In March 1911 the Arbon correspondent of the American Falls Press reported that some people in the valley were talking about opening a townsite. Arbon Valley, the old Bannock Valley south of American Falls and Pocatello, was then in Oneida County; most of it, including the Arbon floor, became part of Power County in 1913. It had no town. But the columns of that year show a valley that already had many of the things a village has: a hotel, a store, a dance hall, a blacksmith and a butcher.
A townsite soon
The idea was not new. On March 20, 1909, with twenty-eight homesteads taken since November, the Arbon column reported that "Bishop Arbon is making arrangements to lay out a townsite soon, and people who desire to build in town will soon be able to do so." The writer expected enough settlement before long "to support a good little town." Bishop Arbon was probably Joseph Nicholas Arbon, bishop of the Arbon Ward; the columns do not print his first name. A month later a front-page feature for homeseekers said the valley had "two schools in the lower end of the valley, a general store, and a townsite is being laid out." No later report found for this post says where that townsite was, or that anyone bought a lot in it.
Early 1911
"Our valley is still on the road to progress," the Arbon notes began on January 14, 1911. On March 11 the Arbon Valley Notes reported cold weather with plenty of snow, and hay and straw for the cattle were getting scarce. "A fine entertainment was given last week in the Arbon school house when a good crowd enjoyed the program." The new meeting house at the north end of the valley was to be finished that week, with a big dance planned for Friday night; it was probably the Latter-day Saint building at Pauline, as the site's Firsts page judges. The column also reported:
Some people in this vicinity are talking about opening a townsite in this valley, but nothing definite has been decided upon.
The same column carried a notice for "The Hotel Arbon," which offered "good accommodations." The rest of the notice is jumbled in the scan. "A large gathering enjoyed a dance at the Hawkins dance hall," the correspondent went on, and after supper the dancing resumed and "lasted until day break." The column does not say whose hall it was; Allen Hawkins is named in the same column for striking water at 75 feet, but no paper read for this post connects him with the hall (the first dance hall). Another item read:
There was an old time rag party given at the W. A. Nunnley residence. The prize was given to H. E. Chapman. About thirty-five were present and all enjoyed a good time.
This was W. A. Nunnelley's home at Summit, between Arbon and Buist; the paper spelled the name several ways. The column does not say what the prize was for.
A village blacksmith and butcher
In July four American Falls men who drove around Bannock Peak stopped at the home of John Payne, "the pioneer store keeper and hotel man." John Payne, who was born in England, and his wife Emily, a daughter of George Arbon, kept one of the valley's first stores. In September he came back from Pocatello "with a big load of supplies for his store," and a party from Pocatello who came out on business by automobile "stopped at the Payne hotel over night." The Hotel Arbon of March was probably the same house (the first hotel).
By August the correspondent was writing of the valley's trades as if it were a village. On August 31 the Arbon News reported:
Chapman, our village blacksmith, has all the work he can attend to now, fixing up machines for the farmers.
He was probably the H. E. Chapman of the rag party. The same column reported that the valley had a new village butcher, printed as Archey Bindley and read on this site as Archey Lindley, who had succeeded H. E. Hooker; Hooker was going to California. Two weeks later Joseph N. Arbon was putting up "a very fine blacksmith shop on his ranch," and D. B. Ripley was sawing lumber at the mill he had leased from the Dawson brothers (the first village blacksmith and butcher).
The papers describe no street of shops, and for most of these trades they do not say where they were kept. Joe Arbon's shop stood on his ranch. By 1915 the blacksmith shop of Harry Chapman, probably the same man, was reported in the South Arbon news, where the correspondent wrote: "If a few more ranchers get mule teams he will have to hire an assistant." By that year the Press was printing separate South Arbon and Central Arbon columns beside the Arbon news.
The only mayor of Arbon found in the papers was a joking one. On October 28, 1915, the Press reported a visit from "John Paine, mayor of Arbon," as it spelled the name. He had held the office so long that it was considered his "by right of continuous and beneficial use," and he "does not have to defend the title." He was, the paper added, "one of the oldest settlers in the Arbon country."
A townsite by the Central school
The townsite came up again at the Central school, which stood on land given by T. B. Evans. On April 6, 1916, the Arbon column reported: "Miss Leavitt has erected a new stone building on the townsite by Central school. She will soon open with a display of millinery and notions." That June she took over the Arbon post office. In March 1917, in the valley history she wrote for the Press, Mrs. E. A. Logan said that Evans "gave the land for the Central school building and has offered land for a townsite." She listed Harold Leavitt's barber shop near the post office and Miss Leavitt's small store, and said Harry Chapman's blacksmithing business near the Highland school "saves the farmers many long trips for repairs."
The papers read for this post do not show whether a town was ever platted there.
On this site: the timeline in the Arbon area history follows the Central school and the stone store and post office beside it, and the Firsts page gathers the valley's first hotel, store, dance hall and village blacksmith.
Sources
- American Falls Press, March 20, 1909, page 8
- American Falls Press, April 17, 1909, page 1
- American Falls Press, January 14, 1911, page 1
- American Falls Press, March 11, 1911, page 4
- American Falls Press, July 20, 1911, page 1
- American Falls Press, August 31, 1911, page 8
- American Falls Press, September 14, 1911, page 1
- American Falls Press, September 28, 1911, page 1
- American Falls Press, June 3, 1915, page 4
- American Falls Press, October 28, 1915, page 5
- American Falls Press, April 6, 1916, page 3
- American Falls Press, March 29, 1917, second edition, page 7