chesterfield townsite

Established in 1879, Chesterfield is a Mormon settlement on a branch of the Oregon Trail. The present day settlement, which includes log and brick structures, conveys how settlements in southern Idaho were laid out. Pack your own food and drink.

Very interesting historical site. The guide had an excellent knowledge of the local history. It is like visiting a time capsule. The site is being restored by the descendants of those who lived here. The restoration is of high quality and the guides can share many personal stories of their ancestors. Highly recommended.

We often travel to the Chesterfield area for a family outing. Great views, peaceful and a history lesson as well. good spots for a picnic or not far from indoor dining.

We were staying in Lava Hot Springs for a few days and heard about this nearby settlement. It was certainly an interesting visit. The village is laid out so much less-compactly than what I am used to in old eastern US towns. Each villager had ample room for a garden at their door. I found the history interesting--and the foundation is doing an amazing job restoring the buiildings. The volunteers were friendly and happy to answer endless questions and to tell many stories. What hardly souls these settlers must have been! I also enjoyed browsing in the general store where they was a great variety of locally-made crafts and jams and jellies.

Chesterfield is pretty interesting if you are out for a ride. It is off the main road and you can take a loop from Lava around.

Learn how people settled once they found freedom & safety from their trek west.

We stayed in Soda Springs our last night of vacation on the trip home from Yellowstone. It was the best route we've taken for scenery and added attractions without a great expense to driving time. I would definately suggest highways 34 and 30 with stops in Soda Springs, Bancroft and Historic Chesterfield as a side trips to Yellowstone - SLC commuters as it is a nice halfway point with interesting attractions and scenic drives nearby. We especially liked passing through Jackson, skirting the Tetons and following the Snake River to Pallisades turning West into the tiny town of Freedom on our way South to SLC from our Yellowstone vacation. The scenic drive through the towns of Freedom and Henry floored us. We passed two resevoirs (Henry and Blackfoot?) and the most beautiful country around. But, the best part of this route, is that we were spotting houses the way we would deer. There just weren't any. It was the strangest thing. Beautifullly sculpted trees and fields with gigantic cattle ranches, but no people. Then, there were the historic markers. This is both Oregon trail and Mormon Pioneer trail area. We were entranced to read about all the gold taken out of the area, and interested to pass the potash mine. My DH pointed out from where we lodged in-town Soda Springs the molten material being poured onto the slag hill. Far enough away to not blight the area, close enough to make you feel like you are looking at a Hawaiian volcanoe.Best part of the trip through Soda Springs was the day trip to Historic Chesterfield. A remote time capsule of a town being restored to its late 1800's splendor. A time when people traveling the Oregon trail stopped to trade at the large and thriving Mormon settlement. I was impressed by the stories our onsite tour guides told and the kindnesses they showed every member of our group. These guides were descendants of the early town inhabitants and had invested their time and money to revive what had nearly become a ghost town as a way to honor and remember their ancestors. Upon arriving home I opened the Bible to Isaiah 58:12 and read, "And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, the repairer of the breech, The restorer of paths to dwell in." I believe that this (whether they realise it or not) is what these good people are doing. They should be supported in it. I had a better experience here than "This is The Place Park" in SLC, not because it is bigger or better, as it may not be, but it just felt good. These people really care.I understand that they will schedule youth groups and the like for handcart or pioneer outings. I think that would be cool, to dress up like it was the mid 1800's and pull all your belongings over the old wagon ruts. Not our experience. We drove an SUV filled with family, middle aged husband and wife, teenaged son, 8 yo daughter, and the elderly grandparents. Everyone had a great time in Chesterfield (which is saying alot for a plugged-in teen at the end of a long trip.) Chesterfield turned out to be the crowning gem of our totally crammed and very excellant week away.We drove to the top of the hill where tour guides told us stories of the people whose pictures and handcrafted creations adorned the church. I will never forget that wooden leg or the memorial flowers tatted by little girls from their own hair. We followed our guide from building to building as he drove his four wheeler to guide us through the town. He thanked me when I moved the sprinkler head to water the lovely grass and gardens. He allowed us to pick and taste the peas, marionberries and raspberries, He talked of the Foundation and how they were restoring the town building by building and named the ancestors of his who had once lived there. He told of a well loved Indian woman who had been the town's midwife and whose spirit was a shining star to all who knew her. One of the houses with its museum quality pieces throughout had a rug that she had made covered with plastic on the floor so as to protect it. It will be placed in her house when it gets done. This small house with its pink bedroom for a boy and blue bedrom for a girl and two more bedrooms was picked out as the perfect house for our family by my little girl. She said, "Oh mommy, can we live here? There's a place for you and Daddy and a room for Grandma and Grandpa, one for my brother and one for me. Oh, please?" Amazing, that so small a house on top of a hill could be so functional and simple yet beautiful and enchanting. I couldn't stop taking pictures of the lovely antiques.I was sure to take plenty of pictures in the Blacksmith's shop where there was an (1815 cottongin?) and a handmade treat for the kids. A most beautiful brick home had an old pump organ that the guide played for us then allowed us to try to play. How fun it was for the children. We completed our tour with a trip to the log store where we bought penny candy, Huckleberry and Sassparilla sodas, and an apron for Grandma. I liked the pioneer sunbonnets. I loved sitting at the checkers table cracking the complementary peanuts while my son triple jumped me. The calico clad merchant's wife put on quite the show telling jokes and entertaining us with the toothless comb she gave my DH for his balding head. We stopped in Bancroft and were pleased to find the oldfashioned soda fountain still in operation. There we bought 75 cent hand dipped Farr Better ice cream cones and milkshakes for under $2. The owners look as old as the town. Great place for photographing the handpainted decorations on the now defunct hotel. Bancroft was once a boom town and now seems to becoming a bit of a ghost town since the new highway was put in bypassing the town entirely. Cool place to walk down the street and hear little Melinda say how boring it is. Wish there were more cool places like this in the fast paced world we live in. Chesterfield is a place of fond family memories for us, and we only spent a couple of hours there. That's all it takes. The town and area at large is enchanting.