Rexburg Milling Company

In the summer of 1883, William F. Rigby purchased, dismantled, and moved by oxen a mill to the new community of Rexburg, establishing the only mill in southern Idaho. The mill was reconstructed on the west side of Third East, between Second and Third North, and William Rigby, Thomas E. Ricks, and James E. Fogg, Sr. became partners in starting the Rexburg Milling Company. On April 1, 1889, the mill burned, a great loss for the area because the closest flour mill was in Logan, Utah. Approximately 148 yards south, a second mill was completed in November 1889 east of town. It stood four stories high, measured 45 feet by 65 feet, and was built of native white limestone. When flour sacks developed holes too large to be patched, they were given away, bleached, washed, and made into pantaloons and petticoats, and at times china dishes were given away as premiums. On the night of January 12, 1915, the second mill, the oldest landmark in the valley, burned to the ground. For thirty-two years the Rexburg Milling Company served the young community by providing lumber, lath, shingles, and flour, and the cause of the fire was impossible to determine.

Rexburg, Idaho · United States