Raft River Valley North:
Between 1909 and 1912, many local newspaper articles were published, telling of a railroad bed that was laid from Declo through Idahome and Strevell. It was designed to continue to Salina on the Great Salt Lake, where it would cross the lake on a trestle. Many communities in south eastern Cassia County saw a huge influx of people relocating to the area, as they anticipated a huge irrigation project on the Raft River that was designed to rival the Minidoka Irrigation Project, and the Oregon Short Line Railroad planned to build a track through the area to connect with Salina, Utah on the Great Salt Lake. But the Irrigation District insisted the railroad pay for water shares, though the railroad never planned to irrigate the land. The issue was finally settled by the US Supreme Court in 1914 in the railroad’s favor, but by that time, things had changed, the plan abandoned and the project was never completed.
Conant, Cassia county, ID
Settled: The Conant brothers opened a store here in 1880
Origin of Name: Named after the Conant family, who were buried in an Albion Cemetery.
Notable Features: In the early days, after a bridge was built over the Raft River in the Bridge area, the stage ran from Bridge to Conant; Conant once had a good-sized population; located on private property, a ditch that was dug to bring water to the grain mill is still visible, and a tall rock wall still stands where the grist mill once stood; the Chatburn family first owned the mill.
Known for: An important early stagecoach stop on the Hudspeth Cutoff, Conant also had a mill, a hotel and a post office 1890-1917
Location: Between Connor Creek and Malta, 4.5 miles (5 minutes) west of Malta on Hwy 77
No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community
Cotterel, Cassia county, ID
Settled: 1870s
Origin of Name: Named after Sam Cotterel, its first postmaster, who married a local girl; said to be quite a character, he and an accomplice stole some horses because they were angry with their owner; convicted of the crime, he served time in prison; it is believed Sam Cotterel was a direct descendent of the early Cotterel homesteader for whom the Cotterel Mountain Range is named
Notable Features: The state of Idaho operates Coterell weigh station on I-84; the town had a post office 1912-17
Location: 18.5 miles (22 minutes) southeast of Burley on I-84
No population figures on this unincorporated Idaho rural community
Heglar, Cassia county, ID
Origin of Name: Named for an early German settler and sheepherder named “Heglaer,” who first brought sheep to the area
Notable Features: Once had small trading center and post office 1912-30 in this dry-farming area
Location: Southeast of I-84 at mouth of Heglar Canyon in Sublett Mountain range
No population is reported for this rural Idaho community
Idahome, Cassia county, ID
Settled: Planned as a central town on the railroad to be constructed from Declo through Saline, Utah, to Promontory Point on the Great Salt Lake; the railroad was never completed, though trestles are still visible in the area
Origin of Name: Most probably a portmandeau (combining two words into one) of “Idaho” and “Home”
Known for: Once had huge grain towers and a post office 1914-65: area newspapers between 1909 and 1913 reported an exciting project to extend the Minidoka Reclamation Project into the Raft River area; a railroad was to be built from Declo through Malta, which would need to be abandoned and relocated to a new town-site to be named Lovett; Strevell was to become the area’s commerce center; the dam that was planned to be built on the Raft River was expected to turn the Raft River Valley into an abundant agricultural area; large grain silos were built at Idahome to store the grain until it could be loaded on the railway; hundreds of families moved to the area with big plans; after US Supreme Court ruled that the railroad did not have to pay water rights from The Minidoka Irrigation Project, the project was suddenly canceled and the railroad pulled out; after losing everything,the settlers had to move out to start over, and the project was permanently abandoned
Notable Features: The railroad grade was completed past Strevell; empty grain silos that had stood unused for generations near Idahohome were finally torn down
Location: 27.4 miles (31 minutes) southeast of Burley on Hwy 91 E
No population figures on this unincorporated Idaho rural community
Leona, Cassia county, ID
No information has been found for this community in eastern Cassia county
Location: Southeast of Yale, south of I-84, near Heglar
No population is reported for this Idaho ghost town
Lovett, Cassia county ID
Laid Out: 1909-1913
Notable Features: Lovett was laid out along the railroad to replace the town of Malta, because water from a proposed dam on the Raft River was going to flood Malta; newspaper articles advertised for settlers to “come to the Raft River Valley, sure to grow and flourish;” this proposed dam would supposedly rival the Minidoka Irrigation Project; alas, the dam was never constructed and with no reservoir forth-coming, Malta was undisturbed
Location: East of Malta, towards I-84E
No population figures on this unincorporated Idaho rural community
Malta, Cassia county, ID
Settled: First buildings built in 1883 by William A. Bull; founded in 1890
Original Name: Bulltown, after William A. Bull
Origin of Name: Reportedly named by the Condit family, the first postmasters of the post office “because it seemed like an island in the broad expanse of sea,” referencing the island of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea
