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Unincorporated community in the state of Idaho, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bench is an unincorporated community in Caribou County, in the U.S. state of Idaho.[1]
Bench, Idaho | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 42°30′13″N 111°40′49″W | |
Country | United States |
State | Idaho |
County | Caribou |
Elevation | 6,194 ft (1,888 m) |
Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
Area codes | 208, 986 |
GNIS feature ID | 396102[1] |
Bench is located along Niter-Bench Road, at 42°30′13″N 111°40′49″W.[1]
The community of Bench is part of the Gem Valley, an area that also includes the communities of Grace, Turner, Central, Lund, Bancroft, and Niter.[2]
A post office called Bench was established in 1902, and remained in operation until 1923.[3] The community was named for a prominent landform near the original town site, commonly referred to as a "bench".[4] The "settlers attempted dry farming with little success"; the Bench Canal Company was formed to provide irrigation to the area. The Bench Canal, a 27-mile-long irrigation system, received water in July 1902, but was not completed until October 1919, due to the scarcity of labor caused by servicemen entering World War I.[2]
In 1906, Bench was on the Soda Springs-Lago stagecoach line, which connected Grace, Niter, and Bench to the community of Soda Springs,[5] which would in 1919 become the county seat of Caribou County. Bench's population was 75 in 1909.[6]
In addition to the post office, a number of businesses operated in Bench. In the early 1900s, Bench's sawmill was owned by the Tolman family.[7] Bench's school operated into the mid 20th century.
Bench's population was 90 in 1925.[8]
Bench is closely associated with the nearby community of Niter; the two communities, separated by the Bench Canal, shared a newspaper column, titled "Niter-Bench", in the Caribou County Sun from 1957[9] to 1977.[10]
Bench regulated kissing on Sunday, requiring the participants to "'pause for breath' between each kiss."[11]
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