Paul, ID

    Paul, ID

    • Settled: 4 men arrived at what later became Paul in 1904; water arrived in 1907, saving the settlement
    • Origin of Name: Named after Charles H. Paul, an engineer on the Minidoka Project, the project which constructed Minidoka Dam on the Snake River, completed in 1904
    • Known for: Farming & Ag-related businesses.  The Amalgamated Sugar Company, one of the largest sugar refineries in the world is located in Paul, as well as the Southern Idaho Fire Training Academy, a training facility for firefighters
    • Historical Overview: The railroad arrived, crossing land that was homesteaded by Jim Ellis; Camp Rupert, a POW camp established to house German and Italian prisoners of war during World War II, was located west of Paul at the cost of $1.5 million dollars; he first arrivals arrived in May, 1944. 15,000 POWs were attached to Camp Rupert, which contained water, sewer, mess hall and a hospital; POWs were supplied to local farmers as laborers to work in their fields. 15 prisoners and 1 guard were loaded into the backs of trucks, where they worked in their assigned fields; their labor was especially focused in harvesting sugar beets, which were dug, their tops lopped off by a hooked sugar knife, and hand-loaded into the beds of trucks; release of many of the prisoners was delayed until after the sugar beet harvest of 1946 was completed 
    • Notable Features: 2 city parks, city offices, fire department, police; post office, elementary school, middle school, Southern Idaho Fire Academy; churches, restaurants, auto & ag related businesses, insurance office
    • Location: Located 5.2 miles (10 minutes) north of Burley’s Overland Ave.
    • Population 2020 Census: 1,195

    Last Mortified: