Ira Burton Perrine (May 7, 1861 – October 2, 1943) was an

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

farmer, rancher and businessman. Perrine is generally credited as the founder of Twin Falls and other towns in the

Magic Valley The Magic Valley is a region in south-central Idaho constituting Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Twin Falls counties. It is particularly associated with the agricultural region in the Snake River Plain located ...

region. Born in

Delaware, Indiana Delaware is an unincorporated community in Delaware Township, Ripley County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. History Delaware was plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of ...

, Perrine's parents were George and Sarah Burton Perrine, and he was a descendant of

Daniel Perrin Daniel Perrin (1642–1719) was one of the first permanent European inhabitants of Staten Island, New York. Known as " The Huguenot", he arrived in New York Harbor from the Isle of Jersey on July 29, 1665, aboard the ship ''Philip'', under the co ...

, "The

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

Idaho

Perrine moved to

Idaho Territory The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. History 1860s The territory w ...

in 1884 and established a farm and ranch operation in the Snake River Canyon near present-day

Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, th ...

. He was a successful farmer and rancher who among other things received a gold medal for his fruit display at the 1904

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. The ranch remained in the Perrine family until 1964, when it was sold and became part of Blue Lakes

Country Club A country club is a privately owned club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Typical athletic offer ...

.Blue Lakes Country Club – History
/ref> Although Perrine's operation in the canyon received plenty of water, the surrounding area could not be easily irrigated and was therefore largely unproductive. Beginning in 1893, Perrine worked to convince private financiers to build a dam on the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...

, along with a corresponding canal system to irrigate the area. This work culminated in the 1900 founding of the Twin Falls Land and Water Company and the subsequent completion of

Milner Dam Milner Dam is a rockfill dam near Burley in south central Idaho. It impounds the Snake River in a reservoir named Milner Lake. The dam spans the river across two islands, with three embankments. Milner Dam was authorized for construction as a ...

in 1905. After Twin Falls was founded in 1904, Perrine served as a bank president and owned a hotel in the new city.

Legacy

Perrine died at age 82 in 1943 and is buried at the family cemetery near his former ranch in Jerome County. The

Perrine Bridge The I. B. Perrine Bridge is a four-lane truss arch span in the western United States. Located at Twin Falls, Idaho, it carries U.S. Highway 93 over the Snake River Canyon, connecting to Jerome County and Interstate 84. The Perrine Bridge i ...

, carrying U.S. 93 over the Snake River Canyon, is named for him, and a statue of him is outside the city's visitor center. Also named for him are an elementary school in Twin Falls and Perrine Coulee, which runs through the city and ends as a waterfall on the south rim of the canyon, west of the bridge.

Video

You Tube
– Perrine Coulee Falls

References

External links

– Irrigation pioneer and Twin Falls developer Ira B. Perrine – May 7, 2015

– Who was I.B. Perrine?
I.B. Perrine Elementary School
– Twin Falls, Idaho * {{DEFAULTSORT:Perrine, I. B. 1861 births 1943 deaths People from Ripley County, Indiana People from Twin Falls, Idaho American city founders American people of French descent People from Jerome County, Idaho