Unity, Idaho

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Unity, Idaho
Unincorporated community
Unity is located in Idaho
Unity
Unity
Location in Idaho
Unity is located in the United States
Unity
Unity
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 42°31′7″N 113°44′36″W / 42.51861°N 113.74333°W / 42.51861; -113.74333
CountryUnited States
StateIdaho
CountyCassia
Elevation
4,196 ft (1,279 m)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
83318
Area code(s)208, 986
GNIS feature ID398291[1]

Unity is an unincorporated community along the Snake River in Cassia County, Idaho, United States.[1][2] The community was founded in 1907-1908 by the Unity Sugar Beet, Land and Irrigation Company, which established operations in the area.

Geography

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It is located on Idaho State Highway 81, about 2 miles (3.2 km) east–southeast of Burley.[3]

History

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In 1907, the Unity Sugar Beet, Land and Irrigation Company announced plans for the founding of the town of Unity in Spring 1908. The company had raised $7 million in capital for the project, which included the construction of sugar beet factories. "Its first work will be to establish the town of Unity and colonize the land near-by," according to an article in the Owyhee Nugget, a newspaper in Silver City, Idaho.[4] A company official, B.E. Corbin, announced plans for an irrigation reservoir at the new Unity townsite.[5] Announcements of the new town and associated beet factories were published in Louisiana that year.[6]

By the 1920s, Unity was regarded as a community.[7] Pioneer Day, a Mormon traditional holiday, was celebrated in Unity in 1922.[8] By 1930, the Unity precinct had 615 residents.[9]

In 1917, the Unity Light and Power Company was founded. Originally a stock company, the company was reorganized as a cooperative on May 20, 1921. By 1947, there were 375 co-op members and 90 miles (140 km) miles of transmission lines.[10] The company became the Burley and Unity Light and Power Company in 1985, and the United Electric Co-op in 1998.[11]

Unity was the site of the Unity Ward Church of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Church organizations included the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association (YMMIA) and Young Ladies' Mutual Improvement Association (YLMIA), which operated circa 1919.[12] The church was damaged by arson in July 1976; the same arsonist was believed to have caused the Emerson Grange and Claremont Grange Hall fires. 150 church members removed articles from the building while firefighters from Declo battled the blaze.[13]

See also

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flag Idaho portal

References

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  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Unity
  2. ^ "Lake Walcott" (JPEG) (Map). usgs.gov. 1:100000. United States Geological Survey. 1994. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  3. ^ "Unity, Idaho 83318" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  4. ^ "Another Big Project Now Started". Silver City, ID: The Owyhee News. November 8, 1907. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  5. ^ "New Factory Projects". The American Sugar Industry and Beet Sugar Gazette. IX (1). Chicago, IL: 463. January 5, 1907.
  6. ^ The Louisiana Planter and Sugar Manufacturer. New Orleans, LA: Louisiana Planter and Sugar Manufacturer Company. 1907. p. 203.
  7. ^ Reclamation, United States Bureau of (1928). Reclamation Era. Washington, DC: Bureau of Reclamation. p. 122.
  8. ^ "Pioneer Day is to be Observed". Cassia County Courier. Burley, ID. July 22, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  9. ^ Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930. p. 267.
  10. ^ Lyons, Barrow (1947). "There is Power in Unity". New Reclamation Era. 33–35. Washington, DC: US Bureau of Reclamation: 78–80.
  11. ^ "Complaint Letter" (PDF). Boise, ID: Idaho Public Utilities Commission. 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  12. ^ "Burley Notes". The Oakley Herald. Oakley, ID. February 28, 1919. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  13. ^ "Declo Fire Crews fight Unity Church Arson fire". Pocatello, ID: Idaho State Journal. July 11, 1976. p. 34. Retrieved May 9, 2025.