Valley County

Valley County, Idaho's 40th county, was established on February 26, 1917, with its county seat at Cascade. It is named for the outstanding topographical feature of the area, Long Valley. Fur trappers were the first white men in the area, but permanent settlement did not take place until the 1880s when livestock ranchers moved into Long Valley.

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County Statistics:

County seat: Cascade
Population: 8,726 (2009 estimate)
Valley County website

Borders:  Adams, Boise, Custer, Gem, Idaho and Lemhi counties

Interesting Facts:

One of the largest diamonds ever found in the U.S. was discovered near McCall. It was nearly 20 carats, which is roughly the size of a postage stamp.

What To See And Do:

Roseberry is an old Finnish settlement near Donnelly, Idaho. The Finns settled here in the late 19th century after fleeing the oppressive Russian empire who occupied Finland at the time. It is a source of local pride and a part of Idaho history and of who settled it.

The first store was established in Roseberry by J.W. Pottenger and W.B. Boydstun in 1892. The first Post Office in this area of the valley was established in 1892 with Lewis Roseberry as the first Postmaster. The town named for him is still known as Roseberry, though most of the buildings have been moved away or torn down.

Roseberry became a thriving town and was the largest town in the valley until the railroad came in 1914. It was a "dry" town because the deed for the town site included a clause that no liquor could be sold on the property. Among the thriving businesses were: a hotel, bank, drug store, flour mill, "Advocate" newspaper, harness shop, general merchandise store, hardware store, restaurant, soda fountain, creamery, brick kiln, two-room school and a church. After the railroad drew settlers to nearby Donnelly in1914, Roseberry declined in prominence.

Today, there are only a few houses left from the original settlement at Roseberry, and they are preserved as an outdoor museum for people to see the Finnish way of life in Idaho in the 19th century. The museum includes the original Methodist Episcopal Church built in 1904, a grade school, two log homes, two frame houses, a "four-square" house, a carriage house, a barn and a building moved from Lake Fork to house a research center. Also on the original townsite, but privately owned, is the original general store.

Famous Valley County Natives and Residents:

Barbara Morgan (1951- ) was born in California and taught third grade in McCall, Idaho, for many years. In 1985, she was chosen for the Teacher in Space Program, operated by NASA. She received astronaut training and flew aboard the space shuttle Endeavor in August 2007.

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(Sources include The Idaho Blue Book.)