falls, a reasonably safe
additional water supply can be developed for use during the dry
years unless the river run-off should decline still forther below
anything heretofore experienced. In such an event, of course, the
situation would be more or less hopeless except for what slight
relief could be afforded in limited areas by pumping from ground-
water supplies.
There are many problems involved in working out a program of
this nature to take care of established rights. The present dry
year, however, has greatly stimulated general interest in the
subject and it is to be hoped that the bureau of reclamation will
be able to present some kind of a plan for the consideration of the
Snake river waterusers as soon as it is determined where the new
storage facilities can be most economically and safely constructed.
PHOTOS AND CAPTIONS:
BRIDGES--A PART OF IDAHO FALLS' HISTORY
THE OLD TAYLOR TOLL BRIDGE (upper) was the foundation rock upon
which Eagle Rock and later Idaho Falls was built. The city was
known first as Taylor Bridge, then as Eagle Rock, and, finally, as
Idaho Falls. Trucking teams going into and from Montana used the
old bridge as the river crossing. Below is the new concrete bridge
erected a short distance from the old toll bridge. Traffic to
Montana still passes over the new concrete structure, one of the
finest in the state.
Directory of Idaho Falls Business and Professional Men
Otto E. McCutcheon
Attorney and Counsellor-at-Law.
Suite 207-209 Salisbury Bldg., Idaho Falls, Idaho
Mc Lean Wright
Lawyer
Idaho Falls, Idaho, Phones 417 or 217
Stanley Crowley
Public Accountant
Shane Building, Phone 380
Bonneville Abstract Co.
Geo. F. Gagon, Mgr.
Suite 211, Earl Building, Idaho Falls, Bonded for Your Protection
C. E. Crowley
iAttorney at Law
Austin Building, Phone 110
Charles R. Crowley
Bonded Collector
214 Shane Bldg., Phone 139, Idaho Falls, Idaho. Est. 1914
O. A. Johannesen
Attorney
J. C. Penney Bldg., Phone 852
Harrison Dennis
Attorney at Law
207 Shane Bldg., Phone 124
H. Mark Earl
Attorney at Law
226 Salisbury Building, Phone 143-W
Hoyt Ray
Law Offices
Rogers Building, Idaho Falls, Idaho
D. E. Rathbun
Attorney at Law
Suite 210-211, Salisbury Bldg., Idaho Falls
Paul T. Peterson
Lawyer
Fair Store Building, Phone 120
Walker W. Davis
Assistant Manager, Prudential Insurance Co. of Eastern Idaho,
Shane Building, Phone 208
C. W. Sandles
Attorney at Law
Rogers Bldg., Phone 528
The D. V. Groberg Co.
Operating General Insurance and Loans
202 Shane Bldg., Phone 380, Idaho Falls
VALLEY SCOUTS LEAD REGION
H. S. Alvord Reviews History of Movement in Upper Valley.
BY HARRALD S. ALVORD
Wide interest is evidenced in this section of the valley in
the boy scout movement, one of the largest organizations in the
entire valley. In Teton Peaks council, 22,000 miles, or one fourth
of Idaho and a part of Wyoming, there are 1671 boys registered in
90 scout troops. The scouts are supervised by 466 registered
American citizens.
Through advancement more than 367 boys have become first class
scouts in the past year. Vocational subjects are studied, resulting
in a total of 3897 merit badges being awarded to this group of
boys. The Teton Peaks council, Harrald S. Alvord, scout executive,
reports, has actively enrolled approximately one half of all the
boys of scouting age. Awards are made at a court of honor held once
a month in one of the districts.
A carefully supervised summer program is maintained in the
council for the purpose of giving every boy a full share of outdoor
life. In the past few months more than 40 troops under their own
troop leadership conducted a summer camp for at least one week.
Before attending camp each boy is thoroughly examined by his family
physician. Minor defects are discovered and remedied before they
become permanent. All camp meals were regularly and carefully
planning and swimming, boating and canoeing, though carefully
supervised, was a daily part of each scout's day.
Leads Northwest
The Teton Peaks council during the past year has led the four
northwestern states in national accomplishments. Each scout is
expected to assist in service wherever he may be. Hundreds of
examples of willing community service is recorded in this council,
Mr. Alvord reports.
Mr. Alvord is scout executive of Teton Peaks council and other
officers and committee chairmen directing the work of the
organization include David Smith, president; D. F. Richards,
treasurer; John E. Kelly of Shelley, finance chairman; Frank Turner
of Rexburg, chairman of troop organization; Francis W. Moss of
Driggs, chairman of camping; Edwin F. McDermott, chairman of
publicity; E. S. Stucki of Rexburg, chairman of reading; Rulon
Doman, chairman of the sea scouts; C. Ben Holliday of Shelley,
chairman of health and safety; Dr. H. Ray Hatch, chairman of [the
court of honor]; Dr. J. W. West, scout commissioner for the
council. There is a vice president for each of the seven districts
including Warren S. Tew of Shelley, Clarence S. Johnson of Idaho
Falls, S. R. Wilkinson of Rigby, D. L. Waldran of Sugar City, E. N.
Jergensen of St. Anthony, W. L. Kilpack of Driggs and William
Hansen of Tetonia.
