May 09, 2008
Caldera Folks
 
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Welcome to Henry’s Fork Country

In late winter 2007, members of the three chambers of commerce in Fremont County — Island Park, Ashton, and St. Anthony, met for dinner at the Trails Inn in Ashton.

These dedicated people shared ideas for promoting the many wonderful attractions in the county.

Idaho’s tourism division has divided the state into seven travel regions. Fremont County is in the state’s Eastern Idaho region, but the Fremont County chambers wanted to narrow the focus down to the spectacular area within their county’s borders.

What do the communities of Island Park, Ashton, and...  [more]

Welcome to Henry’s Fork Country 
 

What's goin' on?

Click here to view movies on the Island Park News You Tube Channel

Saturday, May 10
   West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce 10th Annual Spring Cycle Tour.
Join us for the Lakeside Ride! This casual ride begins in West Yellowstone and travels around Hebgen and Earthquake Lakes. Don't want to ride the whole 60 miles? Not to worry - we'll provide a...  [more]

What's goin' on? 
 

Ashton area is a great place for bird watching now

See the birds on YouTube.

ISLAND PARK — The spring bird migration is in full swing, and many birds are in the Ashton area now before they take their final flights to Yellowstone Country breeding areas.

Mike Polkowske, a Bighorn Hills Estates resident, captured some beautiful images this week of birds in flight, including sandhill cranes, a northern harrier, a turkey vulture, and a long-billed curlew. Polkowske is also the president of the First Security Bank’s West Yellowstone branch.

Now the birds need the snow to melt so they can build...  [more]

Ashton area is a great place for bird watching now 
 

IPLF announces summer craft fair dates

ISLAND PARK — It’s time to think summer and get to work creating crafts and fine art for the 7th annual Island Park Library Friends Arts and Crafts Fair.
  
Registration is now open for the popular three day event, set for Friday to Sunday July 11 - 13, 2008 at Buffalo Run Campground, RV, and Cabins on Hwy. 20 in Island Park.
  
Booth space costs $50 for a 12 ft. by 12 ft. area with items made by the crafter or artist. Booths selling commercial items that fit with the...  [more]

IPLF announces summer craft fair dates 
 

All American Sawtell Stampede opens 2008 registrations

Click here for July 4th Movie.

ISLAND PARK - Plans are under way to make the 12th annual All American Sawtell Stampede the best ever, event director Connie Funkhouser said this week.

Set for Saturday, July 5, this event is for runners and walkers and offers four distances: a half marathon, a 10k, a 5k, and a one-mile kid's course. The course is on Caribou-Targhee National Forest roads through tall pine and spruce trees and along meadows with great mountain views.

Perfect Timing of Bozeman will be in charge of registration and chip timing the participants.

Participants...  [more]

All American Sawtell Stampede opens 2008 registrations 
 

Elk Creek Ranch to host Casting for Recovery

ISLAND PARK - Fourteen women who have been challenged by breast cancer will visit Elk Creek Ranch this summer to enjoy a free Casting for Recovery Retreat.

Set for Friday - Sunday, June 6 - 8, the Elk Creek weekend is one of 37 retreats the national non-profit support and educational program, Casting for Recovery, sponsors in 27 states, says the organization's communications director, Kate Fox.

More than 1,300 women applied for 500 openings this year, Fox said. One woman who will attend the Elk Creek Ranch retreat is Carolyn Peterson, a California resident who owns a...  [more]

Elk Creek Ranch to host Casting for Recovery 
 

Community readies for 53rd annual Free Fisherman’s Breakfast

The welcome mat is out for the 53rd annual Free Fisherman’s Breakfast, set for Friday, May 23 at Clyde Keefer Memorial Park in St. Anthony.

When the chow line opens at 6 a.m. visitors will partake of more than just a free breakfast of pancakes, sausage, hash browns and a beverage. They will embrace a tradition that has been perpetuated for more than five decades by volunteers who spend countless hours getting...  [more]

Sandhill cranes have returned to the caldera

By ELIZABETH LADEN

ISLAND PARK, ID - Sandhill cranes have returned to their nesting areas throughout the Island Park caldera, and are talking to one another all night and day long.

Their...  [more]

Sandhill cranes have returned to the caldera 
 

A healing ceremony for Yellowstone's wild bison

By ELIZABETH LADEN

"Have a heart for the people. Hear the voices of my nation that see our way of life connected to the Buffalo Nation. Listen to the many other nations' voices and efforts that are standing in disagreement with this senseless massacre. " — Arvol Looking Horse to President George Bush

Last week, 120 people gathered outside Gardiner with Lakota chief and spiritual leader, Arvol Looking Horse, to pray for the spirits of more than 1,200 wild Yellowstone Park bison slaughtered this winter.[more]

A healing ceremony for Yellowstone's wild bison 
 

Sandhill cranes have returned to the caldera

By ELIZABETH LADEN

ISLAND PARK - Sandhill cranes have returned to their nesting areas throughout the caldera, and are talking to one another...  [more]

Featured Stories Sections
 
Historical Society creates Island Park Banner  
In celebration of our wonderful community, an Island Park Historical Society committee has designed an attractive banner that can be displayed at a cabin or business — inside or outside.

