USA > Idaho > History of Idaho, the gem of the mountains, Volume I > Part 71
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DRIGGS
Don C. Driggs, president of the Teton Stake Latter-day Saints, and for- merly senator from Teton County is the founder of the town which bears his
MAIN STREET, DRIGGS
HARNESS SHOP JUANAUL
MAIN STREET, FILER
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name. The village was made the county seat of Teton County when it was created in 1915. It is located on the Victor branch of the Oregon Short Line railway system, a little east of the center of the county, in the midst of a fertile farming district for which it is the shipping and trading point. Driggs has waterworks and electric light, a bank, a weekly newspaper, a telephone ex- change, grain elevators, a good public school system, several churches, a com- mercial club, mercantile establishments, etc. It is one of the growing muni- cipalities of Eastern Idaho, the population increasing from 200 in 1910 to 1,500 in 1918.
FAIRFIELD
Is situated in the western part of Big Camas Prairie and first came into prominence when Camas County was organized and it was made the county seat. Soldier, the first town established on the Camas Prairie, is situated about four miles northeasterly fron Fairfield but being off the line of the branch rail- road extending through the Prairie from Richfield gave way to the inevitable and most of its population moved to Fairfield. The Lava Mining District lies a few miles to the southwest and promises to be an important mining center in the near future. The population of Fairfield is estimated at four hundred.
FILER
In 1909 the Village of Filer, situated in the northern part of Twin Falls County, was incorporated. It is a station on the branch line of the Oregon Short Line Railroad that runs from Minidoka to Buhl and ships over fifteen hundred carloads of farm products every year. It has two banks, a weekly newspaper, electric light and power, waterworks, free school wagons for the independent school district of which it is the center, three churches, a rural telephone system, an active commercial club, and a number of well stocked stores. In 1910 the population was 214 and in 1918 it was estimated at 700.
FRANKLIN
This is one of the oldest incorporated villages in Idaho. It is located on the Cub River and the Cache Valley branch of the Oregon Short Line railway system, in the southern part of Franklin County and not far from the Utah line. The first permanent settlement in Idaho was made here in the spring of 1860 (See Franklin County) and the village was incorporated by special act of the Legislature on January 10, 1873. Franklin has a milk condensing plant, a flour mill, a woolen mill, a creamery, mercantile establishments and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a strong and flourishing con- gregation here. The population was 534 in 1910 and in 1918 it was estimated at 600. Considerable quantities of grain, live stock and dairy products are shipped from Franklin every year.
GEORGETOWN
On the Oregon Short Line Railroad, twelve miles northwest of Montpelier, is the incorporated village of Georgetown, one of the active shipping points and trading centers of Bear Lake County. It was incorporated, early in the present century and in 1910 reported a population of 410. Georgetown is a
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typical railway station, with the usual general stores, public school, church organizations, etc.
GIFFORD
The little inland village of Gifford is situated in the eastern part of Nez Perce County, about five miles south of Lenore on the Northern Pacific, which is the nearest railroad station. It has a postoffice, a bank, general stores, etc., and was incorporated in 1906, and in 1910 reported a population of 153.
GLENNS FERRY
A ferry was established across the Snake River at this point by a man named Glenn, years before the first railroad entered Idaho. When the Oregon Short Line was built down the Snake River Valley in the early '80s a station was established at the ferry and the old name was retained. Glenns Ferry is the second town of Elmore County and is located in the southeastern part, thirty miles by rail from Mountain Home, the county seat. It is a freight division point on the Oregon Short Line and the railroad company has a pay roll here of $25,000 a month. The village has a bank, a weekly newspaper, waterworks, electric light, a commercial club, a railroad men's club house, a number of mer- cantile houses, public schools, churches, etc. There are about twelve thousand acres of irrigated land tributary to the village, and nearly three thousand acres of this has been planted to fruit trees. The population in 1910 was 800 and in 1918 it was estimated at 1,000.
