The Church's presence in Idaho had a small beginning, with 27 men being called by President Brigham Young in April 1855 to go on a mission to the Indians in the Salmon River country.
On June 18, 1855, after a journey that took nearly a month, the missionaries arrived at a place they named Lemhi, a derivation of the spelling of King Limhi in the Book of Mormon. The existence of Lemhi as a Mormon settlement, however, was brief. The community, which at its peak consisted of 100 people, was abandoned in 1858.Colonization and settlement of other communities continued, however. The first permanent settlement of Mormons in what is now Idaho was in Franklin, a community that in 1860 was considered to be in Utah Territory. A later boundary change placed the community in Idaho. Franklin continues today as a predominantly LDS community. (Franklin will host southeastern Idaho's largest centennial celebration June 26-30. The celebration will focus on the Mormon settlers and will feature a variety of activities.)
Other settlers, led by Apostle Charles C. Rich, entered Idaho by way of Bear Lake in 1863. The communities they founded, along with some Utah towns on the border, became the basis for the first stake in Idaho. The Bear Lake Stake was organized June 20, 1869, at Paris, Idaho.
In 1884, two stakes were organized in Idaho. Bannock Stake, originally headquartered in Rexburg, became Idaho's second stake, and Oneida Stake, which included Franklin and organized at Preston, was third. The Cassia Stake at Oakley was fourth, formed in 1887.
"During a 30-year span from 1860 to 1890, the Idaho population increased dramatically with nearly 18,000 in 1870; 32,610 in 1880, and 88,548 in 1890," said Lawrence Coates, a professor of history at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. "The Latter-day Saints became an important segment of the growing population. By 1890 (the year Idaho became a state), the Latter-day Saints comprised nearly 20 percent of the Idaho population."
Latter-day Saint migration in the upper Snake River Valley came after a narrow gauge railroad was constructed to the mines in Montana. As early as 1862, Mormon freighters began taking agricultural produce to miners and bringing back ore. This trade sparked interest in a railroad. After the "Golden Spike" was driven May 10, 1869, and the Utah Central Railroad was completed, work was begun to build a northern branch line.
Largely LDS crews laid the track between Ogden, Utah, and Franklin, Idaho, by April 30, 1874, and then extended it to Blackfoot four years later. They continued laying track to Eagle Rock (later named Idaho Falls), Market Lake (renamed Roberts) and Monida Pass on the Montana border.
"Church leaders picked Thomas E. Ricks, an important construction contractor for the Utah Northern, to help choose a site for `religious, educational and commercial enterprises, and to prepare the way for the rapid colonization of the country,' " said Dr. Coates. Church leaders commissioned Ricks, "Go into the Snake River Country, found settlements, care for the Indians, stand upon an equal footing and cooperate in making improvements. Gain influence among all men, and strengthen the cords of the stakes of Zion."
Dr. Coates said, "During the last decade before Idaho became a state, more than 30 Mormon villages dotted the landscape of the upper Snake River Valley for 200 miles between Pocatello and Victor in the Teton Basin."
Dr. Coates noted that the arid land along upper Snake River Valley needed a network of canals to make it productive. "The Mormons made significant contributions in building canals to each settlement," he said. "The Anderson Canal came from the South Fork of the Snake River. Hundreds of smaller ones came from the Henry's Fork, the Teton River, the Blackfoot River, and the main Snake River. By 1910, more than 100 canals were operating in the Upper Snake River Valley, and Mormon settlements followed the canals. . . ."
Latter-day Saints also made contributions in the field of education by establishing academies in Idaho, including: Cassia Stake Academy, 1887-1921; Oneida Stake Academy, 1888-1922; and Bannock Stake Academy, which opened in 1888 in Rexburg and is now Ricks College, the nation's largest private junior college.
What began as Mormon settlements in the Idaho Territory became major factors in the gaining of statehood. Dr. Ron Hatzenbuehler, a professor of history at Idaho State University, wrote in a university publication: "For several reasons, I will argue that without the large LDS migration in the 1870s, Idaho would never have become a state."
He pointed out that after the Lemhi settlement was abandoned in 1858, the suitability of Mormon outposts in Idaho was questioned. Also, general opinion held that much of the territory was too cold for growing crops.
"Suppose climate and Church hierarchy had directed people south or west rather than north," speculated Dr. Hatzenbuehler. He pointed out that without the settlements of Preston and Paris, and without the railroad, no large-scale Mormon migration into Idaho Territory would have occurred prior to statehood.
He further noted that the timing of the railroad was crucial. Without the Mormons and the railroad, delayed settlement of southeastern Idaho until the late 1880s or early 1890s would not have been unreasonable, Dr. Hatzenbuehler observed. "With such a delay, in 1890 southeastern Idaho would arguably have had 15,000 fewer residents. Southern Idaho would still have had twice the number of residents as northern Idaho, but overall a much less compelling case for statehood would have existed. Dividing Idaho Territory among its neighbors would have been more possible, more reasonable, and plausible."
A bill for the purpose of joining southern Idaho with Nevada cleared U.S. Congress in March 1887, but it was never signed into law. In 1888, efforts were made to join northern Idaho with Washington, but that effort died.
"Idaho would have missed its opportunity for statehood," Dr. Hatzenbuehler wrote.
Today, Idaho has some 293,000 members in 94 stakes. Two temples, in Idaho Falls and Boise, are located in the state.
(ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)
The Church's colonization movement not only helped to establish Zion, but also helped in the development of many areas in the West. Idaho and Wyoming, both of which are observing centennial anniversaries this year, are among territories enhanced by the presence of Latter-day Saints. Idaho became the Union's 43rd state on July 3, 1890, and Wyoming became the 44th state July 10, 1890. A common consensus among historians is that early Mormon colonists made major contributions in helping each territory achieve statehood.
