Between December 1908 and January 1911 Arbon Valley voted three times on leaving Oneida County for a new county centered on American Falls. Bills for it failed in the 1909 and 1911 sessions of the Idaho legislature before Power County was created in 1913.
Until then the valley was a precinct of Oneida County, governed from the county seat at Malad, over the hills to the south. In November 1908 the American Falls Press announced a push for a new county, to be called Power County. From American Falls, it said, reaching Malad meant "having to travel through two states and passing through two other county seats before arriving there."
The first vote, 1908
Earlier that year, by the Press's account, the Malad delegation at the Republican county convention, with T. D. Jones as spokesman, wanted the Arbon precinct left in Oneida. American Falls and Rockland refused, saying Arbon people had already petitioned to be included, and the compromise left the choice to Arbon.
A valley committee arranged a meeting: David Roderick, Bishop Joseph Arbon, and a man the digitized text names only as Bert, probably Bert Evans, Tom Evans's son. About the middle of December 1908 a letter reached American Falls saying the people had decided "by a vote of 19 to 2" to come into the new county. Neither Malad nor American Falls had anyone there.
Shoup County and "a small uprising in Arbon"
After the legislature met in January 1909, Representative I. B. Evans of Oneida, the Press said, wrote to "his brother at Arbon" and was told the people had decided to come in. He was probably Isaac B. Evans, a brother of the valley's Tom, Ren and Dave Evans; the paper does not name the brother. The Power County bill was killed in February 1909 and brought back as Shoup County.
Later, Malad men, among them L. D. Jones, came to Boise with petitions against including Arbon. The Press, which wanted the county, answered:
It should be borne in mind that not a single resident appeared from Arbon to enter a protest. There were two petitions bearing the names of fifty-three persons, a number less than half the voting population.
The paper questioned whether one petition was genuine, though it said American Falls did "not want it against the will of the people." The bill passed the House, and the Senate defeated it on Saturday, March 6, 1909, by one vote, after three senators who had backed it changed sides. The Press gave one senator's reason:
Senator Freehafer changed his vote, he said, because his friend L. D. Jones had told him there was a small uprising in Arbon against the bill. Twice it has fallen to the lot of Senator Freehafer to prevent the creation of a county here.
The petition story is the Press's account, from an editorial answering the Malad Idaho Enterprise, whose side was not found.
A stormy night at the schoolhouse
When the question returned in the winter of 1910–11, the Press said the valley would vote this time, not sign petitions. A meeting was called at the Arbon schoolhouse for Saturday night, December 31, 1910. Two Malad men, Mr. Jones and Mr. Thomas, spent two days beforehand talking with people. Five men came from American Falls, three of them in Walter Sparks's automobile, the first on record in the valley.
The Malad men arrived late. McKown of American Falls had recounted the 1909 fight and censured those behind its eleventh-hour opposition, and when they came in he said it again. O. H. Barber of the American Falls party spoke on taxes. Jones said that if Arbon wanted the new county, Malad valley would not oppose it, though he thought Arbon naturally belonged with Malad. Thomas said that "so many of the people of Arbon had relatives in Malad" that their interests lay there. Then Barber narrowed the question:
At the conclusion of Mr. Thomas' address, Mr. Barber explained that the only thing at issue was the boundry line. ... There was no opposition so far as the matter of division was concerned. The real question was where the boundry line should be.
American Falls wanted the line to follow the range between the Arbon and Malad valleys to the south line of township 12 south, taking the valley into the new county. Malad wanted it along the Fort Hall Reservation line and the divide between the Arbon and Rockland valleys, leaving the valley in Oneida.
Jones asked whether so few people could speak for the valley and suggested petitions. Barber asked whether Malad would drop its opposition if the vote went for the new county, and Jones made no reply. Julius Abter then moved that the vote be accepted as final; Jewell Horton seconded, and it "carried without a dissenting vote." Tom Evans and George Butler were judges and Horton was clerk. Twenty-six voted for the new county and two against. The night was very stormy, the paper said, and the crowd was smaller for it.
