AGRICULTURE : THEN & NOW

Long a way of life and an economic mainstay of Lemhi County, agriculture helps define this place and its people. As early as 1880, 30% of the population listed their profession as “agricultural ” (35% mining, 16% business, 19% day laborers); that percentage had risen to 60% by 1930.

The wide valley of the Pahsimerai (original spelling ) and its waters provided the opportunity for large, successful ranches. Wild hay and grain production required many hands, horses, and ingenuity. In this photograph, horses create the power for an early threshing operation. A drive shaft runs from the horses in the background to the thresher on the wagon in the foreground. Look closely, and you can see a man with a whip driving the horses around the turnstile that is creating the power.