Known for: When first discovered, the valley floor was covered with natural grass 3 to 6 feet tall; after receiving irrigation, the area became prime, fertile farmland
Notable Features: Post Office, 2 Cemeteries, City Offices, Volunteer Fire Station; Raft River Elementary School K-5, Raft River Middle School 6-9, Raft River High School 10-12; telecommunications provider, farm supply & general stores, convenience stores
Location: 35 miles (39 minutes) southeast of Burley via Hwy81 E
Population at 2010 Census: 193
Raft River, Cassia county, ID
Origin of Name: Community is named after the Raft River, which flows nearby; the once-mighty stream of up to two-miles wide, was named Raft River because its deep, muddy waters often forced travelers to cross the stream in rafts
Known for: The California and Oregon Trails split at the mouth of the Raft River at a campground called Parting of the Ways, where many emigrants tarried, as they decided whether to proceed either to California or to Oregon. Promoters from California and Oregon who were hired to persuade the travelers to travel to the areas they represented influenced many pioneers; the dead from the Massacre Rocks Indian attack were buried at the Parting of the Ways; many cattlemen who were forced to move from other areas after their grazing lands were homesteaded, ended up in the Yale/Raft River area. A prominent cattleman, Andrew Sweetser, sent his son Lewis, east to attend Yale College; after graduation, Lew returned to Raft River with the Burroughs Brothers, and later named the community of Yale after his alma mater; the Sweetser and Burroughs families partnered in many ventures, including ranches and the Sweetser and Burroughs company, which ran a gold dredge on the Snake River; the Burroughs’ younger brother, Edgar Rice Burroughs, worked on their Raft River ranch for at least a couple of years, before creating his famous literary character, Tarzan; Lew Sweetser later became Lieutenant Governor of Idaho
Notable History: Early mountain men trapped on the Raft River from its tributaries south of the City of Rocks to its mouth at the Snake River; in his journal, Peter Skene Ogden’s successor, John Work, described the party’s journey from Raft River through the Narrows, the Almo Valley and over Granite Pass, through Lynn, Utah in great detail
Raft River, the river: During the settlement years, the Raft River emptied into the Snake River, after meandering from its tributaries near Sublett and Jim Sage Mountain, through the Raft River Valley, though the river has now dried up and no longer flows through to the Snake.
Location: 31.3 miles (30 minutes) east of Burley via I-84 E and I-86 E
No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community
Sublett, Cassia county, ID
Settled: in 1865, then by Mormon pioneers in 1877
Origin of Name: Named after Sublett Creek, and the Sublett Mountain Range, in turn named after the Sublett cutoff in Wyoming; all were named after one of the 5 Sublette brothers who were early explorers and mountain men; Milton Sublette, a partner in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, served as guide for the Marcus and Narcissa Whitman and Spaulding party as it traveled through Idaho and Oregon; William Sublette, another brother, was an early partner in the fur trade companies; Solomon Sublette scouted the Sublette Cutoff in Wyoming; brother, Pinckney Sublette, was killed in an Indian attack; and Andrew Sublette was killed by a grizzly bear; note the difference in spellings between the features and the family name
Notable Features: Situated at the historic junction of the Oregon Trail with the Sublett Cutoff to California; Sublett Creek flows into Sublett Reservoir, a popular destination for outdoorsmen; had a post office 1880-1936; now primarily a farming and ranching community
Known for: Sublett Reservoir has become a popular area for fishing and outdoor recreation; settlers who were killed in the Shepherd Indian Attack are buried in a mass grave in the area
Location: Located east of the Raft River in eastern Raft River Valley, it is 41.5 miles (45 minutes) southeast of Burley on I-84E, turning east at Exit 243
No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community
Tipton, Cassia, ID
Early Settlement: A post office operated here from 1911-14
Origin of Name: Named after the first postmaster, a Mr. Tipton
Location: 10 miles east-southeast of Malta on Meadow Creek, near Sublett
No population is reported for this Idaho ghost town
Raft River Valley South:
Numerous beaver-built dams across the Raft River in the Malta area, in many placed broadened the river to over a mile wide, making the land very swampy; much of the rest of the river eroded, with banks eight to ten feet high in many places, leaving only three or four crossings with banks low enough to cross and river bottoms solid enough not to sink in; at an area called “The Narrows” the road crossed to the river’s south side; in another, the road was built into shale rock, so the stage and freight wagons could pass when the river was too high; passengers often got out of the stagecoach and walked because it was so frightening to ride inside; just east of “The Narrows,” the road went south to the Strevell Road, again crossing from the south to the river’s north side; near Reid Springs Road, in the middle of the Almo Valley, the road again crossed from the south to the north side, continuing through Emigrant Canyon and on to the City of Rocks.
