Ovid History
News Examiner, 22 July 1976, page 10
By Pat Wilde
In 1864, the first settlers moved into the Ovid area to construct
the beginnings of that community. There were three men who, along with
their families had been called by Brigham Young to settle in the Bear Lake area.
They arrived in the valley in 1863 and spent that winter in Paris before moving
to what was first called North Creek. Robert H Williams, Henry Gasman and
John F Carlson were the first three to arrive.
The date of establishment is set as July 6, 1864, when the community was first settled. Immediately others followed, among whom were Thomas C Peterson, Niels Christian Edlefsen, Peter Jensen, Rasmus Jorgensen, Jens Hansen and Henry Peterson. Most were from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. It was Joseph C Rich who suggested the name be changed to Ovid in honor of the Roman poet who lived from 43 BC to 17 AD.
When Rich surveyed the town, it was laid out in 10 acre squares. Each family was given four acres of ground. Efforts to secure titles to the ground did not come until 1871. Thomas C Peterson constructed what became the first permanent building in the community. it was a dugout home, made by scooping out a place in the hillside, placing logs around the upper part and covering the roof with willows, rushes and sod.
The following year, John F Carlson built the first real cabin. He was closely followed by Peterson who did not like his dugout home. The first public meeting house was built in 1867. It served as school, public center and church house until a better one was built and dedicated December 18, 1880.
In 1896 the church house which now stands idle, was built and dedicated one year later by President William Budge. Today the Ovid people have consolidated ther worship with the Liberty Ward. Ovid was temporarily abandoned in 1866 because of the Indian scare which swept throughout Southeastern Idaho. The residents moved to Paris where they remained for several months. The men traveled daily to and from their fields. Finally they decided to build a fort and remain in their own community; so Fort Ovid was constructed out of logs and willow, with ramparts and rifle slots. From then on the people felt secure.
The fort was never used in a military operation but was used to train the Ovid militia and was a gathering place for events in the community. It was directly beside the fort that the first church house was constructed. In 1890, the Methodists constructed a church in Ovid, but it did not last long.
John Kunz started a dairy and cheese factory in Ovid in 1871, which he later moved to Bern. A grist mill was built by Jorgen Jorgensen and Erastus Peterson began the construction of furniture. Nicholas Wilson became the first blacksmith of the community, and Peter Jensen made shoes of a sort, using wood and brass toecaps.
The first stone in Ovid was opened by Fred Woods in 1872 and Robert H Williams became the first Justice of the Peace and Constable. Ovid was the first community in the valley to have a curfew. In order to get water for their crops, the settlers built what became known as the Liberty ditch, which covered over nine miles, was completed in 1873.
The first postmaster of Ovid was Neils C Edlefson, who also delivered the mail to the families in the community. Robert H Williams is credited with plowing the first ground in Ovid. Lars Peter Jensen was the first white child born in Ovid. He was born November 24, 1864 and survived a sever winter in a tent home. Charles Ellis was the first death in the town and Casty Peterson was the first to marry. Casty was 14 at the time of her betrothal.
Ovid started its school system in 1867 upon completion of the first meeting house. Isaac Tunks taught 22 different students and managed to keep them from tearing the small building down. Tunks said his students were from seven to 25. Each term was for a period of six weeks and it was not until 1875, when the state of Idaho organized the county, that the school term lasted longer.
Peter Jensen was the first bishop. Ovid had had few presiding elders. They were Robert H Williams, Henry Gasman, Neils Christian Edlefsen and Peter Jensen. Ovid reached a peak population about 1930 when it had 214 people in its ward.