GOODING
This village, the county seat of Gooding County, was founded on November I, 1907, by Frank R. Gooding, then governor of the State of Idaho. Mr. Good- ing and M. Mattson opened the first store under the name of the Gooding Mer- cantile Company, and on February 4, 1909, the first hotel was opened. The state school for the deaf and dumb was located here in 1911, and when Gooding County was created in 1913 the village was made the county seat. About that time, or perhaps a little earlier, a system of waterworks was installed by Mr. Gooding. The village has electric light and power, three banks, a weekly news- paper. a $65,000 high school building, a packing house, a state agricultural ex- periment station, a hospital, five churches, mercantile establishments, etc., and in 1910 reported a population of 1,444. In 1918 the population was estimated to be 1,800. Almost one hundred thousand acres of irrigated land are tributary to Gooding and grain, fruit and live stock are shipped from this point in large quantities. A Methodist college is located at Gooding, opening for the recep- tion of students in September, 1917. The northern terminus of the Idaho South- ern Railroad is at Gooding, where it connects with the Oregon Short Line.
HARRISON
At the mouth of the Coeur d'Alene River stands the Village of Harrison, one of the thriving towns of Kootenai County. It owes its origin to the building of the railroad by the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company. S. W. Crane opened the first general store here in 1892 and the postoffice was established the next year with W. F. Crane as postmaster. A sawmill was
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erected in 1889 and ten years later Harrison was incorporated with A. P. Harris, George E. Thompson, E. W. Wheeler, M. W. Frost and George S. Johnson as the first board of trustees. Waterworks and electric light were installed in 1901. Harrison has nine large sawmills and a shingle factory, a bank, a weekly newspaper, modern school building, churches of different denominations, several stores, and it is the transfer point between the Red Collar Line Steamers and the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company. The population in 1910 was 932.
HOPE
While the Northern Pacific Railroad was under construction in 1882, a Doctor Hope, veterinary surgeon, was employed to care for the teams of the contractors, and when the eastern shore of Lake Pend d'Oreille was reached, in what is now Bonner County, a town was platted, which was named for the doctor. Some litigation followed and the town was replatted by the Government in 1896. The Hope Lumber Company began business here in 1901 and two years later the village was incorporated with H. L. Bidwell, L. H. Jeannot, J. M. Jeannot, John Larson and K. Wanamaker as the first board of trustees. Hope has a municipal electric light plant and waterworks system, three churches, large lumber and lime interests, the usual mercantile concerns found in villages of its class, and in 1910 reported a population of 215.
IDAHO CITY
Idaho City, the county seat of Boise County, is situated above the junction of Moores Creek and Elks Creek, south of the center of that county and about thirty-five miles northeast of Boise, with which it is connected by a daily stage. The town was founded late in 1862 during the great mining excitement in the Boise Basin and was first known as West Bannock, the name being changed in the next year to Idaho City. Within a year from the time the first cabin was erected, Idaho City had a population of over 6,000, with the usual busi- ness houses, saloons, gambling houses, etc., found in frontier mining towns, although churches and schools were soon established, also.
The first newspaper in Southern Idaho was started here in 1863 by the Butler Brothers, and called the Boise News. The first steam sawmill in Southern Idaho was also established at Idaho City in July, 1863. Placer mining in the Boise Basin began to decline in 1865, the placer mines being gradually worked out, and the population of the town decreased rapidly until now there are only about 300 residents of the town. The Boston & Idaho Gold Dredging Company carried on extensive mining operations on both Elks and Moores creeks for over ten years, but practically ceased operations in 1918 and but little min- ing is at present done in the immediate vicinity of the town. The fact of its being the county seat of Boise County brings it considerable business and it is the headquarters, also, of the Banner and Smith Flat Mining districts.
The Luna House, the only remaining hotel, is one of the famous hostelries of the state. It was built in 1867 and has maintained its early reputation until the present time. The population has dwindled down to about 300, owing to the exhaustion of the adjacent placers.
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ILO
The incorporated village of Ilo is situated a little west of the center of Lewis County, at the junction of the Camas Prairie and Lewiston, Nez Perce & Eastern Railways. It was named for Ilo Leggett, one of its original residents who opened a general store there in 1898. With the building of the Camas Prairie Railway in 1908 the village began to grow and soon after was incorpo- rated. The town proper is situated about a mile from the line of the railway and persons interested in building the railway laid out the Town of Vollmer, which is referred to later in this chapter, and for a long time there was intense rivalry between the two places, but in reality they compose one town and their interests are identical and it is undoubtedly a question of but a short time before they will be joined together under one name.
Ilo has a bank, a weekly newspaper. a number of stores, a good public school and, in conjunction with Vollmer, is the shipping point for a prosperous agricultural community. Its population in 1910 was 200.
