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Revision as of 03:49, 28 February 2010 editNyttend (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators286,401 edits Facts aren't in dispute: these are copyvios← Previous edit Revision as of 01:34, 4 March 2010 edit undoBgwhite (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users547,151 edits Updated the citations. Removed Ruger house and added Ira Call Cabin (Polygamy!!). Added section to author Frank Robertson. Other minor editsNext edit →
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| location= Chesterfield | location= Community of Chesterfield
| lat_degrees = 42 | lat_degrees = 42
| lat_minutes = 52 | lat_minutes = 52
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| coord_display = inline,title | coord_display = inline,title
| locmapin = Idaho | locmapin = Idaho
| architecture = Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Hall-and-parlor; I-house
| added = December 4, 1980 | added = December 4, 1980
| area = {{convert|2160|acre}} | area = {{convert|2160|acre}}
| governing_body = ]
| refnum = 80001297<ref name=nris>{{cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2009-03-13|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> | refnum = 80001297<ref name=nris>{{cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2009-03-13|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
}} }}


]
'''Chesterfield''' is a ] in ], ], ]. It is located at {{coord|42|52|1|N|111|54|7|W|city}} (42.8668622, -111.9019032), at an elevation of 5,446&nbsp;feet (1,660&nsbp;m).<ref>{{gnis|396274}}</ref> The community is in an area governed by the ].<ref name=nris /> The community includes a cemetery,<ref>{{gnis|395202|Chesterfield Cemetery}}</ref> a church,<ref>{{gnis|395203|Chesterfield Church}}</ref> and a former ] ].<ref>{{gnis|395205|Chesterfield Meeting House}}</ref>


'''Chesterfield''' is a ], situated alont the ]. It is located in the northern end of the Portneuf Valley of Idaho, about 28 miles east of ]. It was founded by ] settlers in 1881 as a farming community. Chesterfield is listed on the ] as a ]<ref name=nris /> and is also on the ]'s Mormon Historic Sites Registry. The town site is owned by the nonprofit Chesterfield Foundation with the intent to preserve and restore the town’s original buildings.
Located along a route of the ], Chesterfield was founded by Latter-day Saint settlers in 1881. After a railroad line was built through ] to the south, the community lost some of its momentum, and agricultural difficulties led to its desertion by the end of the 1930s. Today, the community is operated as a tourist attraction, with guided tours and a museum.<ref>, Bear River Heritage Area Council. Accessed 2009-10-17.</ref>


==History==
In 1980, the community was listed on the ] as a ]. The district includes forty-one buildings and eight ], spread out over an area of {{convert|2160|acre}}. Some buildings in the district are examples of the ] and ] architectural styles.<ref name=nris />

In 1879, Chester Call and his niece’s husband, Christian Nelson, established a horse ranch in the area. Thinking this might be a good area in which to live, Chester Call told his family and friends about the area and they decided to come and settle in 1881 and 1882.<ref name=peterson>Peterson, F Ross (1993). Chesterfield: A picture from the Past. In Lavina Fielding Andersen (Editor), ''Chesterfield: Mormon Outpost in Idaho'' (pp. 7-20). Provo UT: The Chesterfield Foundation.</ref> They built their homes in the river bottom of the ], west of present-day Chesterfield. Also, in 1881, the ] started to construct the ] to the south of Chesterfield running through present-day ]. The new settlers sold logs and railroad ties to the railroad, providing much needed cash.

In 1883, ] authorities visited the area to establish an ]. While there, the visiting leaders asked their members to organize into a central village, away from the Portneuf River flood plain. The current Chesterfield town site was chosen up along the foothills. As in traditional Mormon towns, Chesterfield was laid out in a grid pattern, consisting of thirty-five ten-acre blocks.<ref name=peterson /> People started moving to the new town site in 1885.

