Dingle

Dingle was a wonderful spot for the Oregon Trail travelers to rest after they had crossed over Big Hill from the Craney Ranch to the Banks Valley area. There was also water and grass for their animals.

The first white permanent settler in the Bear Lake Valley was Thomas L. "Peg Leg" Smith. He was a mountain man trapper who had established a horse-trading post in the Dingle area, which was called 'Peg Leg Island" at that time. He had several Indian wives. He also had horses for sale and trade. Often travelers needed fresh horses, as theirs were perhaps lame or worn out. Smith made a lot of money this way, mostly because he sold stolen horses and gave little or no compensation for those animals traded to him. He was known as "Peg Leg," because he amputated his own leg after he had been wounded in a skirmish with some Indians. He was in Dingle in 1840 and left for California in 1857. He corresponded with the Mormons and many of his letters exist today in their archives.

Thomas Rich and William Lee established claims in Dingle in 1871. The next year, John Grimmett came. In 1873, Mary Oakey, her daughter, and sons Alfred and Hyrum settled near Oakey's Grove just south of the present Dingle post office. Next. Sampson Nate, Alfred Sparks, William Quayle, and Joseph Lewis arrived.

The town has gone by several names: Dingle Dell, Big Timber, Peg Leg Island, and Cottonwood. A branch of the LDS Church was started in 1875 with William Passey as the presiding elder. He held meetings in his home. By 1877, the Dingle Dell Branch was organized. They built a log church house that doubled as a school, dance hall, meeting house, and community center. Samuel A. Wilcox was called to be bishop.

In 1886 the people requested that the official name be Dingle. In 1890 the first post office opened with William Quayle as postmaster. Dingle was the fifth-largest town in the valley at that time. In 1890 many people left to help settle Cardston, Canada, and 30 houses sat vacant.

Once, there were two schools, two stores, and two communities of Dingle. There was a southern school in downtown Dingle and a northern school. In 1907, a two-story brick schoolhouse was built and used until the students were sent to Montpelier after consolidation. The school was sold to the LDS Church and torn down, but the gym was used for community groups for many years before also being torn down.

William Quayle built the first store. It was managed by Boyd Wilcox, then Joseph Lewis, until 1900. Dingle had a blacksmith shop, a cheese factory, charcoal factory, a brass band, baseball team and drama club. In its history, Dingle also had a butcher shop, barbershop and other small businesses.

The Telluride Power Co. employed several men to help construct canals, which diverted Bear River into Bear Lake with head gates at Camp Stewart and Camp Lifton. In 1900 the Oregon Short Line railroad built a depot in Dingle which was used for five years. These projects helped with the growth and economy of Dingle.

The telephone arrived in 1903, and electricity came in 1928. Today, the school and businesses are gone. The last store is now used as a post office. Dingle has a lovely church building made of native red sandstone. The people in Dingle are friendly, and the town has a desirable pastoral setting. Travelers came to America one year looking for as many towns as they could that were named Dingle like their town in Europe. They visited Dingle, Idaho.

Resources:

1. Jens Patrick Wilde, Treasured Tidbits of Time, vol. 1 - Courtesy of the DUP
2. An article about the travelers from Europe was printed in The News-Examiner.