IONA
Nine miles east of Idaho Falls, on what is known as the East Belt Branch of the Oregon Short Line Railway is the Village of Iona, incorporated in 1905. It is in the sugar beet section and annually ships large quantities of beets to the sugar factory. lona has a bank, a weekly newspaper and the mercantile concerns usually found in such villages. In 1910 it reported a population of 353, which in 1918 was estimated at 600.
JEROME
Jerome was by the creating act named as the county seat of the new county of Jerome, passed by the Fifteenth Legislature in February, 1919, and is the largest town in that county. It is situated on the Bliss Cut-off of the Oregon Short Line railway system and the Idaho Southern Railroad, in the irrigated district of the Twin Falls North Side Land and Water Company. Potatoes, fruit, live stock and dairy products are shipped in large quantities from Jerome. The village was incorporated in 1909 and the next year reported a population of 970. In 1918 the population was estimated at 1,200. Jerome has two banks, two newspapers, waterworks, a central school with free transportation for the pupils from the outlying districts, electric light and power, up-to-date mercantile houses, hotels, clean and well kept streets, nearly seven thousand shade trees having been set out since the village was founded, a commercial club, churches of seven different denominations and a number of cozy homes.
JULIAETTA
This is one of the thriving villages of Latah County. It is situated in the southern part, on the Potlatch River and a branch of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The first settler here was R. Schupfer, who opened a store in 1882 and the place was first known as "Schupfer's Store." Charles Snyder, a ranch- man living near, succeeded in having a postoffice established and it was named after his two daughters, "Julia" and "Etta." Mr. Snyder built the first hotel in 1885 and the same year a schoolhouse was erected. N. B. Holbrook built
BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF KETCHUM
WAGON BRIDGE ACROSS PEND D'OREILLE RIVER, SANDPOINT
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his flour mill about the same time. The village was incorporated in April, 1892, with Charles Snyder, Jr., Rupert Schupfer, H. Nichols, T. R. Carithers and F. P. Zeigler as the first board of trustees. Juliaetta has a bank, a weekly newspaper, waterworks, electric light, churches and lodges of several secret or- ders, and is the shipping and trading center for a rich farming district. The population in 1910 was 414.
KAMIAH
In the extreme eastern point of Lewis County, on the Clearwater River and the Stites branch of the Northern Pacific Railroad, is the Village of Kamiah, which was incorporated in 1909. This place was once the home of the Nez Perce chief, Lawyer, who was the steadfast friend of the whites and prevented many of his tribe from joining Chief Joseph in the war of 1877. Kamiah has a bank, a weekly newspaper, waterworks, electric light, several good stores and is a shipping point for a considerable farming district in Lewis and Idaho coun- ties. The population in 1910 was 324.
KENDRICK
The incorporated village of Kendrick, situated in the southern part of Latah County, was founded by Thomas Kirby, who secured a postoffice there in 1889 and was appointed the first postmaster. The name of the postoffice was "Latah," but upon a guarantee that the Northern Pacific Railroad would be built to the place, Mr. Kirby gave the railroad company a half interest in the townsite and the name was changed to Kendrick, for the chief engineer of the company, who made a new plat in May, 1890. The village was incorporated in October of that year with Thomas Kirby, Volney Nichols, N. Kaufman, N. C. Normoyle and J. M. Walker as the first board of trustees. Kendrick has two banks, a weekly newspaper, water and light, a flour mill, a brick factory, a good public school system, mercantile concerns handling all lines of goods, and ships fruit, flour, farm products, etc. The population in 1910 was 543.
KIPPEN
This is one of the smallest incorporated villages in Idaho, reporting a popula- tion of only 11I in 1910. It is situated in the southern part of Nez Perce County and was incorporated in 1907. Mail is delivered daily to the citizens by rural carrier from Reubens. It is a trading center for a farming community and has no special history.
KOOSKIA
Kooskia is situated on the Clearwater River and the Stites branch of the Northern Pacific Railroad, in the northwestern part of Idaho County. It was first known as "Stuart," so named for James Stuart, a Nez Perce Indian, who was a surveyor by profession and made the first plat of the village. The first train arrived here on March 13, 1899, and in the fall of 1901 the place was incorporated under the name of "Kooskia," with James Stuart, A. J. Williams, C. B. Patterson, R. R. Woods and Dr. A. F. Wohlenberg as the first board of trustees. Kooskia has a bank, a weekly newspaper, a large saw and shingle mill, a brick factory, Baptist and Presbyterian churches, an electric light plant,
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waterworks, stores handling all lines of staple goods, a public school and a number of pretty residences. The population in 1910 was 301.
