Henry-Chester Country Store

Henry-Chester Country Store. . , Founded by a Dutch pioneer about 1884, Henry thrived as a center for cattle ranchers of the area and the transient sheep operators. A large sheep-shearing corral was built one mile south of Henry. It operated about 60 days each year as large range flocks were driven to the corral to be shorn. , Henry is a surviving reminiscent example of numerous small towns, supply stores, trading posts, and gathering places for early day settlers, stockmen, cowboys, and sheepherders. , This remaining rustic store with wood floors and floor-to-ceiling shelves was built in 1908. The store replaced a large frame building which was destroyed by fire in 1906. This store was built by William H. Chester and his two sons, Walter James and Colin. The Chester family operated the store as a partnership for more than 70 years, making it one of the oldest Idaho stores continuously operated by the same family. The store acted as a social center for the community, with its pot-bellied stove that warmed many a hindside. It also served as the post office, voting place, and city hall. , Henry had one of the first great rodeos of the West. In 1917, local cowboys got together for the first time near Henry to test their skills in a “rodeao.” It bore the name of Henry Stampede and Stockmen’s Reunion. Bucking horses for the rodeo were trailed from Jackson Hole and dances were held on a large canvas sheet spread out on the ground. The rodeo grounds were located on the grass flat near the Blackfoot Reservoir. Over time, the rodeo produced professional cowboys who participated in rodeos throughout the world, and attracted artists such as Charles M. Russell.