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Franklin County, Idaho

43 topographic sheets cover 26 settlements here, and 9 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

9 National Register listings published here, 1 of them a National Historic Landmark.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Idaho within the United States
Franklin County within Idaho

What the record shows

  • 332 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 9 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 8 buildings and 1 site.
  • 4 of the 9 listings were added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 26 populated places in this county; 26 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

9

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Bear River Battlegroundsite197373000685
Matthias Cowley Housebuilding197676000673
Franklin City Hallbuilding199191001716
Franklin Co-operative Mercantile Institutionbuilding199191001717
Franklin County Courthousebuilding198787001585
L. H. Hatch Housebuilding197373000684
Oneida Stake Academybuilding197575000630
Relic Hallbuilding200100001627
US Post Office-Preston Mainbuilding198989000135

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

116 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 116 of them, burning about 30,918 acres. 57 started naturally and none was recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Natural57
Recreation and ceremony26
Missing data/not specified/undetermined17
Equipment and vehicle use8
Debris and open burning3
Power generation/transmission/distribution2
Smoking1
Fireworks1
Railroad operations and maintenance1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
11 August 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined13,784 acresIdaho Falls DistrictCLEVELAND
10 August 2007Missing data/not specified/undetermined2,485 acresIdaho Falls DistrictCLEVELAND HILL
23 August 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined2,413 acresCaribou-Targhee National ForestCLIFTON
18 August 2000Missing data/not specified/undetermined1,163 acresCaribou-Targhee National ForestDRY CANYON
4 August 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined950 acresIdaho Falls DistrictROCKY PEAK
19 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined911 acresIdaho Falls DistrictONEIDA
16 July 1994Equipment and vehicle use900 acresIdaho Falls DistrictTWIN LAKES
21 September 2001Power generation/transmission/distribution782 acresIdaho Falls DistrictONEIDA

