Through 1915 the Arbon columns of the American Falls Press kept track of a valley still filling up. Newcomers came from Washington and Kansas, homesteaders filed in Knox Canyon and on the mountain ranges, wells went down, houses went up, and homesteads changed hands. Arbon had been in Oneida County until 1913; it was now in Power County, with American Falls as the county seat.
Newcomers
On April 1, under the heading "New Settlers Arrive," the Press reported that Tom Donnely, Fred Banks and a Mr. Turner of Dayton, Washington, had come in with two carloads of stock and farm implements. Donnely meant to start a stock ranch on unsurveyed land in the Arbon valley, and the Donnely brothers had many friends there, many of them "old acquaintances in Dayton." Settlers from Dayton had been coming to the south end of the valley since 1909, as the Summit area history notes.
On June 3 the South Arbon column reported that Jack Folsom and his bride had arrived from Dayton to make their home. Frank Swim, one of the valley's Kansas homesteaders, had leased his farm to a Mr. Johnson, "a recent arrival from Kansas," while he looked for a stock ranch around Twin Falls; he kept his homestead into the 1940s. In July C. K. Jones of Dayton, visiting his daughter, Mrs. Robert Stott, was looking for land because he was "well pleased with the Arbon country."
Onto the ranges
The new filings were climbing onto higher ground. On June 3 the Central Arbon correspondent wrote that a few new homesteaders had filed on land in Knox Canyon, a horseback route over the mountains to Rockland, and were building there. "Even the mountain ranges are being homesteaded," the correspondent added, "which is gradually crowding out the sheepmen." The sheep were not gone. Two weeks later Mr. Eliason and his brother had a crew at work at their shearing corral in Knox Canyon, and in June 1916 the brothers again sheared their sheep there.
Water
The first test was water. There are few creeks or springs in the Arbon area itself, as the Arbon area history explains. On June 3 the South Arbon correspondent wrote:
Mr. James Lickingteller was fortunate in getting water on his homestead at a depth of forty-one feet. The people on the west side of the valley have had to go from two hundred and thirty to four hundred and sixty feet for water.
The same page reported that the Parma Brothers, well drillers, had finished a well for Peck Winnet and Albert Poppy, and two weeks later W. W. Harvey was drilling a well for Frank Burke. Tom Stott and Emmett Lee bought some springs and planned to pipe the water down to their farms. In September W. H. Smith had to make a trip to Malad for a new cylinder for his well.
Tents and houses
The same June 3 column printed two items side by side, one settler hoping to sell out and another moving in:
W. W. Harvey has a Fairbanks engine, horses and hogs for sale. If he can dispose of his property he is going to leave this part of the country.
Tracy Lee has moved onto his homestead and has been living in a tent while building a home.
Harvey was still there two weeks later, drilling that well for Frank Burke; whether he left afterward is not known.
Others were building. In July William Allard was putting up a five-room house on his ranch at Arbon, and in August he and four others "of Arbon" were hauling "house bills," the lumber for houses, from the Idaho Lumber Company's yard in American Falls. In September Roy Smith was building a bungalow on his homestead, and George Bollinger, who had already proved up on his own claim, was building a house on "the homestead belonging to his wife." To prove up was to show the land office that the homesteader had lived on and farmed the claim for the required years; the government then issued a patent, the title to the land.
Staying and selling
Not everyone who looked elsewhere left. In June the South Arbon column reported Joe Jenson's business trips to Oregon and then Nevada. On July 8 it reported that he had come back from Nevada, where he had been looking for land, and that after traveling over Oregon, Utah and Nevada he had not found "anything that looks as good to him as Arbon." The scanned text gives his initials as J. W., but the trips match Joe Jenson's. On September 30 the column reported that J. A. Gardner had sold his ranch to Joe Jenson for $2,900 and that the Gardners would soon leave for their home in Cache Valley. The buyer was the Summit homesteader Joseph C. Jenson, whose family history records the purchase, and he was very probably the man who had come home from Nevada.
Other land was changing hands. That September Clarence Barrett sold his homestead to Harve Fletcher, who had arrived from Dayton and was "very much pleased with the country." Fred Durkee bought a section, a square mile or 640 acres, in the Arbon valley. Thomas Zimmerman of Dayton bought "the S. Randall place," another section, in a deal closed by M. A. Johnson, an American Falls real estate man who was also advertising 640 Arbon valley acres on ten years' time.