World Movement
The world interest in the boy scout movement challenges the
intelligent understanding of every one, and yet many people still
ask: "What is scouting?" "What do boy scouts do?"
The boy scout idea is a movement rather than an organization.
It aims to supplement existing organizations--such as the home,
church and school--by engaging the boys' leisure energies in
outdoor games and activities of cultural and practical value.
The aim of the scout movement is to inculcate character,
which, though essential to a success in life, being largely a
matter of environment, is too gnerally left to chance, often with
deplorable results. The scout movement endeavors to supply the
required environment and ambitions through games and outdoor
activities, which lead a boy to become a beter man, a good citizen.
What Scouting Is
Scouting is the process of making real men out of real boys by
a real program that works.
Scouting is outdoor life, and so health, strength, happiness,
and practical education. By combining wholesome, attractive,
outdoor activities with the influence of the scout oath and law,
the movement develops character.
It develops the power of initiative and resourcefulness.
It helps boys.
It insures good citizenship.
The boy scout movement healthfully and sanely offsets the
disadvantages which civilization has caused.
The Scout Program
Scouting is a game, a way to live.
Scout leaders everywhere know the essential elements in the
boy scout program are the scout oath and law and the ideals of
service resulting in the practice of the daily good turn and
organized service for others. All scout activities should be
regarded as a means of making ideals effective.
Conservation of Boyhood
Conservation of our natural resources is universally approved,
but of what value would material resources be unless we conserve
the moral, intellectual, and physical future of the coming
generation?
Prevention is recognized as better and less expensive than
cure. The boy scout movement takes the boy at the time of life when
he is beset with the new and bewildering experience of adolescence
and diverts his thoughts therefrom to wholesome and worthwhile
activities. In this manner our character building movement has done
much in numerous cities to diminish the problem of juvenile
delinquency.
The war brought with it a relaxation of moral fiber, which is
disastrous to youth unless offset by powerful positive influences.
Scouting is just such a powerful, positive, counteracting
influence. Its program offers an answer to the boy problems which
proves--
"Doing Is Learning"
The Boy Scouts of America want to help boys on leaving school
to escape the evils of "blind alley" occupations--that is, such
work as gives the boy a mere wage for the moment, but leaves him
stranded without any trade or handicraft to pursue when he is a
man, and so sends him as a recruit to the great army of unemployed
and, what is worse, the unemployable. "Doing is learning," and when
a scout in the formative stage of life has this lesson thoroughly
impressed upon his mind which a scout receives in his
impressionable years prepares him ito meet emergencies covering the
entire range of existence, which may develop later in his life.
Scoutcraft Instruction
Scoutcraft includes instruction in first aid, lifesaving,
tracking, signaling, cooking, nature study, seamanship, campcraft,
woodcraft, chivalry and all of the handicrafts.
In scouting the boy does not stand still. The opportunity and
has has learned to be resourceful. The simple help-yourself
experience incentive and progress are always at hand.
He first becomes a tenderfoot, then a second class scout, who
may qualify for five merit badges, and then a first class scout.
After this the whole sphere of the scout program is made available
by the boy's own application in qualifying himself to meet the
requirements of the various merit badges.
A boy takes up a hobby with the same zest that he plays tennis
or football, and that hobby may become his trade. In other words,
a boy has transferred his efforts from idle play or harmful
mischief to vital achievements. And when the boy has learned to
think constructively through the agency of play his problems are
greatly simplified and his life more worth the living.
Over 707,500 boys are now registered--673,533 as scouts and
34,065 as cubs. In addition to these, about 5,500,000 other boys
and men who are more or less actively following out the scout and
cub programs, because they have at some time within the last 24
years come within the influence of scout training.
Sixty five thousand and ninety four clean men--largely college
bred--are scoutmasters and assistants. Another 126,874 men, 21
years of age and over, act as councilmen, troop committeemen, and
counselors. THere are 4674 cubbers. They receive no pay, but they
must be carefully selected, trained, and stimulated by healthful
publications and field work.
No expensive equipment is required. All that is needed is the
out of doors, a group of boys, and a competent leader.
Neither Military nor Anti-Military
As an organization the scout movement is not military in
thought, form, or spirit. The uniform, the patrol, the troop and
the drill are not for military tactics; they are for the unity, the
harmony, and the rhythm of spirit that boys learn in scouting. It
is in the wearing of the uniform and doing of things together as
scouts that they absorb the force and truth of the scout law, which
states: "A scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other
scout."
Experience has demonstrated that outdoor scout training, with
its cooking, camping, hiking, signaling, map reading, electricity,
knowledge of woodcraft, and ability to care for one's self in the
open helps him immeasurably in fitting a man for citizenship.
Scouting as a teenage boy program is not militaristic and is
patriotic and trains for citizenship.
Religious Policy
Scouting presents great opportunities for the development of
the boy religiously. It aims to develop the boy physically,
mentally and morally.
The movement has been developed on such broad lines as to
embrace all classes, all creeds, and at the same time to allow the
greatest possible independence to individual organizations,
officers and boys.
