Arco, Idaho

United States > Idaho > Butte County > Arco, Idaho

Quick Facts

Former name

Arco was originally known as Root Hog.

City Hall

Arco City
190 East Grand Avenue
Arco, ID 83213
Phone (208) 527-8975

Resources

Cemeteries

Hillcrest Cemetery  - 298 interments are listed by Find-A-Grove

Church History and Records

Baptist

Baptist Community Church
402 West Grand Avenue
Arco, ID 83213
Phone (208) 527-8533

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Current

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Arco Ward  (To to above website and write in Arco, Idaho)
701 County Road 
Arco, ID 83213 

Historical

Many of the original records of church units are in the Church History Library in Salt Lake City. Many of the membership records covering these units from the date of their creation to about 1948 have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City or at its Family History Centers.  Among these records of those of the Arco ward (1912-1948)

Episcopal

Current

Epiphany Episcopal
448 Yvonne Street (PO Box 672)
Arco, ID 83213-0672
Phone (208) 527-3579

Historical

The Family History Library in Salt Lake City has microfilmed records of the Epiphany Episcopal Church of Arco (1961-1994).  The original records are at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Pocatello, Idaho.  These records are available at the Library in Salt Lake City, or at any of its Family History Centers.

Presbyterian

Arco Orthodox Presbyterian Church
320 North Water Street
Arco ID 83213
Phone (208) 527-3527

Roman Catholic

St Ann's Catholic Church
342 Lost River Avenue
Arco, ID 83213
Phone (208) 527-3035

Bible Church

Valley Bible Church
320 North Water
Arco, ID 83213
Phone (208) 527-3527

Christian Church

Arco Christian Church
143 West Era
Arco, ID 83213
Phone (208) 527-8520

Directories

Arco was included in the R.L. Polk and Company's 1914-1915 Directory of Twin Falls, Blaine, Cassia, Gooding, Lincoln, and Minidoka Counties. A copy of this directory is available in the collections of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.

The Idaho State Archives in Boise has a collection of city, county, regional and state directories.

Funeral Homes

Anderson Family Funeral Home
2555 North US Hiway 93
Arco, ID 83213
Phone (208) 527-7000

Hawker Funeral Home
341 Sunset Drive
Arco, ID 83213
Phone (208) 527-7777

Marvel Memorial Chapel
317 Sunset Drive
Arco, ID 83213
Phone (208) 527-8528

History

When the town of Arco was formed in 1901 it was known first as Root Hog. Root Hog moved its borders to place the town at the intersection of two stagecoach routes that crossed Idaho. The town leaders applied to the U.S. Post Office for the town name of "Junction" for obvious reasons.(Junction of 26/20/93)
With a name that common and widely used the postmaster suggested that the place be named Arco for Georg von Arco (1869-1940) of Germany who was visiting Washington, D.C. at the time. (This is not a set in stone fact and can be disputed) Georg von Arco was an inventor and a pioneer in the field of radio transmission and would become the lead engineer of Telefunken, a German company founded in 1903 that produced radio vacuum tubes.

Arco was the first community in the world ever to be lit by electricity generated by nuclear power. This occurred on July 17, 1955. On that date electricity generated by EBR-1 was fed over the lines serving Arco, producing approximately 2,000 kilowatts of electrical power for about 1 hour. This was done at the nearby "National Reactor Testing Station" (NRTS), which is now the Idaho National Laboratory. NRTS made further history on January 3, 1961, when the SL-1 reactor melted down, causing three deaths. It was the world's first (and the U.S.' only) fatal reactor accident. 52 nuclear reactors were built in the years following. Several thousand people are employed and this helps support the surounding cities.

Newspapers

Current

Arco Advertiser
1463 Front St.
Arco, ID 83213
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 803
Arco, ID 83213
Ph. 208-527-3038
email - arcoadv@aol.com
Weekly

Historical

Copies of issues of newspapers are in the collections of the Idaho State Archives in Boise.

Websites

USGenWeb, IDGenWeb, ButteIDGenWeb

Family History Library

Idaho State Archives