The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-15
LOCALITY WAS FAMOUS
AS A HUNTING GROUND
Hand of Progress Has Written
New Destiny for Historic
Old Spot.
BY G.. E. ARNEY,

Postoffice and station on the Montana
branch of the Oregon Short Line,
eighteen miles north of Idaho Falls,
brings TO mind many interesting events
acter.
On the westerly bank of Snake river,
and extending very close to the old
town of Market Lake, now Roberts,
IS a bayou, the west bank of which
Is low. and IN the early DAYS the high
waters OF the summer flowed freely
over them into n broad, deep basin
some three or more miles to the west,
forming great lake, which abounded
IN trout and an abundance Of ducks
and geese in season
This was a great mecca for hunters,
and early In the stages of the terri
tory a trading post was established at
gathered in large numbers TO market
and to trade. This gave it its ap.
propriate name. Market Lake
AS the waters receded, the lake
would dry by seepage and evapora
tion, and in consequence the later sum,
mer and early fall months were almost
unendurable because of the mos
quitoes
With the construction OF the grade of /
the Oregon Short Line, then called the
Utah & Idaho Northern. the rush of |
these flood waters over into this lake
bed ceased. and during the last years
Of the eighties Larry Larsen and James
o. Bell, two, former Short Line con;
ductors. filed homesteads on the land
formerly inundated by the overflow
waters from the treacherous old Snake
river.
In Territorial Days.
When Idaho became a state in 1890,
Market Lake was in Bingham county
and Martin Patrie was chosen as the
first clerk OF the court, auditor and
recorder OF the county, which at that
period extended from the National park
on the north to within eight miles of
the Utah state line on the south and
from the Lost river on the west TO
Wyoming on the east. 1t embraced
what is now Bannock, Bingham, Ere
mont, and parts of Blaine and Oneida
counties
During his term of office Mr. Patrie
near the town OF Market Lake, and this
became his home for the remainder of
his interesting and eventful life, dur
ing which period he was chairman OF
the Republican state central commit.
tee and later secretary OF the state or
Idaho,
He built a hotel near the depot in
Lake and financed and aided
in the construction Of the Butte and
Market Lake. canal, which headed IN
the north fork of the Snake river,
some foruteen miles above the town,
to the city and to the lane
about il sufficient flow of water TO:
the complete irrigation of the lands TO
be reclaimed.
A resume of the early days of this
locality would be incom-
plete without reference to an. earlier
John B Cutshaw, an interesting old
character who, after the creation Of
Fremont county. served the people as
their sheriff The Adams brothers, Tom
early residents of the vicin-
ity who 90 to make up about all the
carly history Of Market Lake.
Was an Important Point.
From the time of the settlement of
Rexburg and the country surrounding
it, Market Lake was the nearest rail
way station and daily stage and
freight route were established between
Rexburg and this station on the line
OF the railroad. The distance was
tweuty-four miles and the road was a
rocky one From this point daily :
mail service was established and the
route extended not only 20 Rexburg,
but beyond TO Teton City, Salem, ST;
Anthony. and even 10 Teton BASIN and
Jackson s Hole.
The winter of 1889 will long be re-
membered for it's severity, especially I
throughout the upper Snake river val !
lev.
On the line OF this stage road and
near the crossing of the north fork
II the Snake en- route, was the old Ar !
nour company ranch. At the approach /
Of this winter this company held from {
lfteen to twenty thousand head OF cat
tie on and about this large ranch :
which extended from near the ferry
later the BRIDGE above mentioned to
The crater buttes near the confluence {
IF the north and the south forks of the
Snake river
The winter very nearly wiped out this !
great herd of livestock for Armaur &
20. The extreme cold weather, coupled
with the deep snowfalls and the pre-
gaillng winds, soon scattered these cat
lie all over the desert, and, in search
IF some protection, they huddled to.
gether alone the banks of the Snake
and in the bayous and sloughs the en- {
ire distance of eighteen miles between ,
Market Lake and the crossing.
In these most sheltered places it was '
a common sight 10 observe dead cattle {
avine three and four d. in hooks
beds adjoining. The company sus- !
tanned IS per cent loss during this
winter Feed. was not only at prohibi- 7
tive prices, but was unobtainable. I
Some Newspaper History.
It was in this early spring that the [
IDAHO Register, through It's editor and :
publisher, w. E. Wheeler. employed .
ne to run a paper for him at Rexburg I
Snt few months previous, Rexburg, |
INC Mormon stronghold-by the good |
yraces of the versatile anti Mormon
ounch-had been changed in name to
..Kaintuck' in honor Of Kentucky wv. |
H. Smith, whom the Mormons hated |
bitterly because he framed the "test
oath' and prosecuted their leaders for
practicing polygamy-
In consequence OF this recent change
The new publication was called H'The |
knintuck Bugle.'
J. carried the first four issues of this
PAPER into Rexburg from Market Lake
IN tho hurricane deck of a cayuse
owned by my. old friend, John r, Cut
shaw OF Market Lake. If that anti
Mormon publication circulating a5 Roy |