On Sunday, July 16, 1911, four men from American Falls drove 127 miles in a single day around Bannock Peak. They went south by Rockland and Holbrook and came home north through the Arbon country. Four days later the American Falls Press told the story on its front page, beside two photographs of the valley.
Bannock Peak is the highest mountain overlooking the valley, as the site's history of Joseph Arbon describes it. The Press called it "the sentinel" for travelers "across the plains since the days of the overland trail." Only two weeks earlier it had reported a party from Aberdeen and American Falls that camped at the foot of the peak and climbed it. A good many people had climbed it, the paper said, "but few have gone around it in a single day."
The party and the road out
The car belonged to D. W. Davis, very likely the president of the First National Bank of American Falls. With him rode Arthur W. Davis; O. H. Barber, the manager of the Press; and a fourth man whose name the digitized page garbles. Neither Davis is known to be related to the Davis family of Arbon. It was not the first car to reach the valley; the Firsts page dates the earliest on record to the end of 1910.
The party left at 6 a.m. and was home at 7:45 p.m. It passed through Rockland "before breakfast time—for Rockland people" and found the Holbrook road too high in the center for automobiles. At A. B. Reece's place, "the first place across the divide from Landing," thirty-eight miles out, the men spent fifty minutes taking pictures and mending a puncture. Beyond it they drove three miles of new road, theirs the first vehicle over it, and came on to Holbrook, a little over thirteen miles past Reece's.
Dinner on a well trough
Here the digitized text is jumbled, and the stretch of road after Holbrook is lost. When the story picks up again, the party seems to have entered the Arbon country at its south end, and the men are at dinner:
The table was set on the water trough of a new well 350 feet deep, and an elegant spread consisting of 4 cans of sardines, twelve egg sandwiches, a can of peaches and a dozen oranges and forty cents worth of cake taken care of in record time. It was only a light repast, yet the gentlemen felt called upon to politely decline invitations to stop and have dinner four times within the next two hours.
"Funny how one's appetite fails when traveling," the paper added.
As the dishes were being put away, Mrs. Walker came by and asked whether they needed anything. They wanted only a road going their way, and she guided them to the main road. About a mile on they found the Walker brothers, who "had lost their almanac and were shingling a house, confident in the belief that the day was along about the middle of the week." It was Sunday. The Walkers had brought a traction engine and gang plows into the valley, and they ran a blacksmith shop that was "much appreciated by their neighbors." The paper gives no first names, so which Walkers these were is not known. The party took two pictures at the Walker places.
The next stop was the home of W. A. Nunnelly, probably Walter Albert Nunnelley of Summit, who was away in Malad. "During his absence another picture was added." By the family's own account, Joe Arbon had brought the Nunnelleys hay, and Ed Davis groceries, in their hard first winter.
Calling on the pioneers
From there the party took the road due north, past what the paper called numerous fine fields, among them that of E. H. Davis, which was "particularly good." Then it made a brief call:
A short call was made on Joseph Arbon, the pioneer of the valley, who has been a resident of that beauty spot for near fifteen years. He has seen greater changes during the last two years however, than in all the others that have gone before.
This was probably George Arbon's son Joe, and "near fifteen years" points to about 1896, close to the family's accounts of their first winters.
Next came John Payne, George Arbon's son-in-law and "the pioneer store keeper and hotel man." The paper said Payne had 320 acres, nearly all of it in cultivation, with water for about forty acres, "one of the best places in the valley." He estimated that 150,000 to 200,000 bushels of grain would be hauled out of the valley that fall. The words "hotel man" bear out the Firsts page, which records the valley's first hotel by March 1911 and judges that the Paynes probably kept it.
"A stop was taken at the school house long enough to take a picture of it." Then came a call at the home of Tom (T. B.) Evans, who was "said to have more land in cultivation than any other man in the valley." After leaving the valley, the party followed the Pocatello road as far as the pole line and made good time home.
The writer's verdict: "The Arbon country was the most beautiful of any seen on the trip, and the development there was fully as great as that of any other section."
The article added that people there were much interested in the new road that had been surveyed to American Falls, which would shorten their haul to market. "The marketing of their grain is a growing problem."
The wheat and the pictures
The same front page carried a report on the coming harvest. Four new settlers, G. S. Butler, John Butler, G. W. Allard and Mr. Keeler, were expected to market 25,000 bushels of wheat. Three years earlier, "when the valley contained about forty families," the whole yield had been estimated at 45,000 bushels, and estimates for 1911 ran as high as 200,000. With a little more time for development, the paper predicted, the Arbon country would be "capable of marketing a million bushels" a year.
Two photographs ran on the same page, probably taken on the trip, captioned "View in the Arbon Country, From T. B. Evans' Place" and "Dry Farm Grain Field in the Arbon Country." The other pictures have not turned up in the later 1911 pages read for this post.
The article as printed
American Falls Press, July 20, 1911, page 1. Transcribed from the text of the page scan; passages the scan's text does not show clearly are marked [illegible].
AROUND BANNOCK PEAK IN AN AUTO.
American Falls People Take Interesting Trip.
One Hundred and Twenty Seven Miles Through Fine Grain Fields—New [illegible] is Extensive and General.
A good many people have climbed Bannock peak, the sentinel for [illegible] across the plains since the days of the overland trail, but few have gone around it in a single day. This feat was accomplished Sunday by D. W. Davis, Arthur W. Davis, [illegible] and O. H. Barber. The trip was made in D. W. Davis' automobile and the distance recorded was exactly 127 miles. This included some meandering over the Arbon country and a little added distance on the road home from Arbon, because all roads do not lead to Rome, or American Falls. The start was made at 6 a. m. and the party returned at 7:45 p. m., thirteen and three fourths hours. At a number of places stops were made some voluntary and some otherwise, a number of pictures were taken and calls on a few friends made.
