| Show THE BANNOCK STAKE OF ZION VON BY ANDREW JENSON WARD WABD mathoni W pratt bishop thomas B X wilson first counselor apollos P driggs drigge second counselor the aline ward includes all the baiata residing iu the BO called teton basin baalu numbering about biety families or three hundred souls boula they live in a very scattered condition on their quarter sections the centre af the ward a point lying immediately west of the grand tetona where the saints intended to erect their meeting house bouse la is about fifty miles east of rexburg Rex burg and seventy two miles from market lake the nearest railway station on the istah utah northern railway teton basin formerly known as plews Pier tea hole is reached by crossing a low ridge which separates it from snake river biver valley it has a nearly plain lilain surface for a length of about twenty miles and a breadth varying from about five to ten or twelve miles beyond which limit gentle slopes stretch up far among the foot hills bills the general slope of the plain as a whole is extremely gradual and the flow of the streams which pass through Is very much checked so as to cause broad stretches of swampy ground along their banks many of the small streams as they emerge from the mau mountains stains are divided into small channels which take very different courses to the toton teton river most of the plain is thickly covered with a luxuriant growth of grasses and other good forage plants though some small areas are sandy and gravelly and comparatively barren abundant supply of water for irrig irrigation atlon can be had at the mouth of every little canyon considering the richness of the soil and the abundance of water this alp ilp i one of the most inviting valleys of idaho N P langford superintendent of the yellowstone low stone national park in describing this valley says the teton basin contains more than eight hundred square miles is is covered with perennial grasses well watered by large streams fringed with an abundant growth of cottonwood furnishing sufficient timber for all the practical purposes of life while the adjacent mountains are covered with tall pines furnishing the finest timber in the world the soil receiving its nutrition from the detritus i washed from the mountains and from the dA deposits posits of frequent overflows is rich deep and strong yielding readily to culture ample facil facilities ites for irrigation are afforded by the river and the streams that feed it there is not a finer stock raising region on the continent favored I 1 dinits in its location with a dry pure atmosphere rain occurring only lor for a few days in the spring snow seldom falling in the valley of sufficient depth to bury the herbage and the weather with the ex caption of an occasional day in winter never so cold as to render a shelter necessary for cattle it seemed to us to unite more of the needful elements for successful 1 stock raising than any other equal portion of the mountain region I 1 the extreme northeastern angle of the valley to is occupied by a shallow pond about five hundred yards in diameter with marshy borders the largest tributary of the teton river formerly known as pierrott Pier rots reys river biver is big teton creek so named because it heads directly toward the highest teton the main stream flows through the valley from southeast to northwest and finally after emerging through a canyon turns west towards snake river biver the three the famous mountain landmark of the snake river biver region raise their maje majestic stid peaks heavenward from the centre of the he great teton range lying immediately past east of the basin they have been thus named because only three of the peaks are seen at a distance but there are really ten or more distinct peaks in tte t 3 range those upon its northern ana and southern portions are somewhat lower than the central ones the altitude of the top of the grand teton to is feet HISTORY the teton basin was formerly a favorite summer rendezvous of the old fur ti traders aders and was the scene in july 1832 of a sharp fight between blackfoot indians and an exploring company under william sublette and nathaniel J wyeth which was passing through the valley the fight arose from the treachery of a halfbreed half breed belonging to Sub Sublet lettes ted party who ordered shot a blackfoot chief while engaged in friendly parley before the pipe of truce W when hell the savages saw their chief fall the valley was instantly alive with warriors securing the hona wyeth raised a breastwork with his effect effiec ts and after ordering all his men behind it went forth if necessary to mingle in the fight the savages had bad taken to the bush and there trenched entrenched in themselves A an n aftem attempt t was made to dislodge them jn in chice which among others one of the Sin clairs was phot sublette Bu blette was struck and wyeth narrowly escaped six white men and seven nez perces fell on one side and twenty six on the other thirty two horses were slain and this was but the beginning of the evils flowing from this one infamous act of this infamous halfbreed half breed five days afterward as a party of six white men for the east were passing out of jackson hole they were attacked by the and three of the number one being formerly of wyeth 18 party were killed