How Bonneville County got its name and the early lawmen who protected its citizens
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Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of stories about the formation of counties in eastern Idaho and the lawmen that protected them. Read the first story here.
IDAHO FALLS — The abundance of water in the sparsely populated, sagebrush-covered landscape was likely a surprise to Benjamin Bonneville and other members of his expedition.
It was spring of 1833, and the 37-year-old U.S. Army captain had arrived at the Snake River in the area now known as Bonneville County.
Bonneville, the man for whom Bonneville County is named, was just six years old when Lewis and Clark began their expedition of the American West. Little did he know he would one day follow in their footsteps.
Bonneville graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1813 and became a commissioned officer shortly thereafter, according to his Wikipedia page. Throughout his military service over the next 15 years, newspaper articles advocating for settlement in the west captured his imagination.
His appointment to lead an expedition to Oregon in 1832 was later canceled due to a lack of volunteers. A short time later, General Alexander Macomb granted Bonneville’s request for a leave of absence from the military so he could explore the area and “gather all information that might be useful to the government.”
Bonneville’s specific assignment, according to the Historical Marker Database, was to “examine the locations, habits and trading practices of the Indian tribes, visit the American and British establishments, and study the best means of making the country available to American citizens.”
He left St. Louis in May 1832 with 110 men and 20 wagons and crossed what is now southern Idaho several times.
“(Bonneville’s) routes helped establish what became the Oregon Trail for settlers entering the Boise River Valley. He finally returned to the east in 1835,” the Historical Marker Database reports.
Historical records obtained by EastIdahoNews.com do not say what Bonneville’s reaction was when he first laid eyes on the Snake River. But it was something the early settlers capitalized on more than 30 years later.
The rise of a town and the birth of a county
Eagle Rock was formed in 1864 when Matt Taylor built a bridge to freight goods across the river more efficiently. It was called Eagle Rock because of the large amount of eagles in the area. Once a permanent bridge was in place, a small community began to grow. The advent of the railroad in 1879 attracted a lot of new business, and by the mid-1880s, several thousand people were living in Eagle Rock.
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The railroad eventually pulled out and took its machine shops to Pocatello. The people in Eagle Rock feared the town would fold.
Eagle Rock officially became Idaho Falls on Aug. 26, 1891, according to a 1963 Post Register article. The town’s large hydroelectric dam and waterfall did not yet exist, but its founding fathers believed that changing its name to capitalize on its water supply would attract people.
When it became a city in 1900, it was “under the control of Blackfoot” and was part of Bingham County. On Jan. 13, 1911, Governor James Hawley signed a bill that initially created Snake River County.
A month later, a Bonner County legislator suggested the new county be named “in honor of one of the first explorers who ever visited this section of the country.”
Bonneville County came into existence in Feb. 1911, with Idaho Falls as the county seat. Today, Bonneville County is the fourth largest county in Idaho and has a population of 129,883, according to the latest Census data.
Law enforcement in the wild west
In those early days when Eagle Rock was a burgeoning community and Idaho was not yet a state, the Snake River Valley was part of Oneida County. Sheriff William Homer appointed Ed Winn deputy sheriff for the Eagle Rock area.
In this capacity, Winn played a pivotal role in ridding the area of cattle and horse thieves, criminals and outlaws who, as a 2013 Idaho Falls Magazine article reported, “threatened the safety of travelers and … settlers.”
“He (Winn) had many gunfights and hand-to-hand ‘scrimmages’ with the desperate men, often against fearful odds, but he invariably came out victorious. He was shot at many times and had to shoot men down in self defense, but if he went out for a man, he got him,” a historical record from the Museum of Idaho says. “In time, the bad men with whom he had to deal found this out, and then his work was not quite so hard.”
Winn’s efforts as a lawman impressed U.S. Marshal and future U.S. Senator Fred Dubois. Winn had earned a reputation as a man of “indomitable will” and “clear grit,” according to historical documents, and Dubois appointed Winn a deputy U.S. marshal.
Winn was also a prominent businessman in Eagle Rock and the community’s first fire chief.
Shortly after Bonneville County was formed, Harry Bucklin, who had been working as a deputy in Bingham County since 1908, was “the popular choice for (the new county’s) first sheriff.” A 1973 Post Register article describes Bucklin as “a keen shot and excellent horseman, who got along well with people.”
Bucklin served for one term, which was two years at that time. Historical records do not provide any details about his accomplishments as sheriff.
Bonneville County’s longest-serving sheriff
To date, Bonneville County’s longest-serving sheriff is Harry Meppen. As the county’s eighth sheriff, he held the office for 15 years, beginning in 1929 and ending in 1944.
Meppen was also the first Democrat to hold the office and the youngest man to serve in this capacity, according to an old newspaper clipping. He was 34 when he was first sworn in.
Historical records from the Museum of Idaho show Meppen was well-liked and quite popular as sheriff.
Bootlegger liquor stills were a problem at one point during his tenure, and he was successful in breaking them up.
“In one bust, he and his deputies dumped all the moonshine liquor and mash into the snow. Snowbirds and chickens were attracted by the odor of the mash … and soon the drunken antics of the chickens and birds attracted the attention of some children,” according to a historical account.
After Meppen and his deputies “scraped up all the moonshine,” they dumped it in the river. He apparently kept a detailed record of people and places in the county where moonshine was frequently made.
“He kept the book locked in his strong room (because) many people would have given a great deal to have possession of it,” historical records say.
In 1933, Meppen became the first sheriff to use an airplane to search for a man who was lost near the lava beds west of Idaho Falls. Bad weather prevented Meppen from finding him.
That same year, Meppen was awarded a medal from the U.S. Flag Association for “outstanding service as a law enforcement officer.”
Poor health forced Meppen to resign as sheriff in 1945. His specific condition was not specified. He was 67 when he passed away at a Rigby rest home in Nov. 1961, according to his obituary.
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