The LDS Chesterfield ] was established in 1884 consisting of 136 people in 24 families.<ref name=arrington>] & ] (1993). Making a Living: The Economic Life of Chesterfield. In Lavina Fielding Anderson (Editor), ''Chesterfield: Mormon Outpost in Idaho'' (pp. 21-32). Bancroft, ID: Chesterfield Foundation.</ref> By 1900, the population had steadily grown to 73 families containing 418 people in the Chesterfield Ward and 150 people in the recently split off Hatch Ward.<ref name=arrington /> Between the years of 1898 and 1900, the area suffered through very cold winters and a drought. This caused a considerable exodus to occur in 1901. The ], and another bad winter, caused another exodus. By 1908, fewer than 400 people were left in the area and only 208 people in the Chesterfield Ward.<ref name=arrington /> Population then steadily grew with a peak of just under 700 people in the Chesterfield area by 1920.<ref name=arrington /> The series of recessions in the 1920s and nationwide agricultural problems started the death knell for Chesterfield. Just over 425 people were left in the area by 1928,<ref name=arrington /> and the buildings of the Chesterfield town site were mostly deserted before 1941 when the school closed. The general store closed in 1958. By 1970, less than 200 people lived in the area and in historic Chesterfield, only 20 people lived there.<ref name=idahostate>] Public Archives and Research Library (1972, July). "Idaho State Historical Society Reference Series: Chesterfield", (Available: http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0963.pdf)</ref>

Today, there are no permanent residents in historic Chesterfield. The Chesterfield Foundation has restored thirteen structures with another five in the process of being restored. In 2009, the Foundation was awarded a ] grant to restore six additional buildings.<ref name=2009Fnewsletter></ref> Tours of the restored buildings are available every summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day. A Memorial Day celebration is held every year along with several musical concerts over the summer. LDS Church youth groups use the area for ].

==Historical Buildings==

]

*The LDS Meetinghouse is the most prominent and best preserved building in Chesterfield. It was built between 1887 and 1892.<ref name=anderson>] (1993). An Idaho Variation on the City of Zion.” In Lavina Fielding Anderson (Editor), ''Chesterfield: Mormon Outpost in Idaho'' (pp. 70-78). Bancroft, ID: The Chesterfield Foundation.</ref> It was used as a church until 1955 when a new modern building was built six miles further south.<ref></ref> The ] then leased the building and maintained it as a museum. In 2009, the LDS Church sold the building to the Chesterfield Foundation on the condition that the museum be closed and the building restored to its original condition as a chapel.<ref name=2009Fnewsletter />

*The original Amusement Hall erected in 1895 next door to the LDS Meetinghouse.<ref name=anderson /> The building was the center for social activities for Chesterfield. It consisted of a large room with a hard wood dance floor and a stage. Over time, the building was reduced to ruins.<ref name=idahostate /> The Amusement Hall was restored between 1999 and 2003.<ref></ref> The new building is now used for weddings, dances, family reunions and concerts. The building can also be rented by the general public.

*The Tithing Office and the Tithing Granary which were constructed in 1900.<ref name=anderson /> LDS members pay tithing to the Church. Few members could pay cash around 1900, so grains, vegetables, eggs and farm animals were instead paid “in kind." Grain donations were stored in the Tithing Granary. The Tithing Office was where members came to pay their tithing and the goods were dispensed to those in need, sort of a warehouse and general store.<ref>]. (1995). ''Great Basin Kingdom: an economic history of the Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900'' (page 133). ]. (Available: )</ref> The larger of the two rooms was used to hold ] meetings. As Chesterfield never incorporated into a town, the LDS High Council served as the town council; thus, town business was often discussed in the Tithing Office.

*The Barlow log store constructed in 1897. It served as the town’s only store until 1903 when a new brick store was constructed. The log store has been completely restored and is used today as a store for the Chesterfield Foundation where souvenirs and food can be purchased.