The Boy Scouts of America maintain that no boy can grow into
the best kind of citizenship without recognizing his obligation to
God. The recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the
universe and the grateful acknowledgment of His favors and
blessings are necessary to the best type of citizenship and are
wholesome things in the education of the growing boy. No matter
what the boy may be--Catholic or Protestant or Jew--this
fundamental need of good citizenship should be kept before him.
The Boy Scouts of America as an organized body therefore
recognizes the religious element in the training of a boy, but it
is absolutely nonsectarian in its attitude toward that religious
training. Its policy is that the religious organizatin or
institution with which the boy scout is connected shall give
definite attention to this religious life.
PROMINENT IN LOCAL CIRCLES
(PHOTO CAPTIONS)
W. W. CHRISTENSEN, newly appointed superintendent of the Idaho
Falls schools. Mr. Christensen came here from Price Utah where he
was superintendent of the Carbon county school system.
JOHN N. HART just retired as president of the Lion's club, is owner
and manager of the Home Bakery, one of the largest bakeries in
Idaho and makers of Betsy Ross bread and pastries.
WILLIAM S. HOLDEN, local attorney, with offices in the American
National Bank building. Mr. Holden is state chairman of the young
Republicans and was recently elected chairman of the Bonneville
county central committee.
RALPH ALBAUGH prominent attorney with offices in the Earl building.
Mr. Albaugh is Republican state committman, and has made Idaho
Falls his home for many years.
(Photos by George M. Scott and Sons.)
St. Anthony Becomes One of Leading Upper Valley Cities
Frank W. Ross Filed Townsite Record in 1895
Named Fremont County City and Incorporated As Village in 1899.
(Special to The Post-Register)
ST. ANTHONY, Sept. 9.--The land upon which St. Anthony is located
was first filed upon as a desert claim by Carlos H. Moon in 1890.
He built the first house on his farm home and this log dwelling
stood at the corner of Bridge and Main streets until a modern
service station was built there six years ago. Frank W. Ross
acquired the land by deed from Moon and filed the townsite plat in
1895. Fremont county, embracing at that time the present Fremont,
Clark, Teton, Madison and Jefferson counties, had been organized in
1893, and named for John C. Fremont, the pathfinder who led a
company of soldiers across the southern part of Idaho in 1843. St.
Anthony was named the county seat and was incorporateed as a
village in 1899. Mr. Moon gave the spot its name because of a
fancied resemblance to St. Anthony Falls, Minn. As more settlers
appeared, he operated a small store and postoffice built a a few
rods from his house. The county built a bridge across the Snake
river just below the present bridge which connects the north and
south parts of the city, thus making the village accessible from
both sides of the river.
Egin District Formed
The Egin Irrigating company had been formed early in the
history of the county, and this company erected the first public
building in St. Anthony. Stores of logs were soon built, W. M.
Hopkins and Sons having the first mercantile establishment of any
size. This was a two story building, the upper floor being used as
an "opera house" for many years.
The first court house was a wooden building on the present
court house site, but housed only a portion of the county offices.
Most of these were on a fee basis in the early days. The probate
... as also the county superintendent of schools, and the office of
assessor and tax collector were held by one person....
The first hotel was a frame building with 10 rooms, the bar
being an important place for congregating in the early 1900's.
The railroad extended its branch line from Idaho Falls on to
St. Anthony in 1900, giving a real stimulus to the growing
community. The depot was built about a half mile south of the
river, and a boom was then started to create a business section
near the depot. The Boston store and various other establishments
flourished on the south side for a number of years, but the main
business section remained north of the river. Rice and Finley
started the first bank, and soon outside capital became interested
in a bank which later became the First National, with Guy E.
Bowerman as cashier. Various enterprises became rooted in the early
part of the century, including the C. W. and M. hardware, Miller
Brothers' grain elevator and feed company, sugar beet companies and
Colter-Adams seed company. Today this latter industry is a large
factor in the economic life of the community, with several well
established seed pea companies employing hundreds of workers
annually during the growing and sorting seasons. A flour mill was
built in 1905, filling a long felt need. Numerous business firms
have located in St. Anthony during the past 20 years, until it is
now a thriving city of 2927 inhabitants.
Many Churches in City
Churches include the L.D.S. whose large tabernacle, started in
1909 and completed in 1916, is an imposing edifice, and the center
of many social and civic functions as well as religious services.
The Community church was built several years ago on the site of the
former Presbyterian church, and is one of the most attractive small
church buildings in this section. Catholic, Christian Science and
Episcopal churches have also been built.
The St. Anthony public school system ranks high among those of
the same classification in the state, and its graduates acquit
themselves well in colleges or business enterprises. Two buildings,
the Lincoln and the Central, accommodate the students, and 28
teachers are employed in the city system.
The Idaho Industrial Training school was created by an act of
the legislature in 1903 and is located two miles west of St.
Anthony. In the 30 years of its existence it has developed into a
nationally known institution, and now ranks among the top three
correctional schools in the United States. There are now 18
buildings, 15 of them brick, including a hospital, gymnasium with
tiled swimming pool, and one of the most modern class room
buildings in the west. The two latter are among those built by the
boys in the school with bricks made in the school brickyard. Trades
of many kinds are taught, and music is stressed in band and
orchestra. The girls' cottages were built one-half mile east of the
main group of buildings. An average of 225 boys and 65 girls were
in the school last year and there are 53 officers in charge of the
various phases of work. Six hundred fifty acres are included in the
school farm, and 110 registered Holsteins are included in the dairy
herd.
