On March 5, 1895, the county of Blaine was created. The first section of the act creating Blaine County reads as follows: “The counties of Alturas and Logan are hereby abolished and the county of Blaine is hereby created, embracing all of the territory heretofore included with in the boundary lines of said Alturas and Logan Counties.” The county seat was located at Hailey. On March 18, 1895, the county of Lincoln was created out of the county of Blaine and the county seat located at Shoshone.
The “act to abolish the counties of Alturas and Logan and to create and organize the county of Blaine,” provided that “Sidney Kelley, Fred W. Gooding and Israel T. Osborn, shall be the county commissioners of said county, H. H. Clay, treasurer, J. J. McFadden, probate judge and ex-officio superintendent of public instruction, Andrew J. Dunn, coroner, and Frank C. Mandell, surveyor. Of the two persons elected in said Alturas and Logan Counties at the last election to each of the offices of sheriff, of assessor and ex-officio tax collector, and of clerk of the district court and ex-officio auditor and recorder, during the first year one shall be the officer and the other shall be his assistant or deputy, and during the second year they shall exchange positions, and the clerk of the district court and ex-officio auditor and recorder for the third and fourth years shall alternate as herein provided, and that unless they can agree among themselves upon the order in which they shall so occupy such office, the Board of County Commissioners of Blaine County shall determine the same.” All the above named officers qualified.
The following also qualified: Geo. W. Richards, clerk of district court and ex-officio auditor and recorder, Thomas Fenton,. sheriff, and James M. McPherson, assessor and tax collector. The creation of Lincoln County on March 18, 1895, legislated County Commissioner Fred W. Gooding out of office in Blaine County for the reason that he was no longer a resident of Blaine County. John E. Schad was appointed County Commissioner by the governor. He presented his commission and qualified.
Back to: Blaine County, Idaho Genealogy and History
Source: Based on McLeod, George A. History of Alturas and Blaine Counties, Idaho. The Hailey Times, Publisher. Hailey, Idaho. 1930.