Posted by Hank Fitch in News Wednesday, 7 July 2010 19:42
Arbon Valley Mines
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 .
Posted by Jacob Andersen in Community Announcement, News Saturday, 3 July 2010 08:08
The Arbon-Valley.com website has seen steady growth over the past couple of months and has seen its readership expand to include the majority of the current residents, as well as several past residents that now live elsewhere.
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.
Posted by Valaree Estep in Standing on the Eastep Sunday, 27 June 2010 10:13
Forgotten Cemetery
O
n Memorial Day 2010, one small purple iris was all that was paying tribute to past loved ones in this forgotten cemetery in Arbon. The flower, much like the homesteaders who came into the Arbon Valley, is unbreakable and determined that Arbon is worth the biting cold, the fierce winds, and the hard work it takes to survive here. It is planted over the grave of a little girl, Lucille Danken Fredrickson, who was laid to rest November 19, 1914. Incredibly, this plant has survived on its own for nearly one hundred years.
This is not the main cemetery located off Bailey Road but a small acre of ground about a mile west of the Arbon School. The hallowed ground lies surrounded by CRP fields, belonging to the Estep and Adams families and has no public access road. It is a lonely hill seldom visited by anything other than gophers, rabbits, and an occasional coyote.
Many of the grave markers have rotted away, disappearing into the ground. One partial wooden grave marker still stands while another lies next to it in the grass. Both are washed 
clean by sun and weather. The last burial here was in 1939. Other markers and headstones, still in existence, date back to the 1920’s, and many belong to babies who succumbed in 1915 and 1916. A hand drawn map exists of others buried in the graveyard. According to the map 24 known people are buried on this hill. This cemetery is listed as an official cemetery in Power County, set aside for burying the dead and is not privately owned.
In the fall of 2009, Braden Campbell fenced, mowed the area, and installed a gate for his Eagle Scout project. He received help from adults, Ken Campbell, Stu Adams, and David Lusk. Members of his Scout troop, Eric Ward and Hank Fitch also helped in this endeavor. Many thanks go out to this group for repairing this memorial to the dead.
Spring found the cemetery looking as if it had green mown grass. Once again those family members who have loved ones resting here can be assured they are well-cared for and honored in their final resting place.
Posted by Hank Fitch in Religion Wednesday, 2 June 2010 17:09
Monte and Cheri Evans Head Church Mission to Africa
M
onte and Cheri Evans are heading on a two-week Church Mission to Jinja, Africa, and other small villages in the surrounding areas. There are two teams going, each with it’s own assignments, taking on the mission. Each team has three categories of personnel, doctors, teachers, and laborers. The first team, with 12 members, left on the 28th of April. The second team, with eleven members in which Monte and Cheri are a part, is leaving on Friday, June 4th.
Once in Africa, Monte and Cheri will be helping with a small school of about 100 children. Education in Africa is not free, and many children cannot afford to get any education at all. Some students have managed to be sponsored by a US family, but many are not so lucky. It is a huge sacrifice for the parents to pay for the education of their children. When it first started, the school had only one student, yet this year it is hoping to have over 100. Education in Africa is growing, but it still needs some time to get on its feet, and a few selfless people that are willing to sacrifice of themselves for their fellow man.
There are doctors going in Cheri and Monte’s group which will be giving free physicals to the children. The teachers will be helping in the school, sharing their knowledge with the students. As laborers, Cheri and Monte are not entirely sure exactly what they will be doing yet. There is a chicken farmer, Abdu, that Monte will mostly likely be helping. There is also a group home for teenage boys, a village of mostly prostitute mothers who are desperately trying to raise their families without the helping hand of a husband and father, and there is also a bakery that they could possibly be working in.
They are both excited about their mission, and are prayerfully seeking the help of the Lord in their endeavors. They pray for the guidance of the Savior and that their hearts will be softened to His will. They desire to be instruments in the hands of Jesus and to share His love with the people of Africa.
The hearts and prayers of the people in Arbon, as well as those elsewhere, will definitely go with the Evans’ as they embark on their journey. It is my prayer that they will be successful in their mission and will bring to pass much righteousness, good, and the love of Christ to all those who seek it. Monte and Cheri will be great missionaries. They will be returning home on the 19th of June.
For those who wish to follow this story more closely, one of the members of the teams will be posting a blog of the mission while they are there. http://uganda2010-karla.blogspot.com
Posted by Hank Fitch in Community Announcement Monday, 24 May 2010 22:35
By Hank Fitch
Over the past weeks I’m sure you’ve noticed the election signs and posters all over Arbon, as well as the rest of Power County. These are to promote the few candidates who are trying to get elected or re-elected into the office of their choosing. After seeing these around American Falls, and also along the long, lonely road back home, I started thinking to myself about the issues that could be presented to the candidates in the upcoming election. After weighing some thoughts around in my head, I began to wonder, “What are things that effect us as a community here in Arbon?” “How could I find out more about the people running for office and what their opinions are about these issues?” Over the next few days, and after some conversations about Arbon-related issues with Jacob Andersen, we decided that it would be a good idea for me to interview Kenny Estep, and find out more about his views on things that effect the Valley, not only for our knowledge and benefit, but for the benefit of all of the residents of Arbon.
On the night of Friday the 21st, I went to Kenny’s to interview him, and find out more about his views. I came up with three questions that I felt were in the best interest of Arbon. They are as follows:
Kenny, what is your opinion on the proposal of a new set of power lines coming through the Valley?
Kenny’s answer went as follows:
The power lines coming through, are necessary and will happen eventually. He said that he will do everything in his power to work out a way to bring them through the valley so that the least amount of people are effected, or the least amount of landowners have to have these power lines come through their land. It is necessary though, for them to come through because of the growing need for power all over Idaho. He said he will do everything that he can to make sure that the people that are effected, or the people on whose land the power lines are put, get a fair compensation for their land used.
My next question for him was this: “Where do you stand on the CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operation) laws?”
His answer went as follows:
CAFO’s or Confined Animal Feeding Operations, are mainly laws that deal with managing Feedlots. (Unlike what I originally thought, these new ordinances wouldn’t have a lot to do with our ranches out here in Arbon…) He said that he will do what he can to make ordinances that adequately protect the owners of the CAFO’s and home owners. The real debate about these issues comes from ordinary people who don’t like living next to feedlots of dealing with the smell and other things that comes with being next to them. Kenny assured me that both parties can be happy and that he will work to make sure that they both get what they want and the new ordinances bring positive results to both parties.
My final question for him was thus: “In what ways do you feel you will best represent the interests of your Arbon Valley constituents?”
Kenny’s last response was this:
He said that he will continue to keep the services we have in Arbon and Power County as a whole, and do his best to see to upgrades to those services, where possible. He will also push for realistic growth so that we can remain a community. He said he will do everything he can to represent us as best as he possibly can.
I would like to quickly thank Kenny Estep for taking the time out of his personal life to answer my questions. Best of luck Kenny!
Posted by Jacob Andersen in Arbon School, Community Announcement, Social Event Monday, 24 May 2010 10:26
T
he Arbon Elementary school will be performing their school program Monday, May 24th (today), at 10am and again at 7pm at the Elementary school. All are invited to come and watch the kids. We will do a story on the program afterwards, but I wanted to get the word out so that everyone was aware.
We’ll see you there!