LEWISVILLE
On the West Belt branch of the Oregon Short Line Railroad, about eight miles northwest of Rigby, is the Village of Lewisville, which was incorporated in 1904. It came into activity with the building of the "Beet Loop" as a shipping station and has the usual industries and institutions belonging to villages of its class. In 1910 the population was 346, and in 1918 it was estimated at 500.
MC CAMMON
McCammon, situated in the western part of Bannock County, is a junction point for the main line and the Salt Lake City & Butte division of the Oregon Short Line railway system. It is in the irrigated district of the Port Neuf- Marsh Valley project and is an important shipping point. The village was in- corporated in 1908 and two years later reported a population of 321. In 1918 the population was estimated at 600. McCammon has a bank, a weekly news- paper, waterworks, electric light, modern public school building, a telephone exchange, well stocked stores, churches of various denominations, etc.
MACKAY
This village is the largest in Custer County and is the terminus of a branch of the Oregon Short Line railway system. It is situated in the southeastern part of the county, in the Big Lost River Valley, and near the village are some rich copper mines. The Empire Copper Company has a smelter at Mackay and the White Knob mines are connected with the smelter and the Oregon Short Line by a narraw gauge railroad. The Oregon Short Line branch, which con- nects with the main line at Blackfoot, was completed in 1901 and the same year Mackay was incorporated. It has a bank, a weekly newspaper, flour mill, elevators, good public schools, three churches, a public park, municipal water- works, electric light, and several large outfitting stores. The Custer County fair is held here every year. The outlying towns are connected with Mackay by stage lines. The population was 638 in 1910 and in 1918 it was estimated at 1,200.
MALAD CITY
In 1864 Henry Peck came to Idaho and established his home where Malad City, the county seat of Oneida County, now stands. About two years later the county seat was removed from Soda Springs to Malad City, and within a short time it became the principal town in Oneida County, which then contained a much larger territory than it does at present. Malad City has two banks, one of the oldest weekly newspapers in Southeastern Idaho, an excellent public school system, a large retail trade with the surrounding country, waterworks, electric light, a public library, several churches and many comfortable homes. It is situated in the valley of the Malad River, in the eastern part of the county, and is the terminus of the Malad branch of the Oregon Short Line Railroad, which makes it an important shipping point. Four large elevators handle thou- sands of bushels of grain annually, and the village is the seat of the Oneida
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Farmers' Union, a cooperative farmers' organization, which does a business of over a quarter of a million dollars every year. The population in 1910 was 1,303 and in 1918 it was estimated at 2,000.
MARYSVILLE
Going south on the Teton Valley branch of the Oregon Short Line railway system, this is the first station after leaving Ashton. It is in the southeastern part of Fremont County and less than twenty miles from the Wyoming state line. The village was incorporated about the time the branch railroad was completed, and its chief business interests lie in its general stores and the ship- ment of farm products from the surrounding country. The population in 1910 was 298 and is now estimated at 500.
MENAN
Menan, situated in the eastern part of Jefferson County, on the West Belt of the Oregon Short Line Railroad, was incorporated in 1907. When Jeffer- son County was created in 1913 the selection of a permanent county seat was left to the voters and Menan received 961 votes, but was defeated by Rigby. It is a modern village, with good streets and sidewalks, a number of mercantile establishments, a well organized public school system, water and light, and in 1910 reported a population of 298. In 1918 the estimated population was 500.
MERIDIAN
The Village of Meridian, incorporated in 1902, is situated on the Oregon Short Line Railroad ten miles west of Boise, in the midst of a rich agricultural and fruit growing section of Ada County. It was established about the time the railroad, which connects. Boise and Nampa, was built and has had a steady growth from the beginning. In 1910 the population was 619 and in 1918 it was estimated at 1,000. Meridian has two banks, a weekly newspaper, a large flour mill, a spray and disinfectant factory, a cooperative cheese factory, a commercial club, telephone and telegraph service, waterworks, electric light, fruit packing concerns, four churches and a good system of public schools. The exports are live stock, farm products, fruit, honey and cheese, of which several hundred carloads are shipped every year. Meridian is also connected with Boise, Cald- well and other towns in the Boise Valley by electric railway.