*The Barlow/Holbrook Brick store built in 1903. It was a general store and post office for the community with a creamery built in back. It also had two gas pumps from different eras. The store closed in 1958 but is presently undergoing restoration and is scheduled to be completed in 2011.<ref name=2009Fnewsletter />

*The Nathan Barlow house built about 1900. Nathan Barlow was the owner of the general store and postmaster for Chesterfield. After the Panic of 1907 and the harsh winter of 1907-1908, Nathan Barlow lost all of his money and moved out of Chesterfield.<ref>] (1993). Play and a Lot of Hard Work: Group Life in Chesterfield.” In Lavina Fielding Anderson (Editor), ''Chesterfield: Mormon Outpost in Idaho'' (pp. 51-61). Bancroft, ID: The Chesterfield Foundation.</ref> The home was restored in 2009, with descendants of Nathan Barlow contributing the furnishings.

]

*The Ira Call cabin is a ] style home. It contained two polygamous families for a short time.<ref name=anderson /> There are two main entrances on each side of the cabin, one for each family. The cabin was built at two different times. The main building, containing two rooms and the shed like addition, which gave the house its saltbox style.

*Aunt Ruth Call David’s cabin built of red pine logs with a dirt floor in 1881 and 1882. Aunt Ruth was a Native American who was adopted by Chester Call’s parents in the 1860’s. As the town’s midwife, she delivered most of the babies.<ref></ref> The cabin was located a few miles south of Chesterfield. In 2007, Aunt Ruth’s descendants voted to move the cabin onto the Chesterfield town site. The cabin is currently undergoing repairs and will be fully restored in 2011.<ref name=2009Fnewsletter />

==Notable residents==

], author. His autobiographical book, "A Ram in the Thicket: The Story of a Roaming Homesteader Family on the Mormon Frontier," contains chapters on his life in Chesterfield. In his book, he states from 1950, "I don't go back to Chesterfield, my old home, very often. There is little except a ghost town to go back to. It has been the victim of what we call progress. When I first say the place it had a population of three hundred people, two stores and a post office. There are less than fifty people, the stores and post office are gone, and the public buildings stand unused and forlorn. Once a man with a hundred and sixty acres of land and a dozen cows could make a good living. Now it takes at least a thousand acres, and thousands of dollars worth of machinery... When I go back, except for a dozen or so old friends, I find myself among strangers. The town means nothing to my future, but what a lot it meant to my past."<ref> Robertson, Frank (1995). ''A Ram in the Thicket: The Story of a Roaming Homesteader Family on the Mormon Frontier.'' Moscow, ID: University of Idaho Press. ISBN 9780893011734</ref>


==References== ==References==

] (Editor) (1993). ''Chesterfield: Mormon Outpost in Idaho.'' Bancroft, ID: The Chesterfield Foundation.

==Notes==

{{Reflist}} {{Reflist}}

==External Links==


{{National Register of Historic Places}} {{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{Caribou County, Idaho}} {{Caribou County, Idaho}}
{{Idaho-geo-stub}}
{{Idaho-NRHP-stub}}


] ]
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Revision as of 01:34, 4 March 2010

United States historic place
Chesterfield Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Chesterfield, Idaho is located in IdahoChesterfield, Idaho
LocationCommunity of Chesterfield
Area2,160 acres (870 ha)
NRHP reference No.80001297
Added to NRHPDecember 4, 1980
Chesterfield LDS Meetinghouse.

Chesterfield is a ghost town, situated alont the Oregon Trail. It is located in the northern end of the Portneuf Valley of Idaho, about 28 miles east of Pocatello. It was founded by Mormon settlers in 1881 as a farming community. Chesterfield is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district and is also on the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation's Mormon Historic Sites Registry. The town site is owned by the nonprofit Chesterfield Foundation with the intent to preserve and restore the town’s original buildings.

History

In 1879, Chester Call and his niece’s husband, Christian Nelson, established a horse ranch in the area. Thinking this might be a good area in which to live, Chester Call told his family and friends about the area and they decided to come and settle in 1881 and 1882. They built their homes in the river bottom of the Portneuf River, west of present-day Chesterfield. Also, in 1881, the Union Pacific Railroad started to construct the Oregon Short Line Railroad to the south of Chesterfield running through present-day Bancroft. The new settlers sold logs and railroad ties to the railroad, providing much needed cash.