soon seon after the affray sublette and wyeth passed out of the teton basin with their respective parties the first latter day saint settlers entered lands in the teton basin in 1888 since which the population has gradually increased at a special meeting held at the teton basin august 1889 1880 apostle francis M lyman president thomas E ricks richs and william F rigby bigby being present a ward organization was effected and called the aline ward with mathoni W pratt as bishop and rhomas R wilson as his first and A apollos llos P driggs as his second coun cou u sefor beor these brethren were all ordained high priests and set apart to their respective positions on the day mentioned the following brethren were chosen and set apart as teachers in the ward don driggs george H wallace edlef B Eill edlefsen efsen and edwin little BASALT WARD WABD andrew audrewy Aud rewO 0 ingelstrom bishop basalt is the southernmost ward in the bannock stake it consists of about ten families residing around the rail way station of basalt or cedar point ten tan families at rivendale verdale Bi Ri on the west tilde aide of the river opposite blackfoot the aou county nty seat of bingham county and three families iu in the town of blackfoot the district of country lying within the limits of this bis ward extends north to the taylor ward about four miles above basalt station and south to ross roas fork twenty six miles from basalt thi re is a separate branch organization at rivendale verdale Bi Ri basalt station where tile the bishop resides and the meeting house is located is forty eight miles by way of big butte ferry southwest of rex bex burg fourteen miles southwest of ea eagle ae rock bock and thirteen miles north of blackfoot blackfoot Bi Ri verdale comprises about a dozen families or forty souls belonging to the church living in a scattered condition on their respective quarter sections for a distance of four foai miles along the right bank of the snake river biver the upper house being about a mile below the bridge or two miles northwest north west of blackfoot the surrounding country is level and fertile and there are did facilities for thousands of families to settle meetings and sunday schools are held occasionally among the first latter day saint settlers in the neighborhood of basalt station was andrew 0 ingelstrom who entered a quarter section of land landin in june 1886 1885 about A bout the same time henry whitmill mrs ann huband and family aaron and others settled at cedar point about three miles north of the station locating on different quarter sections and some of them built houses bouses that same fall A number of gentiles also entered land near by about abou E the same time at a special meeting held october the open air on the banks of snake river at a tw awu miles north of blackfoot the saints re aiding in that vicinity were organized by george 0 parkinson counselor in the oneida stake presidency into a branch of the church with andrew 0 ingelstrom as presiding priest and soren boren madsen as his assistant it was on the occasion of a compulsory visit to blackfoot of joseph M phelps kuelps N porter A JL blackburn alexander leatham eatham li A A biorn and others who had bad been arrested on charges of unlawful cohabit ion and brought to blackfoot for trial at that time that part of the coultry was thought to belong to the oneida stake the meeting was a most interesting one and some very valuable instructions were given the branch was called the cedar point branch november 1st ast 1885 a sunday school was organized at cedar point with aaron as superintendent the louisville ward having been organized in august 1884 the cedar point branch became a part of that ward and when the eagle rock bock ward was organized in november 1886 it was attached to that ward continuing thus until it became a separate ward at a meeting held at basalt august 13 1888 william F rigby and james E steele being present andrew 0 ingelstrom was presented to the people e 0 now numbering sixteen families 11 1 for their future bishop and accepted he was ordained at the quarterly con ference at louisville august following on that occasion the name na ne was changed from cedar point to basalt the latter bel being rig the name of the post office john croft and jacob hutchinson were chosen as his counselors on the same occasion but they have riot not yet been set apart meetings and ancl sunday schools were held in private houses until january 1890 when a small log building at basalt station was donated to the ward tor for meeting purposes by mrs maria ingelstrom in which meetings are now held lewis D wilson of ogden utah and lot and samuel F adams of richmond cache county utah were the first mormon settlers in that district of country lying across the snake river from blackfoot now known as rivendale verdale Rl Ri these three families took up their present farms in the fall of 1886 1885 and built houses the following winter A few more fa families arrived in 1886 when the first crops were raised water for irrigating purposes having been brought in upon n the farms from snake river through a canal seven miles long the few saints who com comprise p rise the little branch at present are somewhat disappointed because so few of their faith have chosen to cast their lot with them