The list of service organizations in St. Anthony is headed by
a live chamber of commerce and includes the St. Anthony Woman's
club, B.P.W. club, many active lodges and Boy and Girl Scout
troops, besides the American Legion post, which owns a building
where meetings, banquets and dances are held. Their memorial
doughboy statue has been given a picturesque setting in City park,
which is located on the island in Snake river east of the city.
Fremont Big County
Fremont county, of which St. Anthony is the county seat, is
roughly triangular in shape, bounded by Teton, Jefferson and
Madison counties on the south, Clark county on the west, Montana on
the north and Yellowstone park and Wyoming on the east. The county
extends approximately 54 miles at the widest part of the base and
is the same distance from the base to the vertex of the triangle,
with a total area of 1872 square miles. The first settlers located
on what is now known as Egin bench, an extremely productive section
and one of the few sub-irrigated areas in the world. This fact,
however, was not known by the pioneers, who found after the Egin
canal was built that the water seeped out too fast to allow for
successful irrigation. After several discouraging seasons, many of
these settlers deserted these rich lands for other sections which
furnished more satisfactory irrigation. After a time it was found
that the canal was filling its entire length, and farms were again
taken up. The theory of sub-irrigation is that a basin of lava rock
exists under the soil and gravel, and when the basin becomes full
of water, it is only necessary to regulate the moisture on the top
of the soil by lowering or raising the water in the canals.
There are now 24 canal systems in Fremont county, all but one
of which have been dug by the farmers themselves and are owned by
them. The principal river is the North fork of the Snake, known by
many as Henry's fork, since Capt. Andrew Henry was the first white
man to build a fort on its shores, in 1810. This Fort Henry site
has been commemorated with a monument, unveiled in St. Anthony
August 25, 1934. Other rivers are Fall river and Teton river, which
are fed from numerous creeks arising in the Teton range, whose
sublime peaks are visible from many sections of Fremont county.
Extensive Dry Farm Area
An extensive dry farm area is found in the northern and
eastern sections of the county, making wheat one of the principal
crops, with 1,197,478 bushels harvested in 1930, according to the
government census. A total of 252,617 bushels of oats, 76,755
bushels of barley, 13,918 tons of sugar beets and 45,386 tons of
hay were raised in the county that year and 888,253 bushels of
potatoes. Seed peas are also a major crop, with yields per acre on
all crops being consistently high. Apples, cherries, plums and
small fruits are raised to a small extent. Dairying is becoming an
important industry, with poultry and livestock being raised more
than sufficient to meet the county's needs. The county agent
reports 1056 farm units in operation at the present time.
The Targhee National forest covers approximately half of the area
of Fremont county and is the location for excellent fishing and
hunting in season, as well as an extremely popular recreational
area with easily accessible camping spots near the Yellowstone
highway, which bisects the county.
A number of elaborate summer homes have been built by eastern
capitalists, such as Guggenheim, Harriman and Trude, and in recent
years many exclusive clubs from other sections of the nation have
been started.
The forest is also an important economic asset, with thousands
of loads of standing dead timber being given to the public for fuel
each year. Grazing permits were issued for 218,493 sheep, 10,601
cattle and 1189 horses last year.
Ashton, with a population of 1022, is the second largest city
in the county, with Teton, Parker and Newdale next. The total
population of the county was 9924 in the 1930 census.
Photo captions:
VIEWS OF ST. ANTHONY BUILDINGS
HERE ARE THREE of the large number of modern buildings that help to
make St. Anthony an outstanding city in the Upper Snake River
Valley. At the top is a picture of the Fremont county court house.
in the center is the L. D. S. tabernacle. At the bottom is a view
of buildings at the Idaho Industrial and Training School, located
at St. Anthony.
(Advertisements)
WHERE TO SELL!
For a square deal and best market prices see the firms listed
below:
Hoff Coal & Ice Co.
First CAsh Buyers in Idaho Falls
Buying Grain for 35 years
----
Feed--and Poultry Supplies
Call Us When You Want to Sell Your Grains
Market and Capitol
Phone 186
Call Us---
When You Are Ready to Sell Your Potatoes
Always in the Market
All Grades and Varieties
MICHAEL-SWANSON-BRADY PRODUCE CO.
Main Office, Idaho Falls
Phones 35 and 915
Mr. Seed Grower!
See Us Before You Sell Your Seed
Gene's Coal and Seed Co.
So. Park Avenue and Commercial
Phone 284
Idaho Falls Potato Growers Association
McCarroll Warehouse
South End of Chamberlain Avenue
Organized in 1922
PHone 680
R. S. Wilson (Dick)
P-O-T-A-T-O-E-S
Call Us Before You Sell
Warehouse on West Broadway.
Phones 117 and 903
Great Basin Co.
Wholesale and Retail Dealers in
GRAIN, POTATOES, FEEDS AND COAL
L. K. Stein and Taube, Inc.
Potato Buyers
Car Lots and Less
Warehouse West Broadway
L.D. Phone 518
Local Phone 519
(photo caption)
JUBILEE HEAD
PARLEY RIGBY is general chairman of the chamber of commerce
committee in charge of the Golden Jubilee celebration, which will
be held here Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of this week.