In 1883, LDS church authorities visited the area to establish an LDS Branch. While there, the visiting leaders asked their members to organize into a central village, away from the Portneuf River flood plain. The current Chesterfield town site was chosen up along the foothills. As in traditional Mormon towns, Chesterfield was laid out in a grid pattern, consisting of thirty-five ten-acre blocks. People started moving to the new town site in 1885.

The LDS Chesterfield Ward was established in 1884 consisting of 136 people in 24 families. By 1900, the population had steadily grown to 73 families containing 418 people in the Chesterfield Ward and 150 people in the recently split off Hatch Ward. Between the years of 1898 and 1900, the area suffered through very cold winters and a drought. This caused a considerable exodus to occur in 1901. The 1907 Panic, and another bad winter, caused another exodus. By 1908, fewer than 400 people were left in the area and only 208 people in the Chesterfield Ward. Population then steadily grew with a peak of just under 700 people in the Chesterfield area by 1920. The series of recessions in the 1920s and nationwide agricultural problems started the death knell for Chesterfield. Just over 425 people were left in the area by 1928, and the buildings of the Chesterfield town site were mostly deserted before 1941 when the school closed. The general store closed in 1958. By 1970, less than 200 people lived in the area and in historic Chesterfield, only 20 people lived there.

Today, there are no permanent residents in historic Chesterfield. The Chesterfield Foundation has restored thirteen structures with another five in the process of being restored. In 2009, the Foundation was awarded a Save America's Treasures grant to restore six additional buildings. Tours of the restored buildings are available every summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day. A Memorial Day celebration is held every year along with several musical concerts over the summer. LDS Church youth groups use the area for handcart reenactments.

Historical Buildings

Ira Call Cabin.
  • The LDS Meetinghouse is the most prominent and best preserved building in Chesterfield. It was built between 1887 and 1892. It was used as a church until 1955 when a new modern building was built six miles further south. The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers then leased the building and maintained it as a museum. In 2009, the LDS Church sold the building to the Chesterfield Foundation on the condition that the museum be closed and the building restored to its original condition as a chapel.
  • The original Amusement Hall erected in 1895 next door to the LDS Meetinghouse. The building was the center for social activities for Chesterfield. It consisted of a large room with a hard wood dance floor and a stage. Over time, the building was reduced to ruins. The Amusement Hall was restored between 1999 and 2003. The new building is now used for weddings, dances, family reunions and concerts. The building can also be rented by the general public.
  • The Tithing Office and the Tithing Granary which were constructed in 1900. LDS members pay tithing to the Church. Few members could pay cash around 1900, so grains, vegetables, eggs and farm animals were instead paid “in kind." Grain donations were stored in the Tithing Granary. The Tithing Office was where members came to pay their tithing and the goods were dispensed to those in need, sort of a warehouse and general store. The larger of the two rooms was used to hold LDS High Council meetings. As Chesterfield never incorporated into a town, the LDS High Council served as the town council; thus, town business was often discussed in the Tithing Office.
  • The Barlow log store constructed in 1897. It served as the town’s only store until 1903 when a new brick store was constructed. The log store has been completely restored and is used today as a store for the Chesterfield Foundation where souvenirs and food can be purchased.
  • The Barlow/Holbrook Brick store built in 1903. It was a general store and post office for the community with a creamery built in back. It also had two gas pumps from different eras. The store closed in 1958 but is presently undergoing restoration and is scheduled to be completed in 2011.
  • The Nathan Barlow house built about 1900. Nathan Barlow was the owner of the general store and postmaster for Chesterfield. After the Panic of 1907 and the harsh winter of 1907-1908, Nathan Barlow lost all of his money and moved out of Chesterfield. The home was restored in 2009, with descendants of Nathan Barlow contributing the furnishings.
Denmark Jensen Cabin.
  • The Ira Call cabin is a saltbox style home. It contained two polygamous families for a short time. There are two main entrances on each side of the cabin, one for each family. The cabin was built at two different times. The main building, containing two rooms and the shed like addition, which gave the house its saltbox style.
  • Aunt Ruth Call David’s cabin built of red pine logs with a dirt floor in 1881 and 1882. Aunt Ruth was a Native American who was adopted by Chester Call’s parents in the 1860’s. As the town’s midwife, she delivered most of the babies. The cabin was located a few miles south of Chesterfield. In 2007, Aunt Ruth’s descendants voted to move the cabin onto the Chesterfield town site. The cabin is currently undergoing repairs and will be fully restored in 2011.

