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Montpelier, Idaho
Mormon settlers founded
Montpelier, Idaho in the 1860’s. The newcomers named the town after what
they thought was Brigham Young’s birthplace. Unfortunately for the
settlers, after the town’s name was decided, they learned Young was born
in Whittingham, Virginia.
The arrival of the
railroad in 1892 brought large numbers of non-Mormon settlers to the area.
The town soon split into separate communities with the Mormons living
uptown and everyone else congregating in the non-secular downtown area.
The Bank of
Montpelier,
established in 1891, lays claim to being the first bank in Southeastern
Idaho. Five years later, on August 13, 1896, Butch
Cassidy, Bub Meeks and
Elzy Lay robbed the bank, stealing $16,500. The proceeds from the robbery
went to help their friend Matt Warner secure a lawyer to defend him over
murder charges stemming from the Coleman
Affair.
Located
in Bear Lake County, Montpelier boasts a population of nearly 3,000
residents.
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