MINIDOKA
Situated near the eastern border of Minidoka County, at the junction of the main line and Twin Falls branch of the Oregon Short Line railway system, is the Village of Minidoka, which came into prominence through the irrigation project ordered by the United States Government in 1904. The Minidoka dam was commenced soon afterward and the village was incorporated in that year. In 1910 the population was only 150 and in 1918 it was estimated at 400. Its principal business interests are in the shipment of agricultural products and the retail trade of its merchants.
MOUNTAIN HOME
The Village of Mountain Home was platted by Robert E. Strahorn early in the summer of 1881, in anticipation of the completion of the Oregon Short
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Line Railroad, and in August of that year William J. Turner built the first house upon the townsite. He was also the proprietor of the first hotel. Other early settlers were J. M. Hager, James Justin, William Gibson, J. A. Tutwiler and E. C. Helfrich. Elmore County was created in 1889 and a year or two later the county seat was located at Mountain Home, an event which gave the town a new impetus, and about the beginning of the present century the village was incorporated. Mountain Home has two banks, two newspapers, a municipal waterworks, electric light, a Carnegie library, six churches and a modern public school system. It has the reputation of being the second greatest sheep and wool market on the Oregon Short Line railway system, the annual shipment of wool running as high as 3,000,000 pounds. The population in 1910 was 1,4II and in 1918 it was estimated at 2,200.
MULLAN
Mullan, one of the prosperous mining towns of Shoshone County, dates its existence from 1885, when Charles J. Best, John W. Marr, Enos G. Good, A. J. Betaque and C. A. Earle organized themselves into a company and platted a town, which they named Mullan, in honor of Capt. John Mullan, who built the military road across Northern Idaho. The plat was filed on August 4, 1888, at which time the village had twenty log and fifteen frame houses, a sawmill, two hotels, several saloons and a population of 150. The development of the mining interests in the vicinity and the building of the Northern Pacific Railroad contrib- uted to the settlement of Shoshone County and Mullan's growth was rapid. In 1910, six years after the village was incorporated, it reported a population of 1,667. Mullan has a bank, a weekly newspaper, electric light and waterworks, churches of several of the leading denominations, hotels, large mercantile interests, etc.
NEW MEADOWS
This village in the northeastern part of Adams County, on the Salmon River slope is the northern terminus of the P. I. and N. Railroad. Most of the surrounding country is heavily timbered and the lumber industry will be an important one in the future. The town is situated on the old trail between Warrens and the Boise Basin and was a noted camping and meeting ground in the '6os. Here in its then only house was held, in 1863, the first Republican Territorial Convention in Idaho. The town occupies a beautiful site, has a first class hotel and is a favorite summer resort for many of the people of Western Idaho.
NEW PLYMOUTH
Late in the year 1895 the Payette Valley Irrigation and Water Power Com- pany platted a townsite of 325 acres, to which they gave the name of New Ply- mouth, and within a few months thirty-five families had settled in the village, then in Canyon, but now in Payette County. With the building of the Payette branch of the Oregon Short Line railway system the village took on a new growth and in 1908 it was incorporated. New Plymouth has a bank, a weekly newspaper, four fruit packing warehouses, a modern public school building, water and light, several well stocked stores and ships large quantities of grain, fruit, live stock, hay and dairy products. The population in 1910 was 274 and in 1918 it was estimated at 400.
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NEZPERCE
When the Nez Perce Indian reservation was thrown open to settlement on November 18, 1895, George W. Tamblin selected the townsite of Nezperce and soon afterward had a plat made. W. W. Hammel built the first house and the first general store was opened by E. L. Parker The village ·was incorporated in 1903 and the same year waterworks and electric light were installed. When Lewis County was created in 1911, Nezperce was made the county seat. It is located east of the center of the county and is the terminus of the Lewiston, Nezperce & Eastern Railroad (sometimes called the Nezperce & Idaho). Nezperce has two banks, a flour mill, an opera house, a public library, a weekly newspaper, hotels, several churches, good school buildings, a number of neat residences and it is the commercial center for a large part of the county. In 1910 the population was 599 and in 1918 it was estimated at 1,000.
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