---
TEAR GAS FAILS TO ROUT BEARS
Yellowstone Park Rangers Try Stop Raids by Hungry Bears.
YELLOWSTONE PARK, Wyo. (UP)--Harried by unceasing raids of hungry
bears, Yellowstone park rangers admit they are stumped when it
comes to stopping bruin's petty pilfering.
The rangers seek a way to discourage over-friendly black
bears, and to drive them away without inflicting permanent
injuries--thereby saving the contents of well-stocked larders.
Park Rangers "Gus" Wylie and Frank Childs thought they had
found the solution in the use of tear gas. Three black bears,
ranging in age from two to five years, were selected as subjects
for the experiment.
Fires On Bears.
The first bear was fired upon at a distance of 25 feet. The
tiny 10-inch gun almost leaped from Wylie's hand. The gas sprayed
the head and one side of the bear, but only startled him by the
loud report, and he loped away slowly.
Bear number two received the full charge in his face at a
distance of 10 feet. At the detonation of the 12-guage shell, the
bear jumped, ran a short distance and then quite unconcernedly,
returned to the meat scraps he had been eating.
Finally a five year old mother was approached. Meat scraps
enticed her within five feet of the spot where Wylie stood with the
tear-gas gun. Childs stood by with a camera to photograph results.
The bear sniffed at the lunch and looked inquiringly at Wylie.
"Boom," went the tear-gas gun, while the camera clicked. But
the bear did not go; she simply flinched, glanced at her cubs, and
then settled down to enjoy the meat scraps.
Four Families of Utahns First to Settle at Iona--Came in 1884
Two of Original Settlers Still Reside at Iona
W. C. Olsen, H. L. Hansen among group that built first houses.
The American saga of sagebrush grubbing and ditch digging, of
cabin building and townsite laying has been enacted in every
village in the valley. Many of those who came first are gone; but
a few remain to describe the hardships and the joys of the days
when this agricultural empire was established.
To many, the history of each village, or ward, as many of our
villages are, is a repetition of another. No doubt the same
emotions and dreams brought about the founding of each community.
To those individuals who helped to build the home town, it was a
personality, a living, growing thing, like no other institution
that had ever been established. Those who have inherited their
handiwork can never appreciate the effort that was put in the
embryo town. They can only pause to remember those who came first
to the Snake river desert.
Two Men Remain
Of the four families who emigrated from Utah to Iona in 1884,
two men remain. They are W. C. Olsen and H. L. Hansen. The arrival
of the little party was characterized by general disappointment in
the country to which they had arrived. They were of sturdy stock.
Their own parents had crossed the plains some twenty years earlier
and had endowed their children with the same fortitude which saw
them safely to their destinations. The men in the Iona party helped
one another build log cabins and the clearing of land was begun.
Some of the sagebrush was burned; some of it chopped down with an
axe and some of it removed with a a grubber.
The following spring another handful of settlers arrived from
Utah, and the hillside canal was begun. Crops were planted,
flourished and were harvested. In 1886 the ward was organized and
was given the name "Iona," which means "the beautiful," and was
taken from the name of a town near Jerusalem. James E. Steele was
the first bishop. W. C. Olsen and Joseph A. Clark laid out the
townsite. John F. Shelley, who was the first teacher in the school
started in 1886, ran a general store until the Iona Mercantile
company was organized in 1891.
Iona was self-sufficient from the very beginning. W. C. Olsen
supplied music for social affairs; Mrs. Stevens, and later Rosanna
Denning served as doctor and nurse; the community boasted its own
postoffice. Iona became one of the many valley communities whose
sturdy sons and daughters make up the bulk of the men and women who
people the Snake river kingdom.
[Photo Captions]
IONA CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY
THE COMMUNITY OF IONA, located within a few miles of Idaho
Falls, is fifty years old this year, the first settlers arriving
there in 1884. Pictured above are (top) the present L. D. S.
chapel; (center), the first church at Iona as it looks today, and
(bottom), three of the pioneers of Iona, left to right, John
Norton, George P. Ward and Mrs. Ward.
IDAHO FALLS PIONEERS
Photo by George M. Scott and Sons
MR. AND MRS. W. W. KEEFER are pioneer residents of Idaho Falls.
They make their home at 300 Ridge avenue. Mr. Keefer came to Eagle
Rock in 1880 as a carpenter for the Utah and Northern railroad,
coming from Omaha.
Initial Sunday School Organized by Mrs. Mitchell
Baptist Missionary, Who Came Here in 1882, Also Taught First
School; Played Leading Part in Community Activities.
Little more than 50 years ago Mrs. Rebecca Mitchell, Baptist
missionary from Illinois, arrived by stage in Eagle Rock, a small
western settlement on the sage covered banks of Snake river. After
her arrival in the town she organized the first Sunday school and
the first day school among the pioneers.
Interesting facts about Mrs. Mitchell's life were gleaned by
her friends and written into a complete history, but most of the
copies that were made have been lost in the years since she lived
and taught here. Through the courtesy of Mrs. W. W. Keefer the
story of the Pioneer woman prepared by Ruby Keefer Brace, an exact
copy of one appearing in the history of Idaho, has been loaned for
publication.