109 to 30
Because that vote was not a full expression of the valley, Arbon voted again on Saturday, January 14, 1911. Malad was invited but sent no one. On a blackboard the American Falls men showed what the valley's school districts paid in Oneida taxes and would pay in the new county. Every house in the valley was visited.
The vote was 109 for the new county and 30 against. The Press noted that "more votes were cast than at the general election" and called the crowd the largest in the valley's history. On February 1 the Salt Lake Tribune and Salt Lake Telegram carried the result in a Rockland dispatch placing the meeting "this week," though the Press had reported it on January 21.
Even so, the 1911 bill failed. In March D. B. Ripley of Arbon told the Press the people were "much disappointed." Why it died is not explained in the papers found.
Power County at last
Power County was created on January 30, 1913, from parts of Oneida, Bingham, Blaine and Cassia counties, with American Falls as county seat for the time being. Among the governor's first appointees the Press listed "L. B. Evans, farmer; Arbon": Ren Evans, Tom's brother. What became of his appointment is told in the story of Power County's first probate judge.
As the site's family timelines record, the final line divided the valley: the Arbon floor, Pauline and West Fork, and Crystal went to Power County, while Summit and Buist stayed in Oneida.
The article as printed
American Falls Press, January 7, 1911, page 1. Transcribed from the digitized text of the page scan; the left edge of the column is damaged, and words lost there are marked [illegible].
[illegible] PEOPLE TO POWER COUNTY
Decision Was Reached by a Vote Last Week.
Meeting Held Last Week [illegible] Two Voted to remain in Oneida County.—The Action [illegible] Considered Final.
[illegible] meeting was held in Arbon valley last Saturday night for the purpose of giving the people of that locality an opportunity of expressing [illegible] choice as to whether they [illegible] to remain in Oneida county [illegible] included within the proposed Power county. The meeting was originally called for one o'clock [illegible], but at the instance of the Malad represenatives it was [illegible] until eight o'clock of the [illegible]. A vote was taken resulting twenty-six in favor of the new county to two against. The night was very stormy and the attendance was smaller than it would have been had good weather prevailed; however, those present came from [illegible] parts of the valley and represented the sentiment of the pople.
Two years ago the establishment [illegible] Oneida [illegible] Power County was one of the [illegible] which contributed to the defeat of the Power county bill owing [illegible] fact that at a late hour [illegible] made by a few residents [illegible] the new county. These protests were largely signed by people who had previously signed a petition asking to be included within the new county. They came at a [illegible] they could not be [illegible]. Having in view this condition [illegible] desire to prevent its recurrence it was decided to hold an election this time instead of relying upon petitions. As previously [illegible] representatives were there and [illegible] to hear what they had to say. American Falls delegates were [illegible] L. McKown and O. H. Barber. [illegible] wishing to disappoint those [illegible] come out for the purpose of [illegible] them the representatives [illegible] upon the merits of the new county and asking the people to come [illegible] on the night of the 31st when representatives from both American Falls and Malad would address them.
On Thursday of last week Mr. [illegible] D. Jones and Mr. Thomas, of Malad, arrived in Arbon valley and spent Friday and Saturday in talking to the people. Saturday morning [illegible] B. Greenwood, Walter Sparks and [illegible] L. McKown left in Mr. Spark's automobile, and Saturday afternoon Frank Moench and O. H. Barber [illegible] by team, both parties arriving too late to mingle with the people at all, prior to the meeting [illegible]. The two later arrived at the meeting place at the school house about eight thirty o'clock. The Malad representatives had not arrived at eight thirty and believing they would not appear the meeting was called to order by Mr. Greenwood, of American Falls, who briefly stated its purpose. He introduced Mr. McKown who told of the efforts to [illegible] a new county two years ago and of the opposition which arose at a late hour, and censured those responsible for the eleventh hour opposition, for things which appeared to him to be not in accordance with the understanding which had been reached concerning division at an earlier date. He had just concluded this part of the talk when the Malad representatives entered the hall. Not wishing to say anything in their absence that he would not have said in their presence, Mr. McKown repeated the assertion which he had just made. He was followed by Mr. Barber, who confined himself to the matter of taxation in the proposed new county, comparing it with that which the people are paying in Oneida county, and submitting figures from the county records and drawing comparisons with other counties having comparatively the same [illegible] valuation and population as the proposed new county, which have a smaller tax rate than Oneida or any other large county in the state. At the conclusion of Mr. Barber's talk L. D. Jones, of Malad, stated that if the people of the Arbon country expressed a desire to be included within the new county there would be no opposition from the people of Malad valley. He considered that the people of Arbon naturally belonged to Malad valley and would be better served in the old county than in the new, but if they expressed a desire to be included in the new county that would settle the matter with them. He reviewed the efforts of the past two sessions towards securing a division of the county and defended the cause of those who had been criticised Mr. McKown. He stated that he had no figures to give the people inasmuch as Mr. Ralph Harding, the chairman of the board of county commissioners who had expected to be present and had not arrived. He was followed by Mr. Thomas who made a talk along general lines, and who thought that owing to the fact that so many of the people of Arbon had relatives in Malad that their interests were naturally there. He stated, however that if the people of Arbon wished to be included in Power county there would be no opposition.
