Burley Area, Cassia County, ID

Burley, Cassia County, ID

  • Settled:  In 1905, at the commencement of the Minidoka Reclamation Project on the Snake River in adjacent Minidoka county; incorporated in 1909, Burley became county seat of Cassia County in 1918

  • Original Name:  Commerce
    Origin of Name    :   Named after David E. Burley, a general passenger agent for the Oregon Short Line Railroad, who promoted the area for settlement; later, Burley became an industrial to center to raise, harvest and process Russets, a new variety of potatoes; 22nd largest city in Idaho and largest in Mini-Cassia area

  • Known for: Primarily an agricultural-based economy, but ; one of three original townsites (along with Heyburn and Rupert) plotted during the Minidoka Reclamation Project; Heyburn was expected to become the commerce and residential center, but when lots were put up for sale, many settlers opted for the cheaper land in Burley 

  • Notable Features:  County seat for Cassia county; includes City & County Offices, 2 cemeteries, fire department, hospital,  Chamber of Commerce, public schools, business & professional districts; City of Burley owns & maintains 14 parks, golf course, municipal swimming pool and library; located near Pomerelle Ski Resort, the City of Rocks National Reserve, and hunting and fishing areas in the Sawtooth National Forest; Oregon Trail Recreation District offers organized participation in a number of sports & recreational activities; Burley city limits extend across Snake River into Minidoka county

  • Location: Located 38.9 miles (45 minutes) east of Twin Falls in I-84 E; city center is from exit 208

  • Population 2020 Census: 11,704 at the 2020 census up 13.14%, from 10,345 in 2010

Heyburn, Minidoka county, ID

  • Settled: Platted in 1903, settlement began in 1904 at the commencement of the Minidoka Reclamation Project on the Snake River

  • Original Name: Springtown, then later Riverton, but name was rejected by the post office because there were too many towns named “Riverton”

  • Origin of Name:   Named after US Senator Weldon B. Heyburn, senator from Idaho from 1903-1912

  • Known for: Originally intended to be the main population & commerce center in the Mini-Cassia area, its future was impeded when landowners chose to locate in the cheaper land south of the Snake River in Burley; Heyburn’s once vibrant commercial center  included three lumber yards, hardware stores, harness shop, restaurants, saloons and three churches; J. R. Simplot Co operated a large potato processing plant in Heyburn for many years

  • Notable Features: Though primarily a growing residential area, Heyburn also includes shopping areas and many industrial shops; known for its beautiful parks and boat docks along the Snake River

  • Location: 3.5 miles (8 minutes) northwest of Burley on E. Main St. to Hwy 24

  • Population 2020 Census: 3700, up from 3089 in 2010

 Hobson, Cassia county ID (farming & residential community)

  • Location: 12 miles west of Burley on Hwy 39 

  • No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community  

Milner, ID Cassia county (farming & residential community)

  • Settled: Milner Dam was built 1903-1905 and town established then

  • Original Name: The Cedars and Cedars, after the cedar trees that grew there

  • Origin of Name: Named for Stanley B. Milner, a major financial backer of Magic Valley irrigation projects

  • Known for: Milner Dam; near Caldron Linn, site of the first recorded death of a white man in Idaho as John Jacob Astor’s party traveled through the area on their way to Oregon in 1811; during construction of the Milner Dam, over 1,500 people lived there- many in tents

  • Notable Features: Cemetery, post office

  • Location: 12.2 miles (19 minutes west of Burley on Hwy 30, then W. Milner Road

  • No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community  

 Murtaugh, Cassia County, ID

  • Settled: 1869, after gold was discovered in the area

  • Origin of Name: Named after Mark Murtaugh, an irrigation official

  • Original Name: a community named Drytown was originally located here

  • Location: 21.6 miles west of Burley on Hwy 30W, the town is actually located in Twin Falls County, but many residents that claim Murtaugh as home live in western Cassia County

  • Known for: Primarily a farming and agricultural area

  • Notable Features: cemetery, convenience stores, public schools, LDS church; had a post office 1905-30 

  • 2010 Census: 115, down from 139 in 2000

Pella, Cassia County, ID (farming & residential community)

  • Settled: The first Latter-day Saint meeting was held in Pella in 1910

  • Original Name: Beulah, but in 1913 its name was changed because mail got mixed up between Beulah and Buhl, in Twin Falls County

  • Origin of Name:  It isn’t certain  where the name originated. It may have been a corruption of the name “Beulah,” or it may have been named after one of two ancient cities named Pella- one in Jerusalem, the other the capital of the Macedonian Empire; it has been implied that “Pella” implied “greatness,” due to ancient Pella’s reputation as a world center.

