~Gooding County~
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Gooding County was created by the Idaho
Legislature on January 28, 1913 by a partition of Lincoln County.
In the 1880's it was part of Alturas
County. Named for Frank R. Gooding, pioneer sheep rancher, early mayor of
the city of Gooding,
later Idaho Governor and U.S. Senator.
History note: Alturas
County was a county in Idaho Territory
and later the state of Idaho
from 1864 to 1895. It covered an area larger than the states of Maryland, New Jersey,
and Delaware
combined. Most present-day southern Idaho
counties were created at least in part from the original Alturas County
area. The name Alturas comes from a Spanish word for "mountain
summits" or "mountainous heights."
Alturas
County was created by the
Idaho Territorial Legislature in February 1864. Later that year the mining camp
of Rocky Bar was designated the county seat. The county seat was moved to
Hailey in 1882.
In 1889, the Idaho Territorial Legislature
created Elmore County
and Logan County
from parts of Alturas
County. On March 5, 1895,
to circumvent a recent state Supreme Court decision striking down an earlier
county reorganization, the Idaho Legislature combined Alturas and Logan
Counties into a new county called Blaine.
Two weeks later on March 18, the southern portion of the newly-created Blaine County
was split off to form Lincoln
County with its county
seat at Shoshone. Hailey remained the county seat of what was now Blaine County
and Alturas County
disappeared from the Idaho
map.
Mountain men and fur traders trapped the Malad
River extensively in the
early 1800s. Settlers came to the rich agricultural lands of the Hagerman Valley in the 1860s. The county seat is
located in the City of Gooding.
The county contains the cities of Bliss, Gooding, Hagerman and Wendell. The
county has a population of over 14,461. Gooding County
has been one of the fastest growing and prosperous counties in South Central
Idaho. The economy is increasingly influenced by the dairy industry, and growth
has been strong in the last decade. Gooding
County also is one of the largest
trout producing areas in the United
States. The scenic Thousand Springs and the
temperate weather of the City of Hagerman
make tourism a significant industry with boat trips, fishing, and other water
sports. In the north the Gooding City of Rocks (pictured below), carved from
Miocene rhyolite ignimbrites of the Twin Falls Volcanic
Field, forms the south flank of the Mount
Bennett Hills.
Bliss - The community was named for David B.
Bliss, an early settler in the area. Estimated population
287.
Aerial view
of the City of Gooding,
population approximately 3,384. Gooding
County has been one of the fastest
growing and prosperous counties in South Central Idaho.
The Village of Gooding was incorporated on April 25, 1906 and became the City
of Gooding on November 21, 1910.
Gooding - The history of Gooding goes back to
the time when nothing existed but a railway station called “Toponis”. Toponis was the
name given to the Oregon Short Line railway station built during 1882 and
1883. The Toponis
post office was built five years later in 1887.
Toponis became the Village of Gooding
on November 14, 1907, the first day a Gooding lot was sold. The Village of Gooding
was incorporated on April 25, 1908. The Village of Gooding
became the City of Gooding
on November 21, 1910. Population of Gooding now is approximately 3,384
City of Rocks
Little City of Rocks is an area of unusual and highly scenic
rock formations. Erosion has carved fascinating spires and hoodoos from the
underlying deposits of solidified volcanic ash. Excellent
hiking, sightseeing and solitude.
The location is about 15 miles north of
Gooding on Highway 46, turn west at the BLM sign for City of Rocks. Follow the signs and travel about 7.5
miles on a generally well-maintained dirt road, which is suitable for passenger
vehicles if conditions are dry.
Hagerman - The City of Hagerman,
which gives the valley its name, was originally the site of a stagecoach stop (Overland Trail Route)
along the Oregon Trail. Remains of this
historic pioneer route can still be seen along the west side of the Snake River.
Horse team
on the Overland Trail.
The town itself was officially established
in 1892 when Stanley Hageman and Jack Hess opened a combination Post
Office/General Store. The town was actually named for Stanley Hageman but a
misspelling in the central post office registry changed its official name to
Hagerman.
There was only one store in Hagerman in
1893, when Billy Coltharp established his saloon,
originally a barrel of whiskey and a tin cup. Billy lived in two small rooms in
the rear of the saloon he built (now the Masonic Hall). He also built the
original part of the old Morris Roberts store (now the US Bank). He established
the park, which today bears his name and built the Park Opera House (now the
American Legion Hall). Billy also helped organize the Hagerman State Bank
(located in a corner of the Morris-Roberts Store) and served as its director.
This bank later became the National Bank and moved to a new building in 1909
(now the Historical
Society Museum).
Billy also served as director there.
Today,
the valley is the largest producer of commercial trout in the world. The mild
climate and abundance of year round open water make the valley a preferred
stop-off for migrating waterfowl. This same abundance of water also provides
numerous water sport opportunities.
Hagerman Horse - Equus
simplicidens (formerly called Plesippus
shoshonensis) - mounted skeleton in the visitor
center of Hagerman Fossil Beds
National Monument, Idaho
The Hagerman horse (Equus
simplicidens), also called the Hagerman zebra or the
American zebra, was a North American species of equid from the Pliocene period and the Pleistocene period.
It was one of the oldest horses of the genus Equus.
Discovered in 1928 in Hagerman, Idaho, it is believed to have been like the Grévy's zebra of East Africa.
It is the state fossil of Idaho.
Tumbling down the canyon side at 250
cubic feet per second, Niagara Springs is a sight you won't soon forget. The
churning, icy blue glacial water is a National Natural Landmark and part of the
world-famous Thousand Springs complex along the Snake
River. The park provides a great opportunity to drive into the
350-foot-deep Snake River
Canyon, but be cautious.
The road is narrow and steep and not recommended for either motorhomes
or large trailers. Once inside the canyon, you'll find year-round fishing in Crystal Springs Lake,
including a handicap accessible site. Waterfowl and other wildlife are
abundant.
The Thousand Springs Scenic Byway is a
picturesque section of old US 30 in southern Idaho between the towns of Bliss and Buhl, dipping down
into the Hagerman Valley and a canyon of the Snake
River. The byway takes its name from the numerous streams and
rivulets springing forth out of the east wall of that canyon, many of them
plainly visible from the road, with the panoramic river in the foreground.
These springs are outlets from the Snake River Aquifer, which flows through
thousands of square miles of porous volcanic rock and is one of the largest
groundwater systems in the world. The aquifer is believed to be fed by the Lost River
which disappears into lava flows near Arco, about 90 miles northeast of
Hagerman.
Wendell -
The community was named for Wendell Kuhn, son of W.H. Kuhn, who financed an irrigation
project. It was established in 1909 and incorporated in Idaho
Wendell Chamber of Commerce
Source: Wikipedia, Gooding
County, Elmore County
Press
Gooding
County
City
of Gooding
Gooding
Chamber
Hagerman Chamber