 This page is about Latter Day Saints, sometimes
referred to as Mormon pioneers that moved north from Salt Lake
City to establish new farming communities in this area. The best
way to follow this history is the same time and geographical
steps they did.
The first settlement was at
Franklin, known as Idaho's oldest
city. The walking tour of Franklin's still standing buildings
include Idaho's first home, the original grist (flour) mill, the
Z.C.M.I. store, the Relic Hall Museum and others.
 We continue
north on US 91 to Preston for the
next LDS settlement. Here we view the Oneida Stake Academy.
This hand hewn sandstone building was completed by church
craftsmen 114 years ago for educational purposes. The building
was recently moved to ensure its preservation.
At the north end of Preston we stay on the state highway 34,
known as  Pioneer
Historic Byway, through Thatcher,
Grace and Last Chance Dam, then on to
Chesterfield. This settlement
is now without residents, but not abandoned. Each summer work
crews of descendants of it's founders come back to continue its
preservation. Chesterfield is unique in LDS history because it
is the only church settlement the Oregon Trail passed through.
Proceeding to Soda Springs on
US 30 finds a summer home built for Brigham Young, 2nd President
of the LDS Church. Highway 34 (still the
Pioneer Historic Byway) proceeds north out of the LDS
settlement of Freedom, Wyoming.
 To view the
other several settlements we will instead travel the Oregon
Trail (US
 30) southeast to
Montpelier (which Brigham Young renamed for his birth place
in Vermont) then turn southwest on US 89 to Paris. Charles Rich
was the Prominent church leader appointed by Brigham Young to
build settlements in this valley, which he accomplished
prodigiously, founding seven in 1863-64.
This called for an appropriate meeting house, the result of
fifteen year toil being the magnificent Paris Tabernacle. A
guided tour of the interior and exterior is a memorable
experience.
Take the Bear River Heritage Area Road Trip! It straddles
the Idaho-Utah border where the Great Basin and the Rocky
Mountains meet. It is home to a strong agricultural economy,
history-laced landscape, and abundant natural beauty. Retrace
the footsteps of early fur traders, Mormon settlers, and
generations of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation. |
