Wardboro (formerly Preston) is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Bear Lake County, Idaho Bear Lake County is a county in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States Census the county had a population of 6,372. The county seat is Paris, and Montpelier is the largest city. The county is named after Bear Lake, a large alpi ...

. Wardboro was originally called Preston, after early founder Thomas Preston, and under the latter name was founded in 1865 although that name was probably not applied until 1968. This name could not be kept when the

U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...

rejected is as there was already a Preston in Franklin County. The present name is after

Wardsboro, Vermont Wardsboro is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 869 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Wardsboro, Wardsboro Center, West Wardsboro and South Wardsboro. History The town was settled circa 17 ...

, the native home of a share of the early settlers. Other names proposed included Heepsville (after the daughter of William and Sophia Heap who had died in a

blizzard A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling b ...

), Prestonville, Greensborough, Troy and Dalrymple Dell. Oscar Dalrymple's of naming the town after his hometown of Wardboro won the day. A rumor subsequently arose that the town was named after its first postmaster, Milton Ward.

References

Unincorporated communities in Idaho Unincorporated communities in Bear Lake County, Idaho {{BearLakeCountyID-geo-stub