Rattlesnake Station

Rattlesnake Station Stagecoach
Horse team on the Overland Trail
Station statistics
Coordinates	43°11′53″N 115°33′17″W / 43.19806°N 115.55472°W / 43.19806; -115.55472
Lines	Overland Stage Line
Connections	Salt Lake City, Walla Walla
Other information
Opened	1864
Closed	1914
Owned by	Ben Holladay
Formerly	Mountain Home Post Office
Services
US Postal Service, Passengers
Location
Mountain Home, Idaho

Rattlesnake Station was a stagecoach station northeast of Mountain Home, Idaho. Approximately seven miles from exit 95 on Interstate 84, a historical marker located at milepost 102.7 on U.S. Route 20 commemorates its location.^[1] The highway follows Rattlesnake Creek and the elevation of the site is 3820 feet (1164 m) above sea level.

History

Rattlesnake Station was established in 1864 by Ben Holladay as a stop on his new Overland Stage Line between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Walla Walla, Washington.

The Overland line was acquired by the Northwestern Stage Company in 1870, which made the station a stop for its weekly stage line from Boise to the South Boise mines and an overnight stop in 1875.^[2]

In 1876, a post office named "Mountain Home" was established at Rattlesnake Station. Fire destroyed several station buildings on October 12, 1878, but were rebuilt and continued to serve stages until 1914, when the route was abandoned.^[2] The post office was moved down, dragged by mule teams, to the present location of Mountain Home in 1883 to be closer to the recently completed railroad, the Oregon Short Line.^[3]

References

1. ^ "Historical Marker Guide Sign Index". Idaho Transportation Department. http://itd.idaho.gov/hmg/SignIndx.htm. Retrieved 2008-04-02. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Rattlesnake Station". Idaho State Historical Society. 1984. http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0187.pdf. Retrieved 2008-04-02. 
3. ^ Hart, Arthur (2007-11-13). "Idaho History: Where are all of those once-bustling Idaho towns?". Idaho Statesman. http://www.idahostatesman.com/history/story/209173.html. Retrieved 2008-04-02. "The reason Rattlesnake Station is now just a memory is a familiar one: When the railroad came in 1883, the place had to move. Some of the buildings at Rattlesnake were dragged by mules and oxen to the new Oregon Short Line Railroad a few miles to the south." ^{[dead link]}

External links

• Rattlesnake Station and Stage Stop at IdahoHistory.net
• Roadside historical marker - Rattlesnake Station at Idaho Transportation Department
• Topographic map & aerial photo - 3820' from USGS via Microsoft Research Maps