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| Star Valley, Wyoming Allie Hyde, Bonnie Nebeker, Erma Anderson, Lovina Leavitt, and Maud Ranzenberg In western wyoming about 100 miles south of Yellowstone Park, close to the Idaho border, lies the lovely area known as Star Valley. The valley consists of two small valleys, each about 25 miles long and from five to ten miles wide, united by a narrow pass called "The Narrows." Along the sides of this valley extend rugged mountains with peaks rising to heights of over 10,000 feet, the Salt River Range to the east, the Caribou Range on the west. The elevation of the valley floor ranges fro 6,000 to 6,600 feet. Salt River, one of the Snake's larges tributaries, heads in the south east end of the valley and flows northward through both fertile valleys. The climate of Star Valley is moderate, having an average yearly precipitation of 22 inches, low humidity, and low average wind velocity. The mountains catch valuable moisture and give rise to local rain and snow showers. Winter snowfall is generally heavy and the ground is usually covered throughout the winter. Growing seasons are subject to wide variation from year to year. When summers are free from frost and rainfall is plentiful, bounteous crops of hay and grain are raised. The growing season averages from about 55 to 90 days, but frost hardy plants do well from May to October. There is the possibility that the temperature may drop to 32 degrees or colder at any time during the growing season. In 1879 Brigham Young commissiond Moses Thatcher to seek out new areas where saints could settle in Idaho and western Wyoming. The records indicate that Thatcher first went north from Bear Lake into Gentile Valley, Idaho, but he found that region unsuitable for settlement at the time. He then went to the area in Wyoming that was being used as a summer pasture for the cattle of the Bear Lake Saints. Legend has it that a Shoshone Indian, known as Indian John, or Jim, acted as guide to this party. Thatcher was highly impressed with the beauty of the valley and named it Star Valley. In the summer of 1880 the name was made official and Moses Thatcher in his dedicatory speech said, "When Gad made the world He reserved the finest part and hid it amoung these mountains. It shall be called, 'Star Valley.' for it is truly the star of all valleys." Other stories abound as to the origin of the name. Some old timers insist that cowboys who rode the summer range named it for the starry firmament visible in the clear cold nights. Another story contends that the five peaks which tower east of the valley resemble the five points of a star, hence the name. |
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Star Valley Chamber of Commerce 150 S. Washington Afton, WY 83110 |
307-885-2759 | 800-426-8833 | fax 307-885-2758 info@starvalleychamber.com www.starvalleychamber.com Melanie S. Wilkes, Executive Director |
Mailing Address P.O.Box 190 Afton, WY 83110 |