Bannock County

There are many historical spots in the United States unmarked by a monument, but there are probably few cases on record of a monument searching for a vanished site. Such is the case of the stone pillar purchased by subscription to mark the original site of Fort Hall. In 1906 Ezra Meeker traveled along the old Oregon Trail and raised money with which to mark the historical points along the route. One monument stands in the High School grounds at Pocatello. Another was purchased for erection on the Fort Hall site. A teamster was directed to carry it to its …

Fort Hall, Bannock County, Idaho Read More »

The territory now comprising Bannock county first entered the pages of history when, in 1662, the French Sieur de la Salle planted his country’s flag in what he called “Louisiana,” after his sovereign, Louis XIV, of France. In order to prevent England from gaining it, and hoping at the same time to win an ally, Louis XV ceded Louisiana to Spain in 1762. Napoleon traded it back from Carlos IV of Spain, but later sold it. This was the territory purchased for the United States by Thomas Jefferson in 1803 and for which the country paid $15,000,000. It included the …

Early History of Bannock County, Idaho Read More »

In his book “Astoria,” written about 1840, in which he gives the history of an attempt made by the first John Jacob Astor to establish a fur trade to the west of the Rocky Mountains, Washington Irving repeatedly regrets the fact that the great stretch of the western plains must forever form a desert stretch between the civilization of the west and that of the east. In one place he says: “Some portions of it (the prairie) along the river may partially be subdued by agriculture, others may form vast pastoral tracts, like those of the east; but it is …

Development and Conditions of Bannock County Read More »

For seven years previous to the treaty of 1869, the Bannock Indians had given no trouble. In the late fifties and early sixties they committed a number of depredations, and in 1862, General Conner, with a body of troops from California, administered a defeat to them at Battle Creek, near the present town of Oxford that effectually ended their misbehavior for several years. The bones of Indians killed in this fight are still found in the vicinity. It was told in a previous chapter how a confusion of the terms Camas and Kansas occurred in the Bannock Indian treaty of …

Bannock Indian War and the Sheepeaters Read More »

  Bannock County, County Site History of Bannock County (many names here) Bannock County Bannock County, Census Bureau 1895 Bannock County Map, Mardos Memorial Library Pocatello The city of Pocatello, so named in memory of an Indian chief, stands at the western entrance to the Portneuf canyon, and for that reason is appropriately known as the “Gate City.” The city is the metropolis and county seat of Bannock County, and the second largest place in the state of Idaho. Pocatello is pre-eminently a railroad town, and to the railroad she owes her birth as well as her growth. When the …

Bannock County Towns Read More »

In our search for Ancestors, we don’t want to leave any stone unturned, I have tried to provide links to as many useful sources as I could find.  If you find additional links, please let us know. National Archives and Records Administration St. Louis Civilian Military Genealogy at the National Archives Census Records Military Records Immigration Records (Ship Passenger Lists) Naturalization Records Land Records Native American Records Idaho State Vital Records Birth, Death, Marriage and Divorce Records Idaho Bureau of Vital Records P.O. Box 83720 Boise, Idaho 83720-0036 Western States Marriage Records Western States Death Certificates Idaho State Records and …

Bannock County Research Links Read More »

Indian Research in my opinion is the most difficult Family Research you will attempt.  Unlike the research you have done on your white family with the use of written records, Indian research is mostly word of mouth.  Most research is based on a family story that may or may not be correct. Like Great Grandmother was an Indian Princes, No such thing in North American Indians. Most of you know all the standard places to look, census, birth, death, and marriage records.  With Indian Research you will need to learn about the tribes, where they lived and roamed. Many tribes …

Bannock County Native American Research Read More »