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1958 to 2025

49 of 49 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 49 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 1 injury and about $1,905,850 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind18
Hail17
Tornado4
Flash Flood4
Flood3
Lightning1
Funnel Cloud1
Debris Flow1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2003LightningWhitney1 hurtLightning struck a house in the town of Whitney. The bolt caused a man at a doorway to be thrown several feet outdoors, after which the house exploded. Damage amounts were not available.
February 2017FloodThatcher$1,720,000A major warmup beginning early in the month created extensive snow melt from record winter snows and massive sheet flooding. Many homes received extensive damage but the main problem in the county was extensive road damage. Many roads and bridges washed out and had to be closed. Many culverts also washed out and 28 were determined to be in need of major repair. Flooding to wells and septic systems in personal homes caused contamination of water in many cases. The state of Idaho declared Franklin County a disaster area.
March 2017FloodThatcher$77,000Sheet flooding from snow melt continued in March but the effects decreased substantially from February. Road damage persisted along with some minor property damage.
August 2017Flash FloodFairview$25,000Heavy rains caused flash flooding in Fairview in Franklin County. Several residents of Fairview reported flooding in their homes with 128 homes also without power for 3 to 4 hours. Power was restored at 7:30 pm MDT.
May 1986Tornado (F1)not stated$25,000no account filed
April 2023Debris FlowPreston$10,000At approximately 6:30 pm MDT on the 11th a mud slide necessitated the closure of SH-36 between Ovid and Preston. Continued warming temperatures resulted in two more slides in the area. As of 2:30 pm MDT on the 12th the highway remained closed north of Mink Creek.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindClifton$10,000Between 4:30 and 6:30 on 6/1/2015 the Franklin County Sheriff's Office received several reports of power lines down with either broken power poles or trees fallen on lines, or power poles and lines fallen on houses. Rocky Mountain Power and Utah Power are still working on restoring power, however, many residents are still without power. Much of the damage was isolated to the West Side of Franklin County. We had one report of a man electrocuted by a downed line, however, he was treated on scene by EMS and released. We had many trees blocking roads which have now been removed, and other reports of property damage due to wind including one cargo trailer which was blown over. We appreciate the help from the Preston Police Department, Franklin County Fire, EMS, Search & Rescue and Road & Bridge, Idaho State Police and Idaho State Fish & Game who all helped cover different calls.
March 2006Thunderstorm WindCentral Portion$10,000no account filed
August 2024Thunderstorm WindFranklin$6,000Several trees and large tree limbs snapped and down in Franklin reported via social media.
May 1995Tornadonot stated$5,000In Station Creek a tornado moved through destorying barns, campers and farming equipment. Winds in excess of 100 mph were reported. The tornado lasted 20 minutes.
May 1995TornadoStation Creek$5,000In Station Creek a tornado moved through destorying barns, campers and farming equipment. Winds in excess of 100 mph were reported. The tornado lasted 20 minutes.
May 1995Thunderstorm WindNyssa$5,000In Station Creek a tornado moved through destorying barns, campers and farming equipment. Winds in excess of 100 mph were reported. The tornado lasted 20 minutes.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindClifton$3,000Power lines reported downed over houses and roads with 4 to 6 inch trees downed as well near Clifton.
June 2003Thunderstorm WindWeston$2,000Strong microburst winds knocked trees and power lines down in Weston, Idaho.
August 1998HailPreston$2,000no account filed
August 2018HailClifton$400Ping pong ball sized hail reported in the town of Clifton. Some damage to siding reported on homes.
June 1982Tornado (F1)not stated$250no account filed
July 2017HailPreston$200One inch hail fell in Preston with reports of window of car broken out on South First Street by it.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindFranklin-Mesonet station 8433 D5 Franklin on US-91 recorded a 59 mph thunderstorm outflow wind.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindWhitney-The Cub River mesonet site measured a 62 mph wind gust.
June 2023Flash FloodBanida-Water was running over US Highway 91 near Banida.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindMink Creek-The Treasureton Summit ITD site recorded 58 mph wind gust.
August 2018HailFranklin-One inch hail in the town of Franklin.
August 2018HailWeston-One inch hail reported in Weston.
August 2018HailOxford-One inch hail in Oxford.
August 2018HailBanida-Quarter sized hail at the Treasureton Reservoir.
January 2017FloodPreston-Some flooding in the NE corner of Preston, especially around the Country Club/golf course. Water over the road on Highway 34 in Preston. Also, water reported over the road on Highway 36 up to Mile Marker 7. Water has not been deep enough to necessitate road closures.
July 2017Flash FloodPreston-Over 1 foot of water was covering South First Street East in Preston after over a half inch of rain fell in 10 minutes.
June 2015HailPreston-One inch hail reported near the city of Preston.
August 2015HailPreston-One inch hail measured near Preston.
May 2015Funnel CloudPreston-Funnel cloud viewed over Weston and Preston.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindPreston-Measured wind gust of 64 mph.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindPreston-Preston mesonet site reported sixty-four mph wind gust.
June 2009Flash FloodDayton-Flooding reported near Weston with roads flooded.
May 1995HailSoda Springs-In Station Creek a tornado moved through destorying barns, campers and farming equipment. Winds in excess of 100 mph were reported. The tornado lasted 20 minutes.
May 1995HailDover-In Station Creek a tornado moved through destorying barns, campers and farming equipment. Winds in excess of 100 mph were reported. The tornado lasted 20 minutes.
May 1995HailSylvania-In Station Creek a tornado moved through destorying barns, campers and farming equipment. Winds in excess of 100 mph were reported. The tornado lasted 20 minutes.
March 2006Thunderstorm WindPreston-no account filed
May 1996Thunderstorm WindPreston-no account filed
August 1991Hailnot stated-no account filed
July 1989Thunderstorm Windnot stated-no account filed
August 1989Thunderstorm Windnot stated-no account filed
September 1989Thunderstorm Windnot stated-no account filed
July 1982Thunderstorm Windnot stated-no account filed
May 1981Hailnot stated-no account filed
August 1975Thunderstorm Windnot stated-no account filed
June 1962Hailnot stated-no account filed
June 1958Hailnot stated-no account filed
June 1958Hailnot stated-no account filed

Mines and quarries

24 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 24 workings inside this county. 3 still produce and 21 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Manganese7
Geothermal6
Limestone, General4
Sand and Gravel, Construction4
Lead1
Silver1
Copper1
Tungsten, Cobalt1
Calcium1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Hatch ProspectCopper, Tungsten, CobaltProspect
Lucky Baker ProspectLead, SilverProspect
Treasure Canyon Mill #2CalciumProducer
CliftonLimestone, GeneralPast Producer
CliftonLimestone, GeneralPast Producer
Franklin County PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Treasure Canyon CalciteLimestone, GeneralUnknown
Treasure Canyon Quarry #2Limestone, GeneralProducer
Battle Creek Hot SpringGeothermalOccurrence
Geothermal LocationGeothermalOccurrence
Geothermal Location No. 12s-40e-31dGeothermalOccurrence
Maple Grove Hot SpringGeothermalOccurrence
Vincent Hot SpringGeothermalOccurrence
Wayland Hot SpringGeothermalOccurrence
Cleveland MineManganesePast Producer1927
Hale MineManganeseUnknown
Hot Spot PropertyManganeseOccurrenceReplacement
Idaho Manganese Mining Company MineManganesePast Producer1922, 1925
Manganese MineManganeseUnknown
Mc Gregor PropertyManganeseOccurrenceReplacement
South ClevelandManganeseProspect

Every populated place in the county

26

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.