Teton in Fremont County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)
Teton City Settlers
The town was divided into 10-acre blocks. Each family was allowed one 2 1/2-acre lot. A 10-acre center block became the public square. They also received 80 acres to farm. Log cabins were built with windows covered with greased paper or mosquito netting. The men made furniture and hauled iron stoves from Utah. Irrigation canals were dug and crops planted.
Heber J. Grant, Wilford Woodruff, and Thomas E. Ricks organized the Teton LDS Ward on Sunday, June 8, 1884. John Donaldson became the first bishop. Logs for the first LDS meetinghouse were cut and floated down the Teton River by James Briggs and James Graham. The building was finished and dedicated December 1884. It was used as a schoolhouse and for community dances.
The settlers suffered greatly the first summer because of mosquitoes. For six months they used sagebrush smudge fires to fight the clouds of insects. The population had grown to 98 people by the summer of 1884. James and Hannah Gubbins Gardner and 4 children, survivors of the Willie Handcart Company, were one of these early families. Jane Graham, wife of James, became the first community midwife.
The Teton Cemetery was created September of 1884 when the first death occurred. Victims of a diphtheria epidemic were buried in the new cemetery.
Erected 2006 by Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Majestic Teton M.T.N.S. Camp. (Marker Number 541.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Daughters of Utah Pioneers series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 1, 1883.
Location. 43° 53.203′ N, 111° 40.341′ W. Marker is in Teton, Idaho, in Fremont County. Marker is on East Main Street near South 1st Street West, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 125 East Main Street, Teton ID 83451, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Sugar City Sugar Beet Factory (approx. 3.7 miles away); Thomas C. Neibaur Monument (approx. 3.7 miles away); The Settlement of Salem, Idaho (approx. 5.3 miles away); Pioneer Meeting House (approx. 5.4 miles away); Fort Henry (approx. 5.4 miles away); M60A3 Army Tank (approx. 5.4 miles away); World War I Memorial (approx. 5.4 miles away); a different marker also named Fort Henry (approx. 5.9 miles away).
More about this marker. The marker is in front of the Teton Elementary School.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 16, 2017. It was originally submitted on September 16, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 310 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 16, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.