The Island Park Banner, pictured here, is made of...

Henry's Fork T-s at the News shop  
The Island Park News on line store has a new shirt design just in time for the warm weather.

The Henry's Fork Country shirt sports the osprey logo used on the new Henry's Fork County Recreation Guide and...

Surfing Henry's Fork Country: Chambers on line  
Chambers of commerce in Henry's Fork Country all have a strong internet presence.  The Island Park, Ashton, and St. Anthony chambers each have a Web site with lists of chamber members, information about how to join, area events, and links...

Teaching kids to love the outdoors  
By LERINNA COLLINS

Do you remember how your heart raced as you gazed on your first moose? Can you recollect the first time the haunting call of a sandhill crane resonated on the chords of...

Mesa Falls Scenic Byway  
The Mesa Falls Scenic Byway begins where the Teton Scenic Byway reaches its northern end in Ashton, at the junction of U.S. 20 and Idaho 47. From there, the route travels through the town of Warm River toward its main...

How Island Park got its name   
Some folks believe Island Park got its name from the early phenomena of floating islands on Henry's Lake recorded by the well known photographer, William Henry Jackson. Others believe it was derived from the islands on the winding Snake River....

U. S. Army Winter Training Base - West Yellowstone, Montana  
By TOM HOWELL

PROLOGUE
Since the 1940's, generations of locals and tourists in the Island Park, Idaho area have driven by the old concrete footings and what appears to be two...

Snow machines in the gardens: The history of snowmobiles in Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks  
By Michael J. Yochim
From Montana: The Magazine of Western History,  Autumn 2003

Shards Of metal lay on the snow next to the machine, and the acrid smell of gunpowder permeated the air. The snowmobile was seriously...

A brief history of fly fishing  
By Lerrina Collins

Understanding a sport’s history often enhances our appreciation of the sport. Take fly fishing. It is a big draw to our community, contributing many dollars to our coffers each season. Did you...

Ashton: Gateway to Yellowstone’s remote Bechler Area & much more..  
The Ashton area is a wonderful place to live or visit! One of the community’s most outstanding assets is the magnificent views of the Grand Teton Mountain Range rising out of the gently rolling farmland to the southeast.

There...

Montana issues 'Let the Buffalo Roam' plates  
Bison Advocates Can Use Vehicles to Voice Support for Wild Bison in Montana

HELENA, MT — Wild bison advocates across the state of Montana will be able to show their support for native wild buffalo...

 

Community
 Engaging Energetic Employees   
 Amusement park...or national park?   
 Geographics and Demographics   
 Island Park   
 Ashton: Small town America   
 Who is an Island Park-er?   
 Fort Henry Historic Byway   

History
 Old time residents on the Buffalo River   
 Storytelling is part of the caldera's charm   
 2007: Island Park turned 60 this year   
 A brief history of Mack's Inn   
 A history of the 7 Bar Ranch   
 Extraordinary Island Park People   
 A history of Warm River   
 A mountain, a developer, & an Indian   
 A history of the Bear Gulch Ski Basin   
 Remembering the Ott Harris Family   
 On the west wall of the St. Anthony Post Office...   
 Flight of the Nez Perce through Leadore & Island Park to West Yellowstone   
 When Bars Were Called Resorts   
 Cows on the Buffalo   
 A Forty Year Look Back    
 Railroad Ranch: The Island Park Land & Cattle Company   
 History of I. P. Bills Island   
 A short history of Aspen Ridge   

Island Park Area Attractions
 Caribou-Targhee National Forest   
 Big Springs & Johnny Sack Cabin   
 Henry’s Lake State Park   
 Henry's Lake Hatchery   
 Harriman State Park   
 Mesa Falls Recreation Area   
 Island Park Reservoir   
 The Flat Ranch   

St. Anthony Area Attractions
 St. Anthony - The county seat & base for great recreation   
 Fremont County Courthouse   
 The Doughboy & Clyde Keefer Memorial Park   
 The Sandbar Swimming Area   
 The Henry's Fork Greenway   
 Skater's Haven   
 St. Anthony Sand Dunes & Egin Lakes Recreation Access   
 Fremont County Golf Course   
 Civil Defense Caves   
 Sand Creek Wildlife Management Area   

National Parks
 Ranger-led Activities Scheduled for April   

Critters
 There's a bear in my campsite   
 Common myths about bears   
 Please help prevent wild bears from becoming garbage bears   
 Hiking in Bear Country   
 The West's fascinating, vanishing pronghorn   
 GYC & Ashton man at odds over wolf killings   

Wild Journal
 The Cult of the Secret Huckleberry Patch   

Centennial Valley
 Elk Lake Resort: Remote & rewarding   

Unsolved Crimes & Missing People
 Mother still seeks closure of her daughter’s murder case   
 Unsolved crimes in southeast Idaho