The Board of County Commissioners as then
constituted consisted of Israel T. Osborn, chairman, Sidney Kelley
of Carey, and John E. Schad. The indebtedness of Lincoln County to
Blaine County had to be determined, bonds refunded, and counsel
employed to defend the rights of Blaine County. Their lot was as
difficult, perhaps, as ever fell to a board of county commissioners
in this state. On January 14, 1899, the suit attacking the
constitutionality of the act creating Blaine County was presented to
the State Supreme Court. That tribunal said in part: "The state,
having, through each of its co-ordinate branches of government,
repeatedly recognized Blaine County as a county and legal
subdivision of the state, is stopped, after the lapse of nearly
four years, from questioning the regularity of the passage of the
act creating the county. The conclusion in this case is based upon a
rule of estoppels, demanded in this case by public policy." On
January 30, 1913, the County of Power was created from parts of
Oneida, Bingham, Blaine and Cassia Counties. On February 6, 1917,
the county of Butte was created from parts of Blaine, Jefferson and
Bingham counties, but principally from Blaine County.
On February 6, 1917, the county of Camas was created from Blaine
County. Alturas County at the date of its creation embraced all the
area of the present counties of Blaine, Camas, Elmore, Gooding,
Lincoln, Jerome, Minidoka, the greater part of Butte, and parts of
Custer, Bingham and Power. The appellation of "mother of counties,"
so often applied to Alturas County, is not a misnomer, as can
readily be seen, but is an apt name.
The present area of Blaine County is 2,797 square miles. It was
named in honor of that eminent statesman, James Gillespie Blaine.
Its present population (1930 census) is 3771. It is bounded on the
north by Custer County, on the east by Butte and Bingham Counties,
on the south by Power, Cassia, Minidoka and Lincoln Counties, and on
the west by Camas County.
Blaine County |
