Star Valley is located in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
between the
Salt River Range
The Salt River Range is a mountain range in western Wyoming. The 56 mile long range forms the eastern boundary of Star Valley as well as the western boundary of the Greys River valley.
The highest point is Mount Fitzpatrick at .
See also
* L ...
in western
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...
and the
Webster Range of eastern
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 Wyomi ...
. The altitude of the valley ranges from to . Three major Wyoming rivers, the
Salt River, the
Greys River
The Greys River is a tributary of the Snake River, flowing through western Wyoming in the United States. The river is about long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 4 ...
and the
Snake River meet near
Alpine Junction at
Palisades Reservoir
Palisades Dam () is an earth-fill dam in the western United States, on the upper Snake River in eastern Idaho. Located in Bonneville County near the Wyoming border, the dam was completed in 1957.
Providing irrigation water, flood control, ...
. Numerous towns are located in the valley, including
Afton,
Thayne,
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
,
Etna,
Smoot
The smoot is a nonstandard, humorous unit of length created as part of an MIT fraternity prank. It is named after Oliver R. Smoot, a fraternity pledge to Lambda Chi Alpha, who in October 1958 lay down repeatedly on the Harvard Bridge (betwe ...
,
Fairview,
Osmond,
Freedom,
Grover
Grover is a blue Muppet character on the popular PBS/HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. Self-described as lovable, cute and furry, he is a blue monster who rarely uses contractions when he speaks or sings. Grover was originall ...
,
Auburn,
Alpine
Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to:
Places Europe
* Alps, a European mountain range
** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range
Australia
* Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village
* Alpine National Pa ...
,
Nordic,
Turnerville and
Star Valley Ranch. Star Valley was settled in the late 1870s by
Mormon pioneers. Primary sources indicate Star Valley was proclaimed the "Star of All Valleys" for its natural beauty by a general authority of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...
(LDS Church). The name was later shortened to Star Valley. Another less supported theory about the origin of the name comes from Starvation (Starve) Valley, a name the area gained during bitter winters in the late 1880s.
History
Star Valley was inhabited mainly by
Shoshone Indians in the summer and fall months until the early 19th century. The natives were drawn to the valley for its abundant
game and the pure
salt deposits found near the present town of
Auburn and also to the south of
Afton, Wyoming
Afton is a town in Lincoln County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,911 at the 2010 census.
Afton is home to the world's largest arch made of elk antlers. Spanning across the four lanes of U.S. Highway 89, the arch consists of 3,011 ...
there are more renowned salt deposits.
American explorers are known to have traveled through the area as early as 1812, seeking new routes to the
West Coast. Canadian and American
trappers followed, frequenting the area through the 1840s. The 1850s and 1860s saw many emigrants passing through the upper Star Valley area via the
Lander Road on the
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what is now the state of Kans ...
. White settlement of the area did not begin in earnest, though, until the late 1870s when
LDS Apostles Moses Thatcher and
Brigham Young, Jr. chose the valley for colonization.
Archibald Gardner and members of his extended family arrived in 1889, building and operating five mills of various types in the valley.
On October 1, 2011,
Thomas S. Monson
Thomas Spencer Monson (August 21, 1927 – January 2, 2018) was an American religious leader, author, and the 16th President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). As president, he was considered by adherents of the re ...
,
president of the LDS Church, announced in
General Conference that the
Star Valley Wyoming Temple would be built in the valley. The location was announced on May 25, 2012, to be just east of
U.S. Highway 89
U.S. Route 89 (US 89) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway with two sections, and one former section. The southern section runs for from Flagstaff, Arizona, to the southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The northern section ...
on the Haderlie Farm property just south of Afton. The temple was completed and dedicated on October 30, 2016, by LDS Apostle David A. Bednar, the 154th dedicated temple in operation.
[ChurchofJesusChristTemples.org]
Star Valley Wyoming Temple
accessed 28 October 2021
Communities
*
Afton
*
Alpine
Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to:
Places Europe
* Alps, a European mountain range
** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range
Australia
* Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village
* Alpine National Pa ...
*
Auburn
*
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
*
Etna
*
Freedom
*
Grover
Grover is a blue Muppet character on the popular PBS/HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. Self-described as lovable, cute and furry, he is a blue monster who rarely uses contractions when he speaks or sings. Grover was originall ...
*
Thayne
*
Smoot
The smoot is a nonstandard, humorous unit of length created as part of an MIT fraternity prank. It is named after Oliver R. Smoot, a fraternity pledge to Lambda Chi Alpha, who in October 1958 lay down repeatedly on the Harvard Bridge (betwe ...
*
Star Valley Ranch
See also
*
Intermittent Spring (Wyoming)
Intermittent Spring, also called Periodic Spring, is located in Swift Creek canyon in Star Valley, near Afton, Wyoming. It is the largest rhythmic spring in the world.
The great great grandfather of Rulon Gardner is credited with the discovery ...
*
Swift Creek (Wyoming)
Notes
External links
Star Valley Wyoming Community WebsiteLincoln County Govt Website
{{coord, 42, 50, 52, N, 110, 56, 35, W, format=dms, display=title, type:adm1st_region:US-WY
Landforms of Lincoln County, Wyoming
Rocky Mountains
Valleys of Wyoming