Bridge, Cassia, ID
Settled: A bridge was built across the Raft River 1878-79
Origin of Name: Named for the rustic bridge built over Raft River, allowing freighters to cross on their way from Kelton, Utah to Boise, during times of high water
Historic Significance: Though the Raft River was a relatively small stream, it was extremely difficult to cross; in the early days, after arriving by train in Kelton, passengers would travel in a fancy stagecoach to Bridge, where the stage would stop- since that bridge was too narrow to cross safely; passengers had to carry their own luggage across the bridge, while stagecoach employees carried the mail; afterwards, the employees would then recross the bridge to the coach, then return to Kelton; the coach on the far side of the bridge was very plain and very heavy, not nearly as comfortable or fancy as the one on the Kelton side; the stage route ran from Bridge, through Almo and Albion, then on toward Boise
Notable Features: Once a favorite Indian meeting place, and later a pioneer camping area; Bridge had a post office from 1879 to 1971; a school was moved from Standrod to Bridge in 1927; the Olson cemetery consists of only four graves in an unspecified location
Location: 48.1 miles (54 minutes) southeast of Burley, 12 miles south of Malta on Hwy 81 E
No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community
Cedar Creek, Box Elder, UT
Notable Features: Once a stage stop/freight stop, it also had a hotel; old foundations and signs of the settlement still exist; Stan Lloyd told that they would trail cattle there from Almo; an old Jewish cattle buyer at the hotel, who came out to look at his cows as they were being herded through, had his big coat billow in the wind, scaring the cows; he herd stampeded all the way to the Rose Ranch, near Snowville, and the cowboys had to help round the cattle up there
Known for: At one time a big LDS ward or branch was located at Cedar Creek
Location: Located south of Strevell, across the Idaho/Utah state line
No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community
Clear Creek, Box Elder, UT
Origin of Name: Named after the clear water in the nearby creek bed
Known for: When the Mormon Battalion passed through in 1848, they hiked to the head of Clear Creek and caught fish; an early stage stop is still standing, but is not accessible to the public
Notable Features: Small community, but no stores or commercial buildings; the beautiful canyon behind is open for camping
Location: 69.3 miles (81 minutes) southeast of Burley on ID-81 E through Malta, and a couple of miles south of Strevell
No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community
Emigrant Springs, Box Elder, UT
Known for: Early travelers had to travel from Pilot Springs, near the Park Valley turn-off, to Emigrant Springs, the next spot where water was available
Notable Features: A notable stopping place on The California and Salt Lake Alternate Trails, in the Raft River drainage
Location: Located 65 miles (71 minutes) south of Burley on ID 81 E, between Cedar Springs and Kelton.
No population figures on this unincorporated rural Idaho community
Gunnell, Cassia, ID
Settled: From 1906 to 1918 numerous families settled this area
Origin of Name: Named after early settler and first postmaster Frank O. Gunnell
Notable Features: Had a post office 1911-12, and an LDS church
Location: Southeast of Malta, 7 miles east of Bridge; Six-Mile Ranch and Gunnell now occupy the same area
No population is reported for this Idaho ghost town
Hardup, Box Elder, UT
Origin of Name: If you lived there, you were pretty “Hard Up.”
