Albion, ID

    Albion, ID

    • Settled: In 1870 Rice L. Wood, a cattleman, built the first house in what would become known as Albion; Albion has always enjoyed a diverse population, its settlers came from multiple roots and backgrounds; in 1875, several families moved to the valley, later joined by Mormon families from Brigham City and Willard relocating there; many who were traveling to Oregon and California stayed, permanently settling in the welcoming mountain valley; since many of the new residents were Masons, an active Masonic Lodge was established; the first store in Albion opened by accident, when Andrew Burstrom’s freighting wagon broke down there, he began selling tobacco, whiskey, flour and other items to local residents; in 1876 he built the first Marsh Basin store.
    • Original Name: Marsh Basin, for Marsh Creek, the creek on which it is located; changed to Albion in 1879 by early settler Miles G. Robinson
    • Origin of Name: Albion means “mountain land” or “white land,” the first name Great Britain was known by”; when named as county seat, “Marsh Basin” was not considered to be a proper county seat’s name. several names were proposed and Albion was reportedly drawn from a hat
    • Speak like a local: Pronounced “Al-Bee-un”(as in “union” or “onion”) not “Al-Bee-ON”
    • Known for: Albion was once the county seat of Cassia county, formed from the massive Owyhee County in 1877; formerly the home of Albion Normal School, an important training college for teachers established in 1893; had a Methodist church; the first schoolhouse in Cassia County; at least one factor in Albion’s being named county seat over Oakley was Albion’s diverse population as opposed to Oakley’s heavily Mormon population; Cassia County’s first bank, D.L. Evans Bank, was established in Albion in 1904
    • Notable Residents & Those who Attended the Normal School:  Terrell W.  Bell, Secretary of Education in the Ronald Reagan Administration; Harold B. Lee, who became the seventh President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
    • Notable Features: 3 cemeteries, city offices, volunteer fire department; elementary school; LDS & other churches; cafes & eateries, motel, convenience stores, telecommunications provider, haunted mansion & event hosting
    • Location: 8.4 miles east of Burley on Hwy 81 E, then 9.4 miles (24 minutes total) south on Hwy 77, Cassia’s Historic Byway
    • Population 2020 Census: 234

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