Influential Person
Mrs. Mitchell was an influential person in the early days of
Eagle Rock, when civic life in the small settlement first began to
shape itself. She came here June 6, 1882, from Hoopston, Ill, as a
self supporting missionary and church worker, accompanied by her
daughter, Mrs. Bessie Fortiner, now of California.
Beginning her mission immediately, she organized the first
Sunday school in the little clapboard shanty in which she lived on
the first Sunday after her arrival, June 11. The day after the
Sunday school was organized Mrs. Mitchell grasped the reins of
education in her own capable hands and formed a day school for
children. In this sparsely settled region where self preservation
became of paramount importance in the battle with the elements and
the struggle to eke a living from sagebrush wastes, little time was
left to give to the education of children, and Mrs. Mitchell's work
proved invaluable. Sensing the need for larger quarters, for she
used part of her own home with wooden boxes serving as desks, she
wrote to friends in the east for funds to build a church. She
received considerable help from Baptists in the New England states,
and it was through her efforts that the first church in Eagle Rock
was organized in August of 1884, 50 years ago. The Rev. M. T. Lamb
and the Rev. Mr. Spencer assisted in organizing. Work was begun
immediately on a church building. Mrs. Mitchell spaded the first
shovelfull of dirt for the foundation of the new Baptist church.
The Anderson brothers donated the lots. The building was the first
edifice of its kind erected between Ogden and Butte and the only
church built in eastern Idaho. Three persons were baptized in Snake
river on that day. The building was completed three months from the
time of organization.
Gave Up School Work
As the settlement grew and progressed in all lines of activity
Mrs. Mitchell gave up her public school work and turned toward
church, club and temperance work, and this led her to organize the
Women's Christian Temperance Union and later her tireless efforts
in this direction resulted in her being elected state organizer and
state president of the organization. Given a wider field to work
in, she personally delivered lectures in every part of the state
and endured long, cold journeys by stage to organize societies in
secluded mountain villages. Her work carried her out of the state
at times and she attended national conventions in Buffalo, Toronto
and Chicago.
Her record of public service included one year in Boise as
superintendent of legislation for the W. C. T. U. during sessions
of the state legislature, and it was while she was there that she
introduced many of the reform laws now in effect in Idaho and put
the equal suffrage bill before the people. A greater part of the
credit for equal suffrage in Idaho is due to the ceaseless efforts
of this intrepid woman who blazed a trail in church, school and
social life in Idaho.
Chaplain in House
Described as an able public speaker, gifted with a strong
voice and capable of an entertaining wit, Mrs. Mitchell is the only
woman who has ever acted as chaplain in the house of
representatives. She held that position during sessions of the
general assembly in Boise from 1896 to 1899.
Besides her church, school and social work she was prominent
in club affairs. She was a member of the Village Improvement
society and the Round Table club here. Her tireless energy never
failed her and when at times she was unable to attend meetings she
wrote her articles and sent them to be read by another member. One
of her last articles was written for the Women's Federation of
Clubs at Blackfoot.
Died in 1908
It was on September 30, 1908, after 74 years spent in useful
service, that she died in Idaho Falls. At her death memorial
services were held in many towns in the state and appropriate
resolutions were adopted. She was buried in Rose Hill cemetery, and
a fountain erected by the club women of the city is dedicated to
her.
Little is known of her parents and her childhood. It is quite
natural to believe they were honest, religious people. She attended
the district schools in Macoupin county, Ill., where she was born
January 23, 1834. She received most of her education after the
death of her husband, when she attended school with her children.
She was a student at the Missionary Training school in Chicago, and
it was there she was fitted for her life work in the west.
Rigby Is One of Many Thriving Towns Located in Valley
First Settlers Arrived in 1884 To Make Homes
Josiah Call and George Hill Among irst; Business Thrives.
Rigby, the commercial center of 80,000 acres of irrigated
land, which is just 50 years old, points with pride to the fact
that in spite of the economic depression, there are but four vacant
business buildings in town. The 1800 residents of that community
are served by the three department stores, three grocery stores,
two theatres, two cafes, eleven service stations and several other
business houses there.
Rigby has two pea factories, a potato warehouse, a creamery.
Civic organizations include the Business and Professional Women's
club, the Lions' club, the Commercial club, the American Legion and
the Study club. City government consists of Mayor A. P. Smith, and
a council.
Settled in 1884
Rigby was settled in 1884, although it was not incorporated as
a town until 1903. Among the early settlers were Josiah Call, still
a resident of Rigby, who homesteaded there in 1884 on the quarter
section on which the town site is located. Lieut. Gov. George E.
HIll, who came with his parents from Utah a year later, is also one
of the town's earliest residents.
One of Rigby's best known traditions is the annual Idaho
Pioneeer Day fete, celebrated on June 15. The celebration this
year, probably the largest ever staged there, marked the 50th
anniversary of the town's settlement.
Rigby schools, under the direction of A. L. Liljenquist,
superintendent of the city schools, are rated among the best in the
upper valley region. The 27 room high school building was
constructed a few years ago at a cost of $30,000.
The Rigby ward of the L. D. S. church was organized in 1886.