Known for: There once was a little store, run by a German man; He reportedly kept a cache of locally-made moonshine in the cellar behind the house; supposedly all the commerce in town was conducted behind his shanty
Location: 66.9 miles (74 minutes) southeast of Burley on ID-81 E, past Clear Creek, between Cedar Creek and Kelton
No population is reported for this Utah ghost town
Kelso, Cassia, ID
Origin of Name: Named in the 1870s & 1880s after J.W. Kelson, a local farmer No population is reported for this Idaho ghost town
Location: Southeast of Malta, through Bridge, south on ID-81 E
No population is reported for this Idaho ghost town
Keough, Cassia, ID
Origin of Name: Apparently named after the Keough brothers’ Keough Ranch
Location: 48 miles (48 minutes) southeast of Burley, south of Malta, along Hwy 81 E
No population is reported for this Idaho ghost town
Naf, Cassia, ID
Settled: In 1879, by a stock driver named John Naf, one of the area’s first settlers
Original Name: Clear Creek, but name was changed because another Clear Creek in southern Utah kept getting the town’s mail
Origin of Name: Named after the area’s first settler and postmaster, John Naf
Notable Features: At one time Naf had a store, a post office and log school house (moved in 1927 to Bridge) a dance hall, and an LDS Church
Location: 62.2 miles (63 minutes) south of Burley on ID-81 E; The Idaho/Utah state line runs along the edge of the mountain. Naf, a small farming community, is in Idaho and Nafton just across the line into Utah
No population figures on this unincorporated Idaho rural community
Standrod, Cassia, ID & Box Elder, UT
Settled: 1870s
Original Name: Called “One-Mile” until the 1870s, when a post office was applied for and a formal name was needed; “One-mile” originated from the sawmill which operated in its canyon
Origin of Name: When Calvin Christopher and wife, Adelaide wished to establish a post office, an official name had to be given to the town; named after Judge Drew W. Standrod, the district’s judge, who was involved with water litigation in Cassia county
Known for: Located on the Idaho/Utah border, some of the houses are in Idaho and others in Utah
Notable Features: Had a general store, a post office 1890-1919, a cemetery, a sawmill located in One Mile canyon, and a brick schoolhouse and church, each straddling the state border; half located in Cassia County, Idaho, the other half in Box Elder County, Utah; cattle baron, George Emery who later became Utah’s governor, grazed his cattle in the area
Location: Twelve miles west of Strevell, straddling the Idaho/Utah state border
No population figures on this unincorporated Idaho/Utah rural community
Strevell, ID
Settled: Founded in early 1900s, incorporated Feb. 25, 1914
Origin of Name: Named after Charles N. Strevell, a stockholder in the Pacific Land and Water Company and also affiliated with Strevell-Patterson Hardware Company of Salt Lake City, a promoter under the Carey Act
Notable Historic Features: The magnificent Strevell Hotel, planned as a luxury hotel in the soon-to-be burgeoning community, opened in 1913; in 1972 the hotel was moved to Bridge; at one time Strevell had its own post office at the General Mercantile, schools, an auto repair garage, a motel, barber shop, a local newspaper, The Strevell Times, an orchestra, a radio station, baseball teams, a cafe, a creamery and other businesses;for generations, traffic between Boise and Salt Lake City passed through town, but with the opening of I-15 and I-80, traffic died in this sleepy, once-promising town; in 1929 the Federal Aviation Agency built and maintained a beacon system and emergency landing strip in Strevell on the Salt Lake City-Pasco line; on April 5, 1942 during World War II, a B-52 Army Bomber crashed near Strevell, while on a training mission, killing eight crewmen, and scattering wreckage over a wide area.
Location: Located on Hwy 30, 58 miles (60 minutes) on Hwy 81 E, just north of the Idaho/Utah state line.
No population is reported for this Idaho ghost town
Yost, Box Elder UT
Settled: In 1879 by Charles Yost, cowboy and cattleman, and Levi Nelson Campbell, a farmer- the first known settlers in the valley; incorporated Aug. 19, 1935
Original Name: George Creek, after George Eddy Sanderson, who rode with Charles Yost
Origin of Name: Name became known as Yost, after Charles Yost, in 1890 when Samuel Tracy became postmaster
Known for: At one time had 2 LDS Church houses- both are now private residences, a saw mill, post office, a lime-kiln, a general store and Yost Community Recreation Hall, completed in 1938
Notable Features: When incorporated, Yost had the largest physical boundaries in the State of Utah; the town of Yost disincorporated on Jan. 6, 1984
Location: Located 59.4 miles (71 minutes) south of Burley on Hwy 77 S, through Almo, across the Idaho/Utah state line
No population is reported for this Idaho community. The 1910 census showed 251, 170 in 1940, and 67 in 1980