Brace yourself for unsettling news. Attorney Jeff Sessions just told a huge group of law enforcement officials in Nashville that President Trump will sign an.

Backcountry byway: 1. At the Connor Creek junction, it turns onto the Idaho 7. Spur leading to Elba, Almo and the City of Rocks National Reserve, then heads north to Oakley. Part of byway is paved and part is gravel, but you can make the whole trip without a four- wheel drive. Along with stunning granite spires at Castle Rocks State Park and at City of Rocks, explorers get a glimpse of ranching life that has remained virtually unchanged for generations and a peek at some colorful history. A few of the well- known tidbits from this valley's past: A town’s losing battle to remain the county seat.

Allmyfaves contest Your browser doesn't seem to support frames, but you can still access the link! Enjoy, and please visit Allmyfaves.com for more fun! But that’s not the point. We had a completely non-controversial event that captivated the internet like the eclipse since, I dunno, 2015.

Murders spurred by cattlemen and sheepmen squabbling for grazing land. And pioneers' names left in axle grease on rocks as they crossed the plains. But some of the lesser- known stories about the places, the people and the issues they deal with are just as intriguing. Here are 1. 0 stories — a little off the beaten path — of life along the backcountry byway. Overdrive (2017) The Movie High Quality here.

A. The chief who wanted a second piece of pie. ALBION — Long before cattlemen and sheepmen’s disputes over grazing land erupted into the Jackson Lee “Diamondfield Jack” Davis murders and Albion townsfolk laid claim to the county seat, Native Americans seasonally hunted the lush terrain and fished the creeks that tumble through this valley. Northwestern Shoshone tribal chief Tonaioza (meaning Buffalo Robe) — later known to the settlers as Chief Pocatello — won the hearts of Albion homesteaders despite his ferocious reputation for leading attacks, like one at the future Massacre Rocks State Park near American Falls.

Although Chief Pocatello was blamed for the rise in violence along the California Trail, residents of the Albion Valley knew him as peaceful, said Tressa Toner, president of the Albion Valley Historical Society. Charles Henry Albertson recalled in memoirs of early life in the valley, on display at the Albion History Center, that Pocatello’s tribe would come every summer and stay on their land to hunt and fish. Albertson made friends with some of the Indian boys; they taught him to use a bow and arrow, and he remembered visiting Chief Pocatello’s tepee several times. When he came back for another piece, Albertson’s mother told him he couldn’t have another and Chief Pocatello pointed outside as he told her he owned everything, the ground and the sky, and should be given another piece of pie. Albertson’s mother did not relent.

Chief Pocatello left in a huff but returned with a smile the next day.“He was blamed for every uprising that took place, and some he wasn’t responsible for,” said Kenneth Turner, a local historian. One of Chief Pocatello’s sons was out hunting away from the pioneer trail with other young braves when a man in a wagon train spotted them.

Chief Pocatello’s son was shot and killed, Toner said.“Some of the uprising that he was responsible for was done out of retaliation for his son’s death,” she said. U. S. Patrick Connor was sent to the area to put an end to the hostilities with the Indians, Turner said. Connor Creek was named after him.

Chief Pocatello surrendered rather than have his tribe killed, and in 1. Box Elder Treaty giving up two- thirds of their hunting grounds; in return they would receive $5,0. But the government did not keep its end of the bargain, and Chief Pocatello’s tribe began to starve. He began to lead raids on stagecoaches to steal food, Turner said.“He was a good person trying to do right and was only trying to save his tribe,” Turner said. In the 1. 86. 0s his tribe was forced to move to the Shoshone- Bannocks' Fort Hall Indian Reservation. The Native American people who lived here before us loved the valley, Toner said. And some remnants of their lives can still be found in the surrounding hills.“We would be really remiss telling the history of this valley.

Byway spurs backcountry commerce. ALBION — Small businesses along the City of Rocks Backcountry Byway flourish from the influx of visitors each year, but commerce can be seasonal. For some, the byway played a role in emerging business. For others, not so much.

Either way, the businesses likely benefited from the more than 1. City of Rocks National Reserve in 2.

Castle Rocks State Park, which had more than 1. Joan Bell, manager of Albion Country Store DBA Creekside 6. Albion, said many summer customers are tourists. But the Albion Normal College is also nearby, so it's hard to tell if tourists are visiting Miller Hall, City of Rocks or both.“But most of our customers during the winter are local people,” she said. For Suzanne and Dave Ogren, owners of Rock City in Almo, the solution to keeping steady traffic year- round was diversification. The family- operated business has a mechanic’s shop, a mercantile with groceries and a pizza shop.“We wouldn’t be here without tourists,” Suzanne Ogren said, although the business does have a firmly established clientele that would visit even if the national reserve and byway didn't exist.

Business picked up substantially after the Idaho Transportation Department paved the highway, she said. The road was reconstructed and paved from the Connor Creek corner to the east City of Rocks entrance during a phased project from 2. Before, the road was just terrible,” said Ogren, who is quick to point out that she and her husband are still newbies despite living in Almo for 2. Many families have been there for generations. Ogren said much of their auto repair work is for people who live in the small ranching community, but they fix a lot of flat tires for park visitors.“The restaurant is entirely different, though,” she said. Pinyon jay keeps nest locations top secret. ALMO — A boisterous bluish- gray beauty living in the Elba- Almo area has birders stumped with its quiet nesting habits.

So far the pinyon jay has kept its nest locations secret.“That bird is just very difficult to find,” said Kathy Eklund of Declo, one of Cassia County's top birders. The Elba Flock is centered near the Connor Creek Junction.

Pinyon jays are related to crows and magpies, travel in flocks, nest in colonies and give harsh nasal calls, according to the Audubon . The eggs are incubated by the female for 1. Both parents bring food for the nestlings, which leave the nest in about three weeks. In 2. 01. 2 the U.

S. Forest Service and the Intermountain Bird Observatory conducted a study on the pinyon jay in the Almo- Elba area, trapping and tagging the birds, but the efforts still didn't reveal where they were raising their young, Keck said. He has recorded as many as 1. The birds make stashes of the plentiful pine nuts, a preferred food, but also eat other seeds and insects.“When they come in, they come in loud and full force,” Keck said. Excavation investigates Almo homestead. ALMO — Castle Rocks State Park is working to unearth the past with an excavation of one of the oldest homesteads in the park. Tara Cannon, park archaeologist, led test excavations at three spots on the homestead in mid- June. The artifacts uncovered warrant a full- scale dig next year.“I absolutely love it,” Cannon said.

Jensen homestead include parts of a wood stove, cut bone from a large animal, square wooden nails, a cork, two- by- four fragments and pieces of amethyst and aqua glass. Once cleaned, the items will go to the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument for display.“Researchers can access them there,” Cannon said.

Five teens and their leader from the park’s Youth Conservation Corps assisted Cannon, and next year’s excavation will be open to the public.“Lots of people like to dig up things, and this way they can come out and learn to do it right,” Cannon said. YCC leader Tanner Pursley said it was a great opportunity for the teens and the only archaeological project the YCC has been involved with at Castle Rocks. The dirt was sifted through screens. The group tested three sites: the spot the home stood, a depression thought to be a well or privy and another light depression. A fourth site — a possible root cellar — holds promise but wasn’t tested, Cannon said.