Since that time it has become the seat of the stake tabernacle.
Josiah Call served as first president of the Rigby stake.
In 1913, when Jefferson county was created, Rigby was made the
county seat.
[Photo Captions]
BUILDINGS SEEN AT RIGBY
ABOVE ARE PICTURES of two buildings at Rigby. Top is the Rigby
stake L. D. S. tabernacle, built in 1916, and bottom is the Rigby
high school building.
TYPICAL CHARACTERS OF 1884
CHARLES MILLER
DICK CHAMBERLAIN
JUBILEE FLASHES
Charles L. Brittan came once a week from his dairy farm in
Lincoln county to Eagle Rock (1880) to deliver 40 to 50 pounds of
butter. He carried the load on the rear "ex" of his wagon, which
was drawn by oxen. Anderson Brothers store retaileld the butter for
75c a pound.
__
One night in Eagle Rock, the stage driver forgot to take the
treasure box in for the night. The next morning it was missing.
Search revealed the empty box buried near the stage barn, but no
trace of the gold that had been left in it. A week later the cook
and stable boy at Anderson's were missing. They never returned to
Eagle Rock. Dick Higham, who was visiting from Blackfoot, was
pressed into service as a cook. After two weeks he became so
homesick he walked the 26 miles home to see his mother. Anderson's
imported a new cook from Salt Lake.
__
Felix Murray spent the entire year of 1864 and two days more
in taking one load of liquor from Corinne, Utah, to Helena, Mont.
He was the same Murray who, during the next year, hauled the
timbers for Matt Taylor's bridge. He also helped to take old irons
out of the wagons that had been discarded here, to be used in the
bridge.
__
Toll rates over the Taylor bridge were as follows:
Man and horse..................... $.50
Wagon and 2 animals............... 4.00
Each extra span................... 1.00
Pack animal....................... .50
Horses and cattle.................. .25
Hogs............................... .15
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Mrs. Willson arrived here on Christmas eve of 1890 to join her
husband Dr. Willson who had been here several months, and thought
Eagle Rock the lonesomest place she had ever seen. The great
stretches of sagebrush made her long for her old home in Virginia.
Five years later, as she returned to Idaho after a visit to the
east, the sight of the sagebrush prairie in Wyoming proved to be
the pleasantest scene of her whole trip.
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Mrs. Corbett, 350 pound propriertess of the Yam Patch inn
between Blackfoot and Eagle Rock, was one of the most colorful
figures of the freighting days. According to Mrs. Mitchell, the
young giantess, about whom little has been recorded, came from
Wyoming, had a "furious temper, and unrestrained tongue, and was
afraid of neither God nor man."
__
Richard Leigh, better known as "Beaver Dick," trapped on
Willow creek during the early sixties. He was a deserter from the
British army, and the proud possessor of a beautiful Indian wife.
__
Eagle Rock street was originally known as Front street.
__
The first trees to be planted in Eagle Rock were at the old
Keefer home on the corner of Ash and Ridge.
__
Meals at the Taylor's Bridge stage coach station cost $2 in
1886. Mrs. Emma Bennett was chief cook.
__
How Dick Chamberlain, Eagle Rock's first saloon keeper, shot
down two troublesome cowboys is a story that has come to us in many
variations. The preferred version runs as follows:
A pair of cowpunchers came to town, speedily became drunk, and
proceeded to paint the town. Their offenses included riding into
the saloon on their horses, shooting out some of the lights and
spattering bullets at the feet of people on the street. Through an
open window in the second story of Chamberlain's they saw the
baraber, his razor poised in mid-air above his towel-swathed
customer. Showing remarkable marksmanship for a drunk man, one of
the cowboys shot the razor out of the barber's hand. Dick
Chamberlain appeared on the scene a little later, trailed the bad
actors to the stage barn and shot them both before they could draw
their guns. There was no inquest, and no trial. Concensus held that
Chamberlain had only done his duty in ridding the town of
undesirable characters.
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"Aunt" Rebecca Mitchell, Eagle Rock's first school teacher,
reserved one day each spring for an annual nature study lesson.
When the apple trees on "Hank" Kiefer's ranch blossomed, Mrs.
Mitchell would send the youngsters for the "men folks." They came,
bringing their wagons and buggies, and sometimes a picnic lunch.
The whole school clambered in and rode to the country to spend the
day.
__
Sam Taylor, brother of Matt Taylor, spent his declining years
raising race horses. Ryland Todd Hunter won considerable
recognition for his trainer, Mr. Taylor.
__
Jim McGill, a cowboy, came to Eagle Rock seeking an argument.
He hurled a frozen cabbage through the headlight of a passenger
engine, and thereafter found amusement in evading the Utah and
Northern officials until they had forgotten the affair.
__
Sam Taylor introduced the cattle business to the Eagle Rock
region when he imported 100 head of purebred Shorthorns from
Missouri in 1871.
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When the mail arrived in Eagle Rock in the early eighties,
Postmaster Bob Anderson had it dumped into a box, from which anyone
who expected a letter could sort his own. An inspector who objected
to this unlegal procedure was told, "If you don't like it, take it
and get out!" In 1885 W. E. Wheeler was apointed postmaster by
President Cleveland, when a more conventional system of
distributing the mail was adopted.