Notable residents

Frank Chester Robertson, author. His autobiographical book, "A Ram in the Thicket: The Story of a Roaming Homesteader Family on the Mormon Frontier," contains chapters on his life in Chesterfield. In his book, he states from 1950, "I don't go back to Chesterfield, my old home, very often. There is little except a ghost town to go back to. It has been the victim of what we call progress. When I first say the place it had a population of three hundred people, two stores and a post office. There are less than fifty people, the stores and post office are gone, and the public buildings stand unused and forlorn. Once a man with a hundred and sixty acres of land and a dozen cows could make a good living. Now it takes at least a thousand acres, and thousands of dollars worth of machinery... When I go back, except for a dozen or so old friends, I find myself among strangers. The town means nothing to my future, but what a lot it meant to my past."

References

Anderson, Lavina Fielding (Editor) (1993). Chesterfield: Mormon Outpost in Idaho. Bancroft, ID: The Chesterfield Foundation.

Notes

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  2. ^ Peterson, F Ross (1993). Chesterfield: A picture from the Past. In Lavina Fielding Andersen (Editor), Chesterfield: Mormon Outpost in Idaho (pp. 7-20). Provo UT: The Chesterfield Foundation.
  3. ^ Arrington, Leonard J. & Jensen, Richard L. (1993). Making a Living: The Economic Life of Chesterfield. In Lavina Fielding Anderson (Editor), Chesterfield: Mormon Outpost in Idaho (pp. 21-32). Bancroft, ID: Chesterfield Foundation.
  4. ^ Idaho State Historical Society Public Archives and Research Library (1972, July). "Idaho State Historical Society Reference Series: Chesterfield", (Available: http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0963.pdf)
  5. ^ Chesterfield Foundation 2009 Fall Newsletter
  6. ^ Anderson, Paul L. (1993). An Idaho Variation on the City of Zion.” In Lavina Fielding Anderson (Editor), Chesterfield: Mormon Outpost in Idaho (pp. 70-78). Bancroft, ID: The Chesterfield Foundation.
  7. Chesterfield Foundation 2008 Spring Newsletter
  8. KIFI News
  9. Arrington, Leonard J.. (1995). Great Basin Kingdom: an economic history of the Latter-day Saints, 1830-1900 (page 133). Harvard University Press. (Available: Google Books)
  10. Bitton, Davis (1993). Play and a Lot of Hard Work: Group Life in Chesterfield.” In Lavina Fielding Anderson (Editor), Chesterfield: Mormon Outpost in Idaho (pp. 51-61). Bancroft, ID: The Chesterfield Foundation.
  11. The Oregonian
  12. Robertson, Frank (1995). A Ram in the Thicket: The Story of a Roaming Homesteader Family on the Mormon Frontier. Moscow, ID: University of Idaho Press. ISBN 9780893011734

External Links

Chesterfield Foundation

U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Topics
Lists by state
Lists by insular areas
Lists by associated state
Other areas
Related
Municipalities and communities of Caribou County, Idaho, United States
County seat: Soda Springs
Cities
Map of Idaho highlighting Caribou County
Unincorporated
communities
Indian reservation
Ghost town
Footnotes‡ This populated place also extends into Wyoming, ‡‡ This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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