although they claim to have some rome of the very best farming land and the most extensive range in the whole valley Bi Ri verdale sunday school was organized in the fall of 1888 and the place became a branch of the basalt ward in the beginning of 1889 with joseph murdock as presiding priest but he soon aft afterward erard moved away since which neither meetings nor sunday schools have been held regularly BRIGHTON WARD WABD reuben hiatt bishop robert greenwood first counselor richard hensley second counselor brighton ward named after brighton in england embraces an extensive tract of country lying south of the parker ward and west of henrys fork of snake river all the families live on their quarter sections although a townsite was surveyed some time ago in section 28 township 6 north of range 39 east boise meridian this point is eight miles in a straight line or twelve miles by road northwest of rexburg Rex burg and twenty two miles northeast of market lake the nearest railway station tho the first church organization was that of a branch organ iced by bichop parker who appointed richard hensley presiding priest at a special meeting held at brighton may 19 1886 apostle john W taylor bei being p present resent reuben hiatt hiat was ordains ordain ordained 1 a high priest and set apart as bishop of the brighton ward then organized and robert green wood and richard hensley were also ordained high priests and set apart as his bis first and second counselors A meeting house was built in 1886 at a cost of june 6 1886 the fi first rat sunday school was organized by bishop reuben hiatt and counselors with james george wood as superintendent may 15 1886 the townsite was located by bishop reuben hiatt and counselors se lors bishop william B preston naming it brighton BURTON WARD WABD george U smith bishop burton ward consists of the scattered families of saints residing in a tract of country lying between rexburg and henrys fork and the tenton and main snake river the centre of the ward the point where the meeting house is located is the southwest quarter of section 84 34 township lown aLip 6 north of range 39 east boi e meridian and is about five miles southwest of rt eburg ant and twenty miles northeast of market lake the nearest railway station the boundaries of the ward are am further described as follows commencing at the northeast corner of section 27 of township Town chip 6 north of range 39 east and running thence south one mile thence east one mile thence south three miles thence west to henry Is a fork thence up said stream and the south teton to the place of beginning see map on page Th pheward eward the ward embraces some excellent farming land which in its uncultivated state is covered with a thrifty growth of sage sagebrush brush water for irrigating pur purposes is had from the south betori teton and azoo also from the main branch of snake river through the so called texas slough A number of non mormons cormons reside in the ward some of whom preceded the saints as settlers ira in that martof the country the ward sunday school and usual ward organizations are in good running order HISTORY among the first latter day saint settlers in that district of country now embraced la fia the burton ward was geor george e foss james 0 watts george U smith and oue one or two others who located on their respective spec tive quarter sections in 1884 and built houses that same fall the first branch organization w waa as effected under the direction of the rex burg bish bishopric in the fall of 1884 with george foss foes as presiding priest he was succeeded in the fall of 1886 1896 by george U smith who presided until the quarterly conference held at rex burg may 1887 whon when the branch was organized into a ward and george U smith was ordained a bishop and set apart to preside over the same at the next quarterly conference held at rexburg Rex burg november 1887 bertram helm and hyrum S dudley were ordained high priests and set apart to act as his bis first and second counselors they acted until october 1888 since which bishop smith has officiated without counselors I 1 in a 1887 the ward meeting house a good substantial log building feet was built by doURt donation IOD it cost coet EAGLE ROCK BOOK WARD WABD james thomas bishop william thomas fiant counselor john D evans second counselor eagle rock ward includes the saints residing in the town of eagle rock and on farms in the surrounding country the boundaries of the ward can an further be described as follows commencing on the bank of snake river on the township line between towns township bip 1 and 2 and running thence east to the southwest corner of section 38 33 township 2 north range 38 east thence north on the section line to the north west corner of section 4 township 2 north thence west to the river embracing a tract of country of about fifteen square miles east of the river in other words the eagle rook rock ward extends north to the louisville east to the lona iona and south to the taylor ward west it extends across the river as far into the adjoining county as there are any latter day saints most of the saints paints residing at eagle book are employed emp loyes of the branch houses houm of the Z C M I 1 the consolidated implement company and the coop co op wagon and bachl machine no |
