Wilford is an unincorporated community in Fremont County, in the U.S. state of Idaho.[1]

History

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The first settlement at Wilford was made in 1883.[2] Wilford was officially founded my Thomas Smith. A post office called Wilford was established in 1887, and remained in operation until 1905.[3] The community was named after Leonard Wilford Hardy, a Mormon leader.[2]

In June 1976, most of the buildings in Wilford were swept away by a flood that resulted from the catastrophic failure of the recently built Teton Dam. Soon after the dam's failure it was reported that "154 [Wilford] houses were intact or in pieces, riding the fifteen-mile-an-hour crest" of the flood.[4]

Five residents of Wilford died in the flood.

References

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  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Wilford, Idaho
  2. ^ a b Lund, Anthon Henrik (1922). The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine. Geneal. Society of Utah. p. 42.
  3. ^ "Fremont County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  4. ^ Reisner, Marc (1986). Cadillac Desert. New York, New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0140178244.

43°54′46″N 111°40′40″W / 43.91278°N 111.67778°W / 43.91278; -111.67778