American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1917-03-29

Arbon lies at the head of Bannock
creek, south of the Fort Hall reserva-
ton, and hemmed in on the east and
west by the Bannock mountains.
Put your finger on the map at Po-
c~atello, III it along thirty-ive miles
west of south and you will find Ban
mock valley It's capital is a one room
: building, neal the Central school,
known as the Arbon postoffice. Miss
Louie Leavitt is post mistress.
Bannock valley is twenty miles long
by four and one-half wide. The farm
ing is dry and grain makes a good
yield. Turkey Red wheat is the staple
grain, and is planted in the fall.
other grains grown are barley, oats
and field peas.
There are many acres in hay, prin-
cipally alfalfa, which is irrigated, al
though there has been good alfalfa
growh without water. There has been
a practice of drilling wheat back in
the stubble without turning the soil
but farmers are gradually giving up
stubbling back.
Beginning and Growth OF BannOck
Valley.
Arbon and all of Bannock valley is
going forward with tremendous rapid
ty, especially when we look back to
the early days of 1892, when the first
NSettlers arrived. This part of the
country had formerly been used as
a cattle and sheep range, but the
homeseekers the past few years have
been driving the stock back into the
mountains.
Arbon is about $3.50 feet above sea
level. From a line through the center
of the valley ~lengthwise there is ample
wood and good timber within four
miles. Two saw mills are doing good
business. Railroad talk breaks out
once in a while and the ranchers blow
themselves for new wind mills, COM
bine ~harvesters, cars, buildings, etc,
on the strength of it. The building of
a road is being given serious consider
alton.
The high foothills are also being
brought under the pillow. There is
little fruit grown. Quite a few far
mers raise their own small fruit, and
some apples, pears and plums are
grown, but not a large quantity of the
latter.
Pocatello, American Falls and Ma
lad vie each other for the Bannock
lIdue, anu IL 10 opllt bCbNCSh bhCoS
three places. The Indian reservation
is in between the valley and the Ore
gon Short Line railroad. Lately a
good county road has been built
through the reservation which makes
travel considerably easier.
The tendency is in the direction oi
larger farms. The soil is rich, light
weight, dark colored volcanic ash.
Our First Settlers.
On June 21st, 1892, j. R. Bailey, John
Bowen, S. ID. Davis and E. H. Davis
came into the valley to seek a new
home. There was still a considerable
amount of snow in Knox canyon anc
the party could not tell whether there
was a creek there or not. Later IL
the summer they found a good stream
of water in the canyon and soon com
menced to work on a canal where TN
saw mill is now, to get the watel
down in the valley for ~irrigating. TIT
original pioneers we're d. J. Bowen
E. ]. Wright, A. L. Bowen, j. n. Ar
hon. Geo. Arbon, E. H. Davis, l.. b
Evans, W. T. Hawkins and Hy. Il. Da
Wis. In 1898 j.. n. Arbon, H. Davis
E. H. Davis and ID. j. Bowen stake'
ont their land which is at the presen
location. AS the ldlu nau 80 49,
SURVEYED. they took it under squatter
rights. The work on the canal wa
completed and the water carried t
the mouth of the canyon. The mrs
spring they raised enough vegetable
and small fruits for their winter US
and had some left for their stock. Tn
wear before S. D. Davis plowed
small patch OF land and put it l
--4 g. a frfo1 This was WpTRrp
from a spring. The grain turned on
fSir for new breaking.
d. ]. Bowen was the proud posses
, sor Of the first cabin. 1t was made
hewn logs with a dirt roof and b
had to. haul the lumber for the floc
from Elkhorn. near Malad City. Man
of the pioneers moved into town fC
the winter, but a few stuck II OF
on their claims in dug-outs. In 1879
1894 the Anderson brothers locate
here and camped in a wagon box. A
so the Ward boys, T. L. Kerr an
Pearl Hale arrived. In the year lo'
n ] Bowen the Arbons, Bailey and
few others dubbed together al
boueht wire to fence each a sma
proportion of land and put in graz
ID !. Bowen purchased an Osborn
D with which the grain was c.
and hauled in wagons, as he gra
was too short to bind. They secure
a thresher from Samaria and N
Bowen received from his crop
bushels and Arbon 100 bushels. TIT
were late in the fall threshing al
cold weather set in by the time &
Anderson boys place was reached al
the thresher crew left their machi
Nbetween the stacks and finish
tfreshing late in the next spring.