The Village of Craigmont, located in Lewis County in the center of the Camas Prairie wheat section, is a major wheat shipping point in the state of Idaho. It is on the main Federal-State north and south highway (U.S. 95), approximately 45 miles south and east of Lewiston, Idaho. It is served by the Camas Prairie Railroad. In 1955 the population of Craigmont was about six hundred; by 1965 it had grown to around seven hundred.
This small town has an interesting history. On November 18, 1895 the Nez Perce Indian Reservation was opened for settlement; by 1898 there were 60 lots in a little townsite called Chicago. The first building was a general store which changed hands several times during its first year of existence, and was eventually bought by O.W. Leggett who established the first permanent business in the new town. From 1898 to 1902 the town grew rapidly and new businesses were established. The United States Post Office often confused Chicago, Idaho with Chicago, Illinois, and mail for one was frequently sent to the other; often these mix-ups caused delay in receipt of much needed replacement parts for farm machinery required by the Idaho farmers. In 1902 or 1903 Leggett, who was a notary in Chicago, had the town renamed for his older daughter, Ilo, thus ending the confusion.
In 1904 a fire destroyed most of the town, but residents soon had it rebuilt. From 1907 to 1909 the Camas Prairie Railroad extended its tracks south from Lewiston, but the tracks were a mile from the Ilo townsite. To remedy this situation the residents moved the entire town to the south side of the tracks, the present location of the town of Craigmont.
At the same time John Vollmer, a Lewiston businessman, built a townsite named for himself on the opposite side of the tracks. Thus there were two towns, each with its own church, bank, newspaper, school, post office, business and residential districts existing side by side in complete disharmony, each town trying to out do the other.
This state of affairs continued until the two towns were finally consolidated on June 17, 1920. At the annual picnic on June 18 a mock wedding was performed and "Miss Ilo" and "Mr. Vollmer" were united and pronounced CRAIGMONT, the new town being named after Colonel William Craig, the first permanent white settler in Idaho.
The three boxes of papers in this group span the years 1927 to 1974, with the decades of the 1950's and 60's being the best represented. They include such items as audit reports, monthly and yearly financial reports, traffic citations, abstracts of court cases, bids for sewer and water projects, applications for building permits, liquor and beer licenses, and slot machine licenses, employee work sheets, minutes of the planning commission meetings and newspaper clippings of official notices.
Each series in this collection is described in detail in the following Description of Series.
Items in this collection were separated according to the type of material, unless there was a specific relationship to another series, e.g., the ledger sheets for the slot machines were put with the permit applications for the machines rather than with the financial material. Other interrelationships between series are mentioned in the Description of Series.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.
The first series consists of several typed ordinances; other ordinances will be found in the "Proof of Publication" folder in box three.
Regulating chimneys, flues, furnaces, pipes, smokehouses, and the storage and keeping of waste and inflammable material within the limits of the Village of Ilo, Idaho. Passed by the Board of Trustees, February 4, 1918.
Miscellaneous zoning regulations are also included
This series includes many different types of financial reports, yearly audits, monthly reports from both the treasurer and village clerk, and ledger sheets. Financial reports which were published in the local newspaper will be found in the "Proof of Publication" folder in box three. Ledger sheets for the sewer fund are with the other sewer material in box two; those for slot machine receipts are in box three with the slot machine permit applications.
Councilmen Salary, 1967 to 1970; Refuse Collection, 1966 to 1970; Backhoe Rental, 1965 to 1970; Beer & Liquor Licenses, 1964 to 1969; Building Permits, 1963 to 1968; Grader Rent, 1965 to 1969; Gravel, 1962 to 1970; Junkyard Costs, 1966 to 1969; Craigmont Air Service, 1967 to 1969.
Correspondence between Standard Oil Company of California and F.G. Densow, Chairman of the Craigmont Board of Trustees concerning the refund of federal tax on gasoline purchases. August to December 1955
Copy of a letter from F.G. Densow to Elbert S. Rawls concerning the financial status of the village. July 23, 1955; Duplicate deposit slips 869-885. January to July 1942; County Auditor's Detailed Statement (Monthly), May 1927 - March 1931; January to December 1969; Record of Deposit books, 1924-1931; Lewis County Tax Notices (2) 1926; LID assessments, 1920, 1922
Items in this series include traffic citations and abstracts of court cases.
