Rattlesnake Station
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Rattlesnake Station was a stagecoach station near Mountain Home, Idaho. A historical marker located at milepost 102.7 on U.S. Route 20 commemorates its location.[1]
[edit] History
Rattlesnake Station was established in 1864 by Ben Holladay as a stop on his new Overland Stage Line between Salt Lake City, Utah and Walla Walla, Washington. The Overland line was acquired by the Northwestern Stage Company in 1870, which made the station a stop for its weekly stage line from Boise to the South Boise mines and an overnight stop in 1875.[2]
In 1876, a post office named Mountain Home was established at the station. Fire destroyed several station buildings on October 12, 1878, but were rebuilt and continued to serve stages until 1914, when the route was abandoned.[2] The post office was moved to the present location of Mountain Home in 1883 to be closer to the recently completed Oregon Short Line Railroad.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Historical Marker Guide Sign Index. Idaho Transportation Department. Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
- ^ a b Rattlesnake Station. Idaho State Historical Society (1984). Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
- ^ Hart, Arthur. "Idaho History: Where are all of those once-bustling Idaho towns?", Idaho Statesman, 2007-11-13. Retrieved on 2008-04-02. "The reason Rattlesnake Station is now just a memory is a familiar one: When the railroad came in 1883, the place had to move. Some of the buildings at Rattlesnake were dragged by mules and oxen to the new Oregon Short Line Railroad a few miles to the south."
