August 22, 2011 Anno Domini

To Whom It May Concern,

It has come to my attention that the post office located in Arbon, zip code 83212, is to be potentially dissolved. As I am a resident of Arbon and would be affected by this change, I write in order to present a number of reasons why this planned closure should not be executed. These reasons being:

(A) Distance of Post Office from Arbon:

Should the Arbon post office be dissolved, the nearest post office will be located at a distance of 30.8 miles, 51 min., accessed by an anfractuous road over a potentially dangerous mountain pass, namely, Mink Creek. This route is fraught in all seasons with precipitous grades, sudden declivities and an absence of guard-rails in certain places. In winter, this route becomes extremely hazardous, being subject to blinding snowstorms, icy tarmac, and impenetrable drifts, which may not be cleared until later in the morning. The increased distance to a post office, the treacherous nature of the road traversed, and the seasonally inclement weather conditions would greatly inconvenience many Arbon residents, including:

1. Elderly people with impaired reflexes, eyesight or hearing who are unable to safely drive long distances over questionable roads.

2. Persons with disabilities who are unable to drive a car.

3. Persons who lack the experience or confidence to drive safely through harsh winter conditions.

4. Persons who, because of time constraints or other circumstances, are only able to exit the valley infrequently.

5. Persons who frequently send packages through the post, or annually in large numbers, on such occasions as Christmas, birthdays and sundry holidays—packages which may only be shipped from a post office.

6. The mailperson who would have to drive 30.8 miles, 51 min. from Pocatello to deliver the mail to each house in Arbon.

(B) Frequency of Postal Delivery:

Should the Arbon post office be dissolved, in all probability the frequency of house-to-house postal delivery will be greatly decreased, due to distance, weather conditions, and the cost of fuel. I would anticipate delivery once, perhaps twice a week at most. This decreased frequency of mail delivery would have a negative impact on the lives of many Arbon residents, including:

1. Persons who receive medication through the mail and rely upon its prompt delivery.

2. Persons who receive bills and other financial notices through the mail. Postponed delivery of such missives could lead to serious fiscal embarrassment.

3. Persons whose employment requires them to correspond through the postal service.

(C) Employment at the Arbon Post Office:

Should the Arbon post office be dissolved, several persons presently employed at said establishment will be dismissed. Agriculture, which is the chief occupation in Arbon, is an uncertain trade, and many inexorable factors contribute to its success—or failure: temperature, rainfall, bad weather, and vicissitudes of climate. Thus, such auxiliary income as employment at the Arbon post office provides is potentially vital and sudden cessation of said income source could carry a negative impact.

In addition to these reasons, I am sure I speak for all of Arbon when I say that the service rendered by the employees at the Arbon post office has been extremely satisfactory. These persons are residents of the valley, and not only have our trust as dependable representatives of the United States Postal Service, but as friends whose company we enjoy even outside of their professional duties. We would be very sorry to miss them from the position where they have served so long and faithfully.

(D) Arbon Heritage:

A post office has existed in Arbon—in one form or another—from a time before most of us were born. It is a part of our heritage; and that—though it is but a small part in the vast drama of history—is a source of great pride to all of us. My neighbor, a venerable and esteemed member of our community, was once postmistress, and can still remember sorting the mail out of her own house. It would deal a great blow to all of us if such an important part of our legacy were to end.

If you can refute my arguments, then do so—if I have erred in in my logic in any way, I would be apprised of it. However, if you read this letter and find it logical, pragmatic and persuasive, then I beseech you to consider our plea, and to let the post office, located in Arbon, zip code 83212, remain.

Yours respectfully,

James Benson

Age: 15

error ignited as fire swept over the hills in Arbon Valley at about 3:00 P.M. Saturday, August 21st. The fire started at the Lee Baily homestead and was quickly contained and thought to be almost extinguished when a spark from the fire jumped almost 800 yards to start a fire in the wheat stubble to the North.  High gusting  winds spread the human caused fire straight into the adjoining CRP and stubble fields. Within minutes, tractors from all over the town were seen descending from the valley fields, water trucks were driving in from farm sites and meadows, and the county road crew was mobilizing to defend Arbon from the fire.

