~Jerome County~
Jerome County was created by the Idaho Legislature on February 8,
1919, by a partition of Lincoln
County. Jerome County
was created in 1919 from the parent Counties of Gooding, Minidoka and Lincoln.
In the 1880's it was part of Alturas County, which no longer exists.
The county seat is Jerome believed to be
named after Jerome Hill who was commissioned by Kuhn to find a suitable area
for a town site. Traveling all day Jerome Hill and his group found themselves
lost in the lava and sagebrush so made camp for the night. Morning brought a
wonderers view of the Sawtooth
Mountains to the North and Twin Falls to the South
and all agreed they had searched far enough, markers were placed at the
location and Jerome town site began her legacy.
Early Main Street in Jerome
Photo: Jerome County Museum
Jerome Railroad Depot was built in 1911
and is now home to the Jerome County Museum
The land opening was held on September 30,
1907, where two lots were offered for public auction, following choices of lots
were drawn by lottery. 1907 land was set aside for a cemetery and in 1914
received a deed for said property. The first train "Idaho Southern
Railway" entered Jerome on December 28, 1908, coming from Gooding. The
Pioneer Newspaper owned by H. A. Stroud and John D. Nims
released the first edition on November 12, 1908. Adeline Becker became Jerome's
first postmaster with the Post office beginning service on August 24, 1907.
1908 brought the first telephone service to Jerome, managed by Ed Churchman. Jerome School District
was organized in 1908 and in 1911 the District became Jerome Independent
School District # 33,
Transporting students by school wagon began in 1909. 1922 crystal radio sets
made an appearance in Jerome, which was enjoyed by many residents.
Jerome
County consists of the
small farming communities of Eden, Hazelton, and Jerome.
Towns and Settlements left behind but not
forgotten Falls City,
Greenwood,
Hillsdale, Hunt, Pleasant Plains and Barrymore.
The Minidoka
Relocation Camp, one of ten Japanese American internment camps
set up during World War II, was located in Jerome
County, six miles north of Eden.
Jerome is the seat of Jerome County
and the center of a large Carey Act irrigation project. The town was
established in 1907 by the Kuhn Brothers, as part of the North Side Twin Falls
Canal Company. It takes its name from Jerome Hill, one of the investors in the
project, and a brother-in-law of W.S. Kuhn. The city of Jerome became a municipal corporation on
March 24, 1919.
Milner Dam was authorized for
construction as a privately capitalized venture under the 1894 Carey Act, a
precursor to the 1902 Reclamation Act. Ira Burton Perrine, a local rancher,
chose the site and recruited financial backers, including Salt
Lake City banker Stanley
B. Milner and eastern investors Frank H. Buhl and Peter L. Kimberly. The
Buhl-Kimberly Corporation built the dam and the Twin Falls Canal
in 1903-1905. Milner Dam's primary purpose is irrigation but it also produces
hydroelectricity.
Northside Main Canal at Milner
Dam
The city of Jerome
is the economic center of Jerome
County. Farming and
Agricultural related industries still dominate the economy of Jerome, but the
city is broadening its economic base in the service sector, manufacturing and
retail trade. Jerome's downtown serves as a civic and retail center.
Jerome is in an advantageous position,
having a relatively compact city center, a diversifying economy, and attractive
neighborhoods. Jerome has a rich architectural heritage which is evident in the
city's downtown, handsome homes, and numerous lava rock structures.
Eden
is a city in Jerome
County. The population
was 405 at the 2010 census.
Hazelton is
a city in Jerome County. The population was 753 at the 2010
census.
Hunt is an
unincorporated rural area north of Eden in Jerome County.
The area was named after Frank W. Hunt, a former Governor of Idaho. It was the
home to a Japanese Interment Camp now marked by the Minidoka National Historic
Site.
Source: Wikipedia, Jerome
County, NPS, Elmore County
Press
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Jerome County
City of Jerome
Jerome County Museum