1920 History of Idaho

Latah County

When Latah County was first created by the act of December 22, 1864, it was bounded as follows: "Beginning at a point in the channel of the Snake River at its junction with the Clearwater River; thence running due north along the dividing line between Washington and Idaho territories to the forty-eighth degree of north latitude; thence east with said degree of latitude until it intersects the boundary line of Shoshone County; thence south with the boundary line of said county to the middle channel of the Clearwater River; thence with the channel of said river to its junction with the Snake River, the place of beginning."

In the creative act the name of the county was spelled "Lahtoh" and it was provided that when fifty or more inhabitants desired to perfect a county organization they should apply by petition to the governor, who was authorized to appoint three "discreet and well qualified citizens of the county as a board of county commissioners," with power to fill offices by appointment until an election could be held. Kootenai County was created by the same act and the two unorganized counties were attached to Nez Perce for all civil and judicial purposes until they should be organized according to law.

The people of Latah County made three separate efforts to perfect a county organization, but each time the opposition of Lewiston, county seat of Nez Perce County, was strong enough to prevent such action. In 1887 they appealed to Fred T. Dubois, then Idaho's delegate in Congress, for relief. Mr. Dubois introduced a bill in Congress providing for the organization of the county, and by securing the cooperation of Senator Mitchell, of Oregon, succeeded in having it passed. It was approved by President Cleveland on May 14, 1888. Latah County therefore enjoys the distinction of being the only county in the United States organized by an act of Congress. The act defined the boundaries as they are at present and named W. W. Lancdon, William Frazier and J. L. Naylor as the first board of county commissioners. On May 29, 1888, this board appointed the following county officers, to serve until the next general election: W. B. Kyle, auditor and recorder; Louis Jain, probate judge; W. W. Baker, treasurer; Robert Bruce, sheriff; L. C. Roberts, assessor; C. B. Reynolds, district attorney; S. L. Campbell, surveyor; J. W. Lieuallen, superintendent of schools; William Gray, coroner.

One of the first settlers was William Ewing, who located in the Palouse Valley in 1869 and engaged in the cattle business. About two years later Asbury Lieuallen located a homestead in the Paradise Valley three miles east of where Moscow now stands. Other early settlers were W. J. Hamilton, Bennett Summerfield, Albert and James Howard, S. J. Langdon, John Russell and a few others. On June 1, 1891, the Latah County Pioneers' Association was formed in the Grand Army Hall at Moscow with G. W. Tomer, president; Bennett Summerfield and Silas Imbler, vice presidents; J. L. Naylor, secretary; John Johnston, treasurer. The first reunion was held on June 15, 1892, on the picnic grounds at the foot of Moscow Mountain, with A. J. Green as orator of the day.

Five lines of railroad traverse Latah County, viz.: The Northern Pacific, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company, the Spokane & Inland Empire, and a short road called the Washington, Idaho & Montana. Altogether there are 107 miles of railway in the county. The leading railroad towns are Bovill, Collins, Deary, Genesee, Harvard, Helmer, Kendrick, Juliaetta, Moscow, Princeton, Potlatch and Troy. There are a number of small villages off from the lines of railway, the largest being Cora, Park and Viola.

Latah County has an area of 1,128 square miles. It is bounded on the north by Kootenai County; on the east by Shoshone and Clearwater; on the south by Clearwater and Nez Perce counties; and on the west by the State of Washington. It is divided by a mountain range called the Thatuna Hills, south of which is the famous Palouse country, where fruits of all kinds are raised in abundance. This section is also one of the great wheat fields of Idaho, the yield sometimes running as high as sixty bushels to the acre. In 1910 the population was 18,818, and the assessed valuation of property in 1918 was $19,864,539, only four counties in the state returning a larger valuation.

Genesee

In the southwestern part of Latah County, on the Northern Pacific Railroad, is the thriving little City of Genesee. Its history dates from May, 1888, when it was made the terminus of the Palouse branch of the Northern Pacific, the first house in the town having been erected by J. S. Larabee only a short time before. Being located in a rich agricultural section, Genesee is an important shipping point for grain, live stock and fruit. It has two banks, two flour mills, a weekly newspaper which was established in 1889, when the city was only about a year old, several churches, a good public school system, lodges of the leading fraternal societies and is a supply point for a large part of the Lower Potlatch Valley. The population in 1910 was 742.

Juliaetta

This is one of the thriving villages of Latah County. It is situated in the southern part, on the Potlatch River and a branch of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The first settler here was R. Schupfer, who opened a store in 1882 and the place was first known as "Schupfer's Store." Charles Snyder, a ranchman living near, succeeded in having a postoffice established and it was named after his two daughters, "Julia" and "Etta." Mr. Snyder built the first hotel in 1885 and the same year a schoolhouse was erected. N. B. Holbrook built his flour mill about the same time. The village was incorporated in April, 1892, with Charles Snyder, Jr., Rupert Schupfer, H. Nichols, T. R. Carithers and F. P. Zeigler as the first board of trustees. Juliaetta has a bank, a weekly newspaper, waterworks, electric light, churches and lodges of several secret orders, and is the shipping and trading center for a rich farming district. The population in 1910 was 414.

KENDRICK

The incorporated village of Kendrick, situated in the southern part of Latah County, was founded by Thomas Kirby, who secured a postoffice there in 1889 and was appointed the first postmaster. The name of the postoflfice was "Latah," but upon a guarantee that the Northern Pacific Railroad would be built to the place, Mr. Kirby gave the railroad company a half interest in the townsite and the name was changed to Kendrick, for the chief engineer of the company, who made a new plat in May, 1890. The village was incorporated in October of that year with Thomas Kirby, Volney Nichols, N. Kaufman, N. C. Normoyle and J. M. Walker as the first board of trustees. Kendrick has two banks, a weekly newspaper, water and light, a flour mill, a brick factory, a good public school system, mercantile concerns handling all lines of goods, and ships fruit, flour, farm products, etc. The population in 1910 was 543.

Extracted 2021 Apr 22 by Norma Hass, from History of Idaho: The Gem of the Mountains, by James H. Hawley, published in 1920, pages 657-658, 729, 780, 783.