At the conclusion of Mr. Thomas' address, Mr. Barber explained that the only thing at issue was the boundry line. The people of American Falls desire to follow the range dividing the Arbon and Malad valleys to the south line of township 12 south, thence directly west to the intersection with the Cassia county line. The Malad people wished the line to follow the reservation line to the crest of the divide between Arbon and Rockland valleys and thence west and along said range to its intersection with the Cassia county line. There was no opposition so far as the matter of division was concerned. The real question was where the boundry line should be.
Ballots had been printed reading, "For New County," and "Against New County." Mr. Barber explained that an "X" placed in the circle opposite "For New County" would be a vote to fix the line at the south line of 12 south; that a vote against the new county would be establish the line at the reservation as desired by the people at Malad. Mr. Jones at this point raised the question as to whether the attendance was large enough so that it could be said to reflect the sentiment of the entire people of the valley and asked if it would not be better to circulate petitions rather than [illegible] Barber recalled the experience of two years ago when a large number of the residents of that valley had signed petitions [illegible] of all the people and that if the vote was against coming into the new county, the new county advocates would cease their efforts to have Arbon included, and establish the line at the south line of the reservation. He asked Mr. Jones if the representatives from Malad would be willing to withdraw their opposition in case the vote showed that the people desired to be included in the new county. Mr. Jones made no reply. At this point Julius Abter moved that the vote to be taken be accepted as final, and representative of the sentiment of the people of the valley. This was seconded by Jewel Horton and carried without a dissenting vote.
At the request of the American Falls representatives judges and a clerk were selected to receive the ballots of all who cared to vote. T. B. Evans and Geo. J. Butler were selected as judges and Jewel Horton as clerk. Ballots were distributed and a recess was taken in order to permit a free mingling of the people before their ballots were deposited. After a laps of five or ten minutes the ballots were taken up and the names of the voters enrolled. Twenty-eight votes were cast, twenty-six of which were for the new county and two against it. American Falls representatives thanked the people for the preference shown and for their timerity in facing the inclement weather.
American Falls people have always claimed that three-fourths of the people of that locality desired to be included inn the new county. Two years ago at a meeting called at which neither representatives of Malad or American Falls were present, the people voted nineteen to two in favor of the new county. The result of the ballot taken on the 31st confirms the claim that the people of that section are overwhelmingly in favor of the new county and for this reason no opposition is anticipated so far as the fixing of the boundary of the south line of 12 south is concerned.
On this site: the Evans and Arbon family histories and the Arbon area history.
Sources
- American Falls Press, November 14, 1908, page 1
- American Falls Press, March 13, 1909, page 1
- American Falls Press, March 13, 1909, page 8
- American Falls Press, January 7, 1911, page 1
- American Falls Press, January 21, 1911, page 1
- Salt Lake Tribune, February 1, 1911, page 12
- Salt Lake Telegram, February 1, 1911, page 6
- American Falls Press, March 11, 1911, page 6
- American Falls Press, February 6, 1913, page 1