Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1920-12-10
Bear Lake County

Until tho creation Of new counties
By tho legislature OF 1919 Bear Lake
county held pretigo as being the
smallest In the state and as one OF
the richest Though Il now has RI
walls in the point OF diminutive area,
Il Il by no means given up It's claims
to precedence IN wealth. The natu-
raj wealth OF this county Is about
IA happily diversified as Its resi-.
dents could wish
Bear Lake county ID situated In
extreme southeastern corner OF the
state and has an area OF almost sew.
en- hundred thousand acres. tt has
nm elevation OF nearly six thousand
feet above sea level and like the ad-
Joining county OF Caribou Il IL rough
and mountainous. with large num-
Der OF creeks and ether streams, all
of which empty into Bear RIver
Bear Lake. which gives the county
its name. is most beautiful body OF
water, situated in the southern part
of the county and extending into
Utah
Boar Lake county. was created out
OF the southeastern part OF Oneida
county, by an act passed at the sth
session of tho territorial legislature
or Idaho and approved January 9Th.
1875 III the year 1868 the county
was settled by brave aud hardy rep.
resentatives OF the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints and con
eernlng them the following has been
preiously written.
During tho early fall OF 1853 at
Salt Lake City, president Brigham
Young called General Charles G.
Rich 20 his office and consultation
was held aH 10 the advlsability ~
opening mp Bear Lake valley for set
Element, Beyond the fact that tho
country WAS known to be of a high
altitude and therefore very cold aud
subject ID deep SHOWS III winter. IT.
tla else was known. II was accord
ingly arranged that General Rich
should so into Cache alley. select
company ~ fifty horAeman with nee.
easary baggage wagons. ana explore
tho valley with a View OF its per-
manent settlement. Thia was done
IN September 1853 At that time
there was no road connecting tho
valley With Utah settlements. Tho
company eamO Ia Franklin in Cache
county, then tho most northern aet.
tlomont, thence 20 Mink Greek and
up tho noted ''dugway" so we'll
known to all old settlers and down
/ Emigration canyon near Liberty ami
into thu valley. They cut the dead
timber out OF the way and made
scratches OF dugway and built such
bridges ~ could not be avoided. This
Han the accomplishment Of Bear
Lake eounty's first highway"
Let IN now briefly refer to a lit-
TO chronology formerly complied by
tho late Judge J. &. Rich;
Tho first few years tho most OF
tho grain raised Ia the valley was so
badly frost bitten that Il was not 1T
20 eat. hui Notwithstanding that fact
II had 20 be eaten because ii was all
that wa1 to ba had
The first flour mill. II IL could be
dignified BY that name was built IN
Paris In tho spring Of G5 ~ Fran.
cis M. Pomaroy and George w Sir.
rino. The mill stones were homo
made from native rock and about Is
Inches In diameter. Phiniaa Cook
built the next Kriat mill nt swaT
Creek which though a small affair
and homo made. vas the means oi
making very eRdlbis flour.
Tho first saw mill was erected b.
Nathan Davis at St. Charles. All o.
the irons Of the mill ware forged hi
Jonathan Pugmire al st. Charles
The first blacksmith shop was opera
ted at Paris In tho fall OF 1863 b,
Evan A. Williams. followed the mex
; summer by ono at Montpelier will
William TeepleB At tho anvil.
/ The first public school was laugh
/ IN the winter Of 1854 and 1856 q
/ Paris BY George OHmnnd aud J. {
Rich ~ instructors.
Tho first girl born In the valle
! vas Mrs. chas. Pearce now Of Mont
Ipelier.
Tho first piowlng done IN Bea
Lake county was done by Robert n
Williams ~ Ovid on the block Of
posite Nlels Johnson In. Paris. /
! 1864.
The first newspaper published /
fhe county was the Bear Lake Dem'
e in 1875. He and bis brother. NJ
: ICharies Hoff hauled the first iOa