Pocatello, Idaho is a wonderful place to be. It’s a modern city and home to Idaho State University, but it maintains its historic charm and classic American downtown vibes. Originally part of the seasonal migration routes of the Bannock and Shoshone tribes, the city takes its name from Shoshone Chief Pocatello.
American explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark passed through the region on their Corps of Discovery expedition in 1805. A businessman from Massachusetts named Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth came west in the 1830s to try to establish himself in the fur trade and set up Fort Hall as a trading post. Unable to compete with the Hudson’s Bay Company, he sold Fort Hall to them a few years later. Several years down the line, the fort would be a major stop on the Oregon Trail as emigrants made their way west across the country. When gold was discovered in 1860, the area experienced a minor rush and people began to settle in the beautiful Portneuf Valley. But more than anything, it was the coming of the train that would build the city of Pocatello. The area became a rest stop on the Utah and Northern Railroad and several years later the Oregon Short Line came to town, creating a junction and transfer point referred to as “Pocatello’s Junction”. In 1888, an executive order purchased land for a townsite from the Fort Hall Shoshone and Bannock Reservation and the city was incorporated the following year. Because of the train junction, Pocatello was known as “The Gateway to the Northwest”, or simply “Gate City” for short.
I had a great stay in Pocatello, enjoying their monthly art walk, a performance at the Palace Theatre and some live music in the downtown bars. The county history museum had some neat artifacts and I particularly enjoyed visiting the Shoshone Bannock Cultural Museum in nearby Fort Hall. Pocatello is a friendly city with a cool vibe and I will definitely be returning in the future. I hope you enjoy these photos from Pocatello, Idaho’s Gate City.
Pulling into tiny Helper, Utah is like stepping back in time. Whatever way you come into town, you are likely to drive past one of their amazingly preserved vintage gas stations on your way in. These are perfect inside and out and you should definitely stop to check them out. When you pull onto Main Street, you will definitely be impressed by how well they have kept up their historic district and it feels like you are on a movie set somewhere. The only other place I have visited that had the same feel was Lowell, Arizona, but Helper feels more alive and less like a ghost town.
Located in Carbon County, this is definitely coal country, but the town developed around the railroad when the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) came through in 1881. The town gets its name because the trains needed an extra push to get them over the next hill, so an extra engine, or “helper” was attached. Between the mines and the railroad, Helper grew to a population of around 20,000 people who came to work in these industries from all over the world. The mines and the railroad still exist in the area, but increased mechanization has decreased the need for workers and the population has dropped by 90%. That said, the people who have remained decided to do what they could to preserve the history of the town and have worked hard to create the Helper you’ll find there today.
I was thrilled to find the Matt Warner Lodge of E Clampus Vitus while I was there. ECV is the historic organization I’ve been a part of for the last 20 years or so, but this is the only Lodge in all of Utah. They are working hard to preserve the history of the area while helping run many of the community’s events like the Easter egg hunt, which they were all excited about while I was there. It was nice to have some company for a change, and the Brothers filled me in on a lot of the local history. Their Lodge is located in the historic Carbon Hotel which was the last functioning brothel in Helper and was open into the 1970s. ECV historic plaques can be found throughout Helper and in many nearby towns and help tell the story of the communities which have long since faded into the past.
If you’re ever on your way to Salt Lake City from Moab or Grand Junction, definitely be sure to stop in Helper, you’ll be glad you did. I hope you enjoy these photos from Helper which is definitely Utah’s cutest small town.