When the commissioners set the tax levy that September, the Press reported that the valuation of Power County had risen from $6,900,000 to $8,100,000. Public utilities and town lots made up part of the increase, and 31,636 more acres of patented land across the county accounted for "most of the rest." Patented land had passed from the government to private owners and could now be taxed. Everything outside the county's two independent road districts, "composing the Arbon and Crystal neighborhoods," was valued at about $670,000.
In December the North Arbon column reported that Add Affleck, Tom Evans's son-in-law, who had homesteaded next to the Evans place, had sold his large homestead to "a Washington man" through M. A. Johnson. In May 1916 the paper reported that Affleck had sold his farm to S. E. Harris; whether the two reports describe one sale is not known. The same December column noted that Jesse Secrist had advertised to prove up on his homestead the next month.
The article as printed
American Falls Press, June 3, 1915, page 4, the "Central Arbon News" column. Transcribed from the page scan.
CENTRAL ARBON NEWS.
Andy Olafson, who has a homestead here, returned a few days ago from Logan, Utah, where he has been for several months. He has a fine stand of Turkey red wheat on his farm.
Frank Swim has gone to Twin Falls and district surrounding in search of a stock ranch. He has a valuable farm here, which he has leased to Mr. Johnson, a recent arrival from Kansas.
Many of the Pauline and Central Arbonites attended the ball game last Sunday.
We are still having rainy weather. It has rained considerable the past week and hay crops are looking better.
W. E. Titus of Pocatello was a visitor in the valley Friday, returning to Pocatello Saturday.
There are a few new homesteaders who recently filed on land in Knox canyon, that are building on their land. Even the mountain ranges are being homesteaded, which is gradually crowding out the sheepmen.
John Payne and Mr. Thyberg went to Pocatello last week on business.
Mrs. Evnas has a few hats left yet and expects a new shipment soon.
Clifford Gerkings is busy these days turning the sod over for Mr. Porter.
Mr. Porter has leased the old Rodema place and expects to commence breaking on the place this summer.
Mrs. D. B. Evans was a Malad visitor the last of the week.
A pastor has been engaged for the Congregational churches of Arbon valley. Mr. Robert W. Sturges of New York City, a student in Union Theological Seminary, will be in Arbon for the next four months. Mr. Sturges arrived here Friday of last week and held services Sunday morning at the Highland Congregational church and also at the Arbon Congregational church. Everyone is cordially invited to attend the services, whether you are members or not. Come and bring your friends. Time and place of meeting will be published elsewhere in the Arbon items.
There has been several coyotte dens found this spring and many of the pups have been killed, which makes them that many less for the chickens.
The Parma Brothers, well drillers, completed a well for Peck Winnet and Albert Poppy recently.
Mrs. Sherman Randall who has been ill, is improving.
Mr. Lorenzo Lovin and J. R. Bailey were in Malad Tuesday on business, returned home Wednesday.
Mr. Porter was also a Malad visitor during the week.
George Williams, a resident and mayor of Pocatello, came out with a party of business men a few days ago to look after the interests of Mr. William's mining claim here. They report fine prospects for crops here this year.
On this site: the first irrigation ditch, fed from Knox Canyon; the first legislator from the valley, William Allard; the first farm auction, when two Kansas homesteaders sold out in 1916; and the Crystal area history.
Sources
- American Falls Press, April 1, 1915, page 1
- American Falls Press, June 3, 1915, page 4
- American Falls Press, June 17, 1915, page 1
- American Falls Press, July 8, 1915, page 1
- American Falls Press, July 8, 1915, page 2
- American Falls Press, July 15, 1915, page 1
- American Falls Press, August 12, 1915, page 5
- American Falls Press, September 2, 1915, page 8
- American Falls Press, September 16, 1915, page 1
- American Falls Press, September 16, 1915, page 2
- American Falls Press, September 23, 1915, page 7
- American Falls Press, September 30, 1915, page 5
- American Falls Press, September 30, 1915, page 6
- American Falls Press, December 2, 1915, page 3
- American Falls Press, May 18, 1916, page 2
- American Falls Press, June 22, 1916, page 8