City of Almo, Cassia, Idaho

Quick Facts:

Settled: 1870s
Origin of Name: Records of early settlers indicate that “Almo” came from a word meaning “great battle.” It is possible that the Almo Massacre in 1862, an Indian attack on an emigrant wagon train, could have been the “great battle,” however, many historians dispute that the battle ever actually occurred- regardless, Almo was named some time later; Myron Durfee, who came to Almo in 1892 as part of the Almo Massacre rescue party, then returned to settle the valley in 1878, submitted the name when he applied for the post office at the stage stop.
Settled: In 1842, mountain man Joseph Remington Walker guided the second group of pioneers bound for California through the Raft River Valley, Almo Valley, the City of Rocks and over Granite Pass. That established the route as the main California Trail, with the Salt Lake Alternate later meeting the trail at the Twin Sisters in the City of Rocks. Many early Almo settlers were of the second generation of Mormon pioneers from Utah’s Willard and North Ogden areas, seeking new land as they spread into the valleys of Southern Idaho and northern Utah. Johnny Stines, a cowboy for Shirley, Sweetser, and Keough cattle operations, and Jim Sage built cabins in the valley in the late 1860s. Hundreds of thousands of pioneers passed through the area between 1843 and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. Railroad towns sprang up along the railroad, including Kelton, on the northwestern edge of the Great Salt Lake. The Kelton Road followed the Salt Lake Alternate Trail from Kelton, passed through Almo and the City of Rocks, through Albion, and along Goose Creek, finally joining the Oregon Trail near Burley. Freight wagons and stagecoaches followed the Kelton Road on to Oregon and the mining camps at Boise
Known for: Once had a thriving business district, including saloons, a dance hall, & other businesses, serving as a hub for mining operations in the adjacent areas
Notable Features: Cemetery, LDS Church, Volunteer Fire Station; Tracy’s Store, claims to be the oldest continually operating retail store in Idaho; hotel, eating places, convenience store, hot springs/swimming pool, RV Parks, Camping Areas
Location: 9.2 miles east of Burley on Hwy 81 E, then 32 miles south (43 miles total, 53 minutes) on Hwy 77. Cassia’s Historic Byway - Get Directions