American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-02-25
HISTORY OF

Blackfoot began to be a town about
the year 1878, and in 1879 1t became
the temporary terminus of a new rail-
road. the Utah Nothern narrow guage.
For a few months it was considered a
lively place, but with the extension of
the road ii became a mere switch with
a few business houses, and II was a
debatable question whether 1t would
grow into a town. The question was
deemed to hinge upon whether the
freight for the Salmon River country
continued to be shipped via Blackfoot
or Ketchum; it was generally conced-
ed that If Bunting could hold the bust
ness Blackfoot would continue on the
map, but If it went to Ketchum there
would be little left of Blackfoot. 1t was
conceded that there would be some
business because there would be stock
men and travellers who would want
supplies.
Every new mining boom to the
westward, added to the f~reighting bus
mess and the volume of travel. In
1885 Blackfoot was made a county
seat and a state institution was located
east of 1t in the sand hills. Then the
United States land office was removed
from Oxford to Blackfoot. Bunting lost
the ~freighting business to Lewis at
Ketchum, and the town continued to
exist. Many settlers who had claims
and freight outfits, went to working
their teams on their land and making
bitches, and agriculture had its be-
ginning. Bunting got some of the
freighting business back again, the
hard winter of 1SS9-90, bankrupted.
the stockmen and people turned their
attention to grain, potatoes and alfal-
ia. The panic of '93 destroyed their
markets and compelled new adjust
farming, including fruit raising. The
Bunting failure in '9S acted as an
equalizer, making everybody pool and
compelling more self-reliance.
The buildingso of the Mackay branch
railroad was regarded as a mixed
blessing and calamity. Some thought
it would bring more business to Black
foot and others lamented that 1t would
destroy the team freighting business;
that people from the Lost river and
Salmon river country would get all
their supplies on the trains and we
should lose all the business which had
been associated with "freighting." The
latter theory soon proved to be a joke.
In 1904 came the beet sugar indus
try, and the price of farm lands doub-
led. From 1906 to 1911 the beet indus
try waned and in another year the
factory did not operate. That year
was the hardest of all for business men
and farmers and since that time they
have Joined forces to see that beets
were raised and that sugar was manu-
featured and "a payroll maintained.
For many years people have been
gambling on potatoes, and getting bet
ter breeds of stock, the latter being
profitable. For several years building
good roads and good streets has been
very popular, especially with those
who pay little or no taxes and those
who WI cars or who haul heavy loads.
Inc next popular moFemenl VIII DC
towards automobiles, diversified farm
ing and producing things that can be
taken to market in the crate, the cream
can, the willow basket or in the butch
er's wagon. The heavy crops VIII not
be raised in such burdensome quanti-
ties, and much of them will be fed to
well bred stock on the farm. The
growth of the town. as heretofore, will
be closely linked with the growth and
activities Of the country, Inc will de-
pend upon 1t for its own prosperity
Blackfoot Republican.