  • Notable Features: Cemetery, LDS church, small businesses and ag-related businesses Location:  West of Hwy 27 from about 3000 S. to about 700 S.

  • No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community  

Rice’s Ferry, Cassia County, ID (farming community)

  • Origin of Name: A ferry across the Snake River, operated by a man named Rice

  • Location:  West of Burley and east of Starrh’s Ferry on Hwy 30

  • No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community  

Ruby, Cassia County, ID (farming & residential community)

  • Location: 3.9 miles (9 minutes) southwest of Burley on Hwy 27, then west on 200 W.

  • No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community   

 Springdale, Cassia county, ID (farming & residential community)

  • Settled: Pratt Branch was organized Nov. 24, 1912

  • Original Name:  Originally called Pratt Branch (a local Mormon congregation), after a Parley Pratt, not the well-known Parley P. Pratt of early Mormon history, but reportedly a member of his family, who was a local church leader who lived there

  • Origin of Name: Named after Spring Creek, which  ran through the area before emptying in the Snake River

  • Known for: Historically a farming community, it has become a desired residential  area, especially along the Snake River’s bank 

  • Notable Features:   LDS church, bean warehouse; at one time had a general store on Hwy 30, Springdale Elementary School and a stage stop in the early days 

  • Location:  5 miles east of Burley on Hwy 30E to about 700 E, south of the Snake River to 400 S.

  • No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community  

Star (Starrh’s Ferry), Cassia county, ID (farming & residential community)

  • Settled: An LDS Branch (a local Mormon congregation) was established there in 1916

  • Original Name: Post office on Henry Schodde’s ranch was originally named Jesse; later named Starrh’s Ferry, now commonly known as “Star’s Ferry” or just “Star”

  • Origin of Name:  Named for brothers, George and Thomas Starrh, who operated Starrh’s ferry for years, west of present-day Burley  on the Snake River during the early days; some present-day locals resent referring to the the area as “Star;” it will always be “Star’s Ferry” to them

  • Known for: Historically a rural farming community, now has become a desirable residential area; also has a thriving industrial section, especially along the railroad spur close to the banks of Snake River

  • Notable Features: LDS Church, hardware & lumber store; once had a post office named Jesse 1882-1905, then named Starrh 1909-1912

  • Location:  4 miles west of Burley on Hwy 30 W, south of the Snake River; the Emerson area in Minidoka county lies across Snake River to its north

  • No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community   

 Unity, Cassia County, ID (farming & residential community)

  • Settled: The George Haycock family first settled the Unity area, in the spring of 1905
    Origin of Name:  Chosen by its residents to reflect the unification of  the community

  • Known for: Primarily a farming community, it has a Commemorative Marker on the Oregon Trail at the northwest intersection of 250 S and 100 E

  • Notable Features: At one time had a country general store,  Burley Irrigation District Office, LDS church; Burley Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is located within the church’s Unity Ward boundaries 

  • Location:  Adjacent to the eastern boundaries of Burley City on its west side, extending east to 400 E, adjoining the Springdale area, south of Snake River to 500 S.

  • No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community

View, Cassia county, ID (farming & residential community)

  • Settled: Charles W. Burgess, Alex Wrigley & James C. Cunningham settled there in 1903

  • Original Name:  Mountain View; a man named Burgess applied for a post office in the name Burgessville, but the postal service insisted on it having a shorter name; View was chosen,

  • Origin of Name:  Named after the magnificent view from adjacent mountains to its south and east; shortened  when the View post office (1910-11) opened
    Known for: Cemetery, LDS Church; once had a post office and general store, located just south of the View LDS Church; last operated by the Eldon Hatch family

  • Notable Features:   

  • Location: 400 S south to the mountains; and 150 E east to the Albion Highway ID-77

  • No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community    

Thatcher, Cassia county, ID (farming community)

  • Location:  Farming community southeast of Burley between Pella and Kenyon

  • No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community