Our History

Carey Mainstreet 1902-1920

The city of Carey was founded in March 1883 when an intrepid group of pioneers decided to settle in the rich meadowland of the Little Wod River Valley.   They had been sent by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints   to settle southern Idaho . The new community quickly attracted men and women eager to bring industry and civilization to the West. By the time Idaho entered the Union as the 43rd state in 1890, many families had moved into the Carey Valley.

How We Got Our Name

The first post office was operated by James Carey, one of the earliest valley settlers.  It came to be known as the Carey Post Office by locals and government officials alike.  As a result, as it grew, the town came to be called Carey.  

At first friendly lights from one house could not be seen from another at night.  It was like living in a country all alone.  There were no fences and a person could ride or travel from one end of the valley to the other without seeing any such obstruction.  Bit by bit these things were changed:  houses were built nearer each other and fences began to mark the boundaries of the individual farms.  Before the turn of the century nearly all the farmable lands had been claimed and homesteaded.  The settlers were pleased with the things nature had so generously provided: water, feed and fuel.

A Rich Heritage

Sturdy people were these emigrants and wise, for they had chosen, when the choice was wide, to settle in this beautiful and bountiful haven.  The soil was rich and river banks carried a silver flood of life-sustaining mountain water.

From 1900 on there have been many families move into the Carey Valley.  While most of the "old-timers" have gone, they have left a town and people who are deeply indebted to them for their perseverance, courage and the foundations of a heritage rich in the bounties and goodness of the land.

1927 or 1927 Carey school