The valley’s farmers and ranchers were quick to move with tractors and discs, which helped to tear firebreaks in the thick sagebrush and grasses. The Power County road grader was also seen stripping a wide path of vegetation away from the huge flames exploding in cedars and sage.

BLM, planes, helicopters and Fort Hall firefighters were on the scene shortly after being notified of the blaze. BLM requested some homes be evacuated, including Frank and Loretta Johnson, Blake Johnson and daughter Cheyenne, and the Jake and Breanna Evans family. Jeff and Sheri Stewart and Renae and Willard Bradly were told to be packed and ready to leave as the fire headed toward Rattlesnake. However, all were able to return to their residences before nightfall.

Thanks to the quick response of the neighbors and fire fighters, the fire was contained by Monday, August 23. Dying winds and a rain showers helped to quench and control the intensity of the blaze. BLM crews remained until Sunday August 29th at a fire camp set up at the intersection of England Road and Arbon Valley Highway to mop up hot spots and monitor any remaining problem areas.

Here is a collection of pictures taken by a few different sources.

[View with PicLens]

Some of the activities that will be going on are:

• Hay rides
• Races
• Water balloons
• Volleyball
• Eating contest
• Quick Draw
• Softball
• Games

There will be old-time photos taken at the event, so you’re invited to come dressed in old fashioned attire.  We’ll see you there!

W

hile riding my dirt bike on the Onion a few years ago, I stumbled across a trail that made switch backs up the mountain, and led to quite a few old, abandoned mines. Most of them were caved in at the entrance, except for one that was still open enough to crawl down into.

Once inside, I was blown away by how big of an operation must have gone on there. There were still tracks for a cart to carry out excavated dirt, and you could still see the places where the miner had drilled holes into the walls. After going straight into the mountain for about 100 feet, the mine split into three different tunnels, one going straight, while the other two veer of to the left and right. The tunnels to the right and straight were caved in, so I went left. After walking down the mine a little longer, I found a huge rusty tank of some kind that had pipes coming out of it heading further into the mine. I could also see that behind the tank, was another dark tunnel, going back further into the mountain.

After deciding to stay on the path that I was on, I followed the pipes from the tank and the tracks to a pile of old boards, going out across a huge gaping hole. I later realized that what I was looking at was what was left of an elevator and an elevator shaft. Since I could not see the bottom from shining my light down, I decided to try to throw a rock down the hole and count the seconds until I could hear it hit the bottom. After the rock left my hand, it fell into the pitch black darkness for about 4 seconds, and then hit what I thought was the bottom. About three seconds later, I heard it hit the actual bottom of the hole.

Once back outside, I took a quick look around the area and discovered an old collapsed cabin, and the pile where the miner or miners dumped the excess dirt and rock. After being in the mine, I began to come up with some questions that I would like to know the answers to.

• Who owned the mine, and what was being mined out of the mountain?
• Was the mine ran by a small group of people or was it a much bigger operation?
• How long ago were the mines in use?

These are just a few of my questions and I would like to know more about the mines. I would really like to learn more about the history of the mines and Arbon Valley, so if anyone has any information about them, submit a news story to our editor or send me an email at, arbon_ite@hotmail.com .

I believe it is important that our valley has a little more exposure in our county, so I chatted with Brett Crompton of the Power Country Press and we’ve worked out a deal where certain articles from arbon-valley.com will be included in the Press.  In the next coming weeks, you’ll see a column dedicated to Arbon Valley.

We look forward to this relationship between the Power County Press and the Arbon-Valley.com news site.

Arbon’s Second Cell Tower

A new cell phone tower is being constructed at the base of Green Canyon. The cement is laid and the first section of the frame is now in place (update – they have now finished erecting the tower structure). The cell tower will be approximately 200 feet high when completed and will have a blinking red/white light at the top.

Idaho Power is busy getting the poles in place to run electricity to the site. It is expected to be completed in 45 days. This tower will connect to the Kinport towers on Kinport Peak. Hopefully it will provide service to most of the valley and through the reservation.

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