The first scene of interest was the home of Martin Garn, about ten miles out. Mr. Garn was taking astronomical observations from the roof of his home, possibly trying to figure how long it was until church time. Being a bachelor he has no substitute for an alarm clock and has to depend upon his own resources to get up in the morning.
The party passed through Rockland before breakfast time—for Rockland people—if not before their getting up time. T. J. Lawson and L. W. Cotant, probably having forgotten to go to bed at all, were up reveling in the morning air, and constituted the only visible signs of life seen there.
The next stop made was on the Holbrook road, about opposite Daniel Reinman's place where the party worked out their road tax and took notes for the benifit of the road overseer. The road is very good for wagons, but is too high in the center for automobiles, and will some one please have it fixed.
Just three hours from home, and exactly thirty eight miles distant, the party stopped at the home of A. B. Reece, the first place across the divide from Landing. Fifty minutes were used to good advantage here in taking pictures and repairing a puncture. Mr. Reece located here two years ago and has a splendid piece of land and some fine grain and an excellent garden. He has three varieties of early maturing potatoes growing. Potatoes from his place were exhibited at the fair at Garland, Utah last fall and took the sweepstakes. He has a fine place for stock raising, with a good water supply provided by a number of springs, and an excellent range provided by the mountains. It is his intention to engage in the stock business. He is from Minnesota and a hustler. The altitude at his place must be considerably in excess of 5,000 feet, and the crops he is growing is a splendid recommendation for the character of the soil.
Leaving his place the party traveled three miles of new road, taking the first vehicle over it. While the road can be made good there is at the present plenty of room for improvement. But for lack of time a little more road tax would have been worked out here. The grades are not bad but there are more rock than are required for a good foundation and plenty of sagebrush.
Thirteen and three tenth miles beyond Mr. Reece's Place is Holbrook a beautiful and thrifty appearing community. Grain here is a week farther advanced than at any other point on the trip and while [illegible] the starting point, the party headed a [illegible] to take dinner with the gentlemen.
The table was set on the water trough of a new well 350 feet deep, and an elegant spread consisting of 4 cans of sardines, twelve egg sandwiches, a can of peaches and a dozen oranges and forty cents worth of cake taken care of in record time. It was only a light repast, yet the gentlemen felt called upon to politely decline invitations to stop and have dinner four times within the next two hours. Funny how one's appetite fails when traveling. Just as the dishes were being washed and put away Mrs. Walker came up and inquired if there was anything the party wanted that they had not succeeded in finding. She was told that road leading in the direction they wished to travel was the only thing and piloted the party to the main road. They were not lost but the road they were following showed a persistent tendency to go in the wrong direction all the time. Out on the main road, about a mile distant the Walker brothers were found. They had lost their almanac and were shingling a house, confident in the belief that the day was along about the middle of the week. They explained that there was not much need for an almanac in a new country, and they had carelessly dropped theirs in the bottom of a well, and Sunday came whenever the weather was too bad to work. The Walkers came into the valley [illegible] bringing a traction engine and gang plows, and have torn up a considerable part of the earth's surface in their neighborhood. They operate a blacksmith shop, which is a convenience much appreciated by their neighbors. Two pictures were taken at the Walker places.
The next stop was made at the home of W. A. Nunnelly, but before arriving there several fields of fine grain were passed. Fortunately for himself, Mr. Nunnelly was in Malad. During his absence another picture was added. From here the road due north was taken, past numerous fine fields. That of E. H. Davis was particularly good. A short call was made on Joseph Arbon, the pioneer of the valley, who has been a resident of that beauty spot for near fifteen years. He has seen greater changes during the last two years however, than in all the others that have gone before.
The next stop was at the home of John Payne, the pioneer store keeper and hotel man. Mr. Payne has 320 acres of fine land, nearly all of which is in cultivation, and he has water for about forty acres of it, making it one of the best places in the valley. Mr. Payne estimated the amount of grain that would be hauled out of the valley this fall at from 150,000 to 200,000 bushels. Three years ago the total yield was estimated at 45,000 bushels. This shows what progress has taken place.
A stop was taken at the school house long enough to take a picture of it. A call of a few minutes was made at the home of Tom Evans, who is said to have more land in cultivation than any other man in the valley. He has been in the valley several years and has his land well improved. His estimate of the grain [illegible] storehouse of information, pointing [illegible] a large number of people [illegible] filled.
Marshal Johnson who had ridden [illegible] land to see when his grain [illegible] ready to harvest, was seen near home. [illegible] G. S. and John Butler, [illegible] Allard and Mr. Keeler will harvest 25,000 bushels of grain. Inasmuch as these are all new settlers it denotes great progress.
After leaving the valley the run home was made in good time the road to Pocatello being followed until the pole line was reached. The Arbon country was the most beautiful of any seen on the trip, and the development there was fully as great as that of any other section. The [illegible] there are very much interested in the new road that has been surveyed to American Falls, as it will shorten their haul to market [illegible] them a good grade at the same time. The marketing of their grain is a growing problem.
On this site: the Joseph Arbon page tells how, in the summer of 1965, he rode a horse to the top of Bannock Peak to celebrate his approaching ninetieth birthday; the Evans and Davis pages tell more about the farms the party passed.