__
Late in the summer of 1887 two carloads of mosquitoes arrived
from Market Lake, according to Alma Marker, who explains that the
mosquitoes were included with beef cattle in the freight cars. The
never-ceasing wind proved to have at least one use when it blew
away the great crowds of mosquitoes that clustered around the
cattle.
__
B. F. White, who later became the governor of Montana, and
Dick Stump operated a salt plant near Gray's Lake during the
seventies. Water from the salty Stump creek was run through a
series of vats and left to evaporate until powdered salt remained.
This salt was bagged in 10, 25 and 50 pound bags, branded "Oneida
Salt Works," and freighted into Montana. Until 1880 this was
Montana's only source of salt.
__
Imagine the consternation of the W. C. T. U. ladies of the
eighties who awoke one morning to find their eight-foot black-
lettered muslin sign adorning the front of Dick Chamberlain's
saloon! A practical joker had removed it from the W. C. T. U. hall
during the night and tacked it to the front of the saloon. Mrs. J.
Ed Smith, one time president of the organization, removed the
banner with the help of a long stick, but ripped it to tatters in
the process.
__
The typical pioneer home, according to Mrs. Rebecca Mitchell,
in her "Pioneer Sketches," was made of cottonwood logs, chinked
with mud. The roof was of willows and dirt, while muslin served as
a window pane. There was a rock fireplace, and the dirt was packed
hard underfoot to serve as a floor.
__
Crow creek, now included in the city limits, was once the
choice duck hunting spot close to Eagle Rock.
__
DEPUTY HALTS DRUNKEN COWBOY
A W. Greenwell, pioneer here, tells tales of early days.
A. W. Greenwell, who came to Idaho Falls in April, 1890, and
worked at G. G. Wright's Consolidated Wagon and Machine company,
continuously for forty years, tells this tale of an early day
officer of the law who faced the fire of a drunken cowboy and
brought him to jail.
A cowpuncher, whose name is unknown, and who was working for
the Wood Livestock company in 1890, rode into town one afternoon
with a month's pay in his pocket and trouble in his eye. He rode to
Dick Chamberlain's, tied his horse to the wooden rail outside, and
straightway proceeded to trade the money in his pocket for interior
decorations for himself.
A little later, his beclouded vision and toddling walk
attesting the potency of Dick Chamberlain's wares, the cowpuncher
conceived a sudden and very active dislike for his fellow men in
general, and certain plate glass windows in particular. He shot at
everyone he saw in the street--men and women alike scurried for
cover. The only reason many were not hit lay in the fact that the
cowboy was too woozy to aim.
When the sound of shattered glass had assuaged his fit of
social antipathy sufficiently to let him realize his crime was one
for which others had been shot down in cold blood, he headed his
pony north, riding for his life. Word was sent ahead of him, to
Lyman Taylor, deputy sheriff who lived at Grant.
Stopped by Taylor
Taylor loaded his Winchester and stationed himself in the
road. Along came the cowboy, still chuckling over the manner in
which he had made the citizens of Idaho Falls scurry for cover.
"Stop!" commanded Taylor.
"Stop, hell!" the cowboy muttered and, raising his gun, he
fired at Taylor pointblank. But he had emptied his gun in Idaho
Falls, and the trigger only clicked on an empty chamber. It took
Taylor only a moment to realize that he was still intact. Calmly he
aimed at the fleeing rider, wounding him in the leg, and bringing
to a close to the cowboy's holiday. He was brought back to Idaho
Falls, where he was allowed to cool off for several months in the
city jail.
Mr. Greenwell relates another incident which took place when
Idaho Falls and surrounding territory was being settled. Farmers
from Utah, on their way to Willow Creek to homestead, were accosted
by a band of troublesome Indians near Blackfoot. Their begging, and
petty thievery worried the white settlers. To climax the situation,
one brave insisted that a certain white man buy whiskey for him.
The white man refused, and the red shot him.
Indians Hunt Fugitive
The incident was reported at Blackfoot and two Indians were
deputized to capture the red fugitive. In ten days the Indian
deputies returned, bearing the body of their captive.
"Did you have to kill him?" the deputies were asked.
"No, he killed himself," they replied. They were afraid of
vengeance on themselves from the dead man's friends. "No, he killed
himself," became the story of many who killed, rightfully or
wrongfully to escape the judgment of others.
Mr. Greenwell remembers when he used to go hunting for wild
ducks on Crow's creek, and for jack rabbits on Ridge avenue. Dogs
frequently chased a coyote down Eagle Rock street, according to Mr.
Greenwald. He remembers when Mrs. Clark used to lead Barzilla
around by the hand, and adds with a sly twinkle, that Mrs. Clark
had her hands full, because Barzilla was always getting into
everybody's business. In his service at the C. W. and M. company,
Mr. Green[well] became acquainted with many farmers who brought
their produce in by wagon from as far away as Teton Basin.
Mr. Greenwell's parents came across the plains with the L. D.
S. immigrants and settled in Ogden. Mr. Green[well] remembers the
first L. D. S. chapel in Idaho Falls as a little shack down by the
river, which was afterwards used as a carpenter shop. "The growth
of the church," he states, "is marvelous."
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