Bench, Idaho | |
|---|---|
  Bench, Idaho  Bench, Idaho | |
| Coordinates: 42°30′13″N111°40′49″W / 42.50361°N 111.68028°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Idaho |
| County | Caribou |
| Elevation | 5,489 ft (1,673 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| Area codes | 208, 986 |
| GNIS feature ID | 396102 [1] |
Bench is an unincorporated community in Caribou County, in the U.S. state of Idaho. [1]
Bench is located along Niter-Bench Road.
The community of Bench is part of the Gem Valley, an area that also includes the communities of Grace, Turner, Central, Lund, Bancroft, and Niter. [2]
A post office called Bench was established in 1902, and remained in operation until 1923. [3] The community was named for a prominent landform near the original town site, commonly referred to as a "bench". [4] The "settlers attempted dry farming with little success"; the Bench Canal Company was formed to provide irrigation to the area. The Bench Canal, a 27-mile-long irrigation system, received water in July 1902, but was not completed until October 1919, due to the scarcity of labor caused by servicemen entering World War I. [2]
In 1906, Bench was on the Soda Springs-Lago stagecoach line, which connected Grace, Niter, and Bench to the community of Soda Springs, [5] which would in 1919 become the county seat of Caribou County. Bench's population was 75 in 1909. [6]
In addition to the post office, a number of businesses operated in Bench. In the early 1900s, Bench's sawmill was owned by the Tolman family. [7] Bench's school operated into the mid 20th century.
Bench's population was 90 in 1925. [8]
Bench is closely associated with the nearby community of Niter; the two communities, separated by the Bench Canal, shared a newspaper column, titled "Niter-Bench", in the Caribou County Sun from 1957 [9] to 1977. [10]
Bench regulated kissing on Sunday, requiring the participants to "'pause for breath' between each kiss." [11]
Caribou County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 Census the county had a population of 7,027. The county seat and largest city is Soda Springs.
Bonneville County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 123,964, making it the fourth-most populous county in Idaho and the most populous in eastern Idaho. Its county seat and largest city is Idaho Falls. Bonneville County was established in 1911 and named after Benjamin Bonneville (1796–1878), a French-born officer in the U.S. Army, fur trapper, and explorer in the American West. Benjamin was the son of Nicholas Bonneville of France, an Illuminati member who had written the "Illuminati Manifesto for World Revolution" in 1792, which played a significant role in the French revolution. Bonneville County is part of the Idaho Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Grace is a city in Caribou County, Idaho, United States. The population was 920 at the 2020 census.
The Bear River is the largest tributary of the Great Salt Lake, draining a mountainous area and farming valleys northeast of the lake and southeast of the Snake River Plain. It flows through northeastern Utah, southwestern Wyoming, southeastern Idaho, and back into northern Utah, in the United States. Approximately 350 miles (560 km) long it is the longest river in North America that does not ultimately reach the sea.
Freedom is an unincorporated community in both northeastern Caribou County, Idaho, and northwestern Lincoln County, Wyoming, in the United States; the Wyoming portion of the community is also a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 247 at the 2020 census.
Ellis is an unincorporated community in Custer County, Idaho, United States, located on U.S. Route 93 15.5 miles (24.9 km) northeast of Challis. The town consists solely of a post office, with ZIP code 83235.
Arbon is an unincorporated community in Power County, Idaho, United States.
Medimont is an unincorporated community in Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. Medimont is located on the north shore of Cave Lake, 8.5 miles (13.7 km) east-northeast of Harrison. Medimont has a post office with ZIP code 83842.
Eastport is an unincorporated community in Boundary County, Idaho, United States. Eastport is located at the Canada–US border along U.S. Route 95, across from Kingsgate, British Columbia and 19 miles (31 km) north of Moyie Springs. It is connected to Canada by the Eastport-Kingsgate Border Crossing. Eastport has a post office with ZIP code 83826.
Harvard is an unincorporated community in the northwest United States, on the Palouse of north central Idaho in Latah County.
Mink Creek is an unincorporated community in Franklin County, Idaho, United States. Mink Creek is located along Idaho State Highway 36 12.5 miles (20.1 km) northeast of Preston.
Avon is an unincorporated community in Latah County, in the U.S. state of Idaho.
Crescent is an unincorporated community in Latah County, in the U.S. state of Idaho.
Chilly is an unincorporated community in Custer County, Idaho.
State Highway 34 (SH-34) is a state highway serving Franklin and Caribou counties in southeastern Idaho. The highway runs northeasterly along the Bear River from Preston towards Soda Springs and the Wyoming state line, where it terminates and becomes Wyoming Highway 239.
Heise is an unincorporated community on the north side of the Snake River in Jefferson County in the U.S. state of Idaho.
Archer is an unincorporated community in Madison County, in the U.S. state of Idaho.
Coltman is an unincorporated community in Bonneville County, in the U.S. state of Idaho.
Hatch is an unincorporated community in Caribou County, in the U.S. state of Idaho.
Gilmore is an unincorporated community in Lemhi County, in the U.S. state of Idaho.
Municipalities and communities of Caribou County, Idaho, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| 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 | |