(These are stapled to the above citations)
Abstract of the Court Record and Docket: 2283-2941. January 18, 1971 to July 1, 1974; T17-T2289. January 19, 1971 to December 17, 1974
Eighteen cases, mostly in 1950. The material includes a Criminal Complaint and Warrant of Arrest for each case.
Thirteen cases from 1951 to 1953. The material for each case includes a Criminal Complaint and the Warrant of Arrest.
Four cases in 1949. The items are Affidavits for Attachment.
Two major public works projects were undertaken by the village of Craigmont, the construction of a new sewer system and treatment plant and the improvement of the city's water system.
Between city officials and the Federal Housing Administration, Wesley H. Grow & Associates, and the Idaho Dept. of Labor. Bids for construction from George K. Meacham & Sons, Northwest Erectors, inc., Spokane Culvert & Fabricating Co., Timber Structures, inc., and Waterworks Supplies Co.
From Consolidated Supply Co., H.D. Fowler Co., inc., Hahn Supply, Hughes & Co., Leo Cook Co., Material Distributors, Pacific Water Works Supply Co., and Waterworks Supplies Co.
Among the permits required by the city were building permits, beer and liquor permits and permits to operate slot machines. Ledger sheets dealing with the beer and liquor permits and the building permits are with the miscellaneous ledger sheets in box 2, but due to the extra material dealing with the slot machines, the ledger sheets for that group are in this series.
Sixty-four applications for building permits dated September 1963 to April 1969.
Thirty-eight applications for beer licenses, 1944-1957
Twenty-four applications for retail liquor licenses, 1947-1956
This folder also includes a petition to limit the number of liquor licenses to two, and a letter to Craigmont's mayor from Richard Mitchell, Lewis County Prosecuting Attorney, dated October 27, 1942, regarding the sale of beer on election day.
Applications for licenses and a description of each machine. 1946-1955
Receipts for money paid to the village by operators of slot machines
Records for each machine are kept on separate sheets. The sheets include the years 1947 to 1952.
Twenty-nine applications for the position of City Marshall which became vacant in 1969. This folder also includes the carbon copies of the replies to the applicants and some notes taken during interviews.
Census of Government Employment: Municipalities & Townships. Copies of forms for 1953 - 1968.
Monthly work sheets for Rex Farris and Vernon Hill showing the number of hours worked in each city department. April 1956 - April 1958.
This folder contains one letter declining nomination as a village trustee (1925) and the Oath of Office of the Chief of Police (1920)
There are seven letters resigning such positions as village clerk, village councilman, village trustee, and water superintendent, dated from 1919 to 1925.
The correspondence in this folder spans the years 1950 to 1968 and is in chronological order. Subjects include the request for use of a private gravel pit; correspondence with Van Waters & Rogers regarding chlorine and includes contracts with that company for several years; letters concerning a survey of Craigmont streets; a letter to Gov. Smylie in 1965 requesting a patrolman at Craigmont; and several letters in 1967 regarding the newly formed Clearwater Economic Development Association.
The additional correspondence spans the years 1921-1928 and includes such subjects as the payment of waterworks bonds opening Division Street where it had been closed by the Camas Prairie Railroad, and a personal injury suit.
This folder includes foreclosures of labor liens on sidewalks (1921), contracts and bids, and protests against local improvement districts 3 & 4 (1921).
Local improvement
Nominating
Protest
Bond election July 10, 1922
Minutes of meetings held Sept. 18, Sept. 26, Oct. 31, Nov. 28, 1962; Jan. 30, Feb. 27, March 27, April 24, Sept. 30, Oct. 15, 1963; Oct. 24, Oct. 25, Nov. 1, 1966; Aug. 29, 1968; and March 11, 1969
Copies of official notices placed in the
City Hall and Post Office, City of Craigmont
Contain interest coupons and bonds from sewer bond issue.
Each folder includes warrants, warrant receipt book and canceled checks.
Apportionment for Cash book, October 2, 1922 - January 30, 1924; Receipt for Cash book, September 14, 1923 - January 30, 1924; Bank Statements: Craigmont State Bank, 1924-1927; Bank of Vollmer, 1924-1927