Places of Interest to Riries

Find these historic places by locating their number on the maps provided. If any of this information is incorrect, please let us know. Also, if you have a historic location to add, please let us know.

1 Perry Home Site
Henry Morgan Perry loved concrete and his barnyards and buildings were meticulously laid out and maintained. His civic contributions included service as president of the Great Feeder Canal Company, serving as justice of the peace and as a school trustee. He also served as Bishop of the Perry ward.

One of the most interesting stories that happened here involved a man who called himself Sir Jim Maguire. He appeared during 1915 and asked for work. Henry Perry gave him a job and after a few months, Sir Jim came and said he was in love with Eunice and wanted to marry her. Henry Perry refused and immediately informed Maguire he was no longer needed on the farm. Sir Jim turned to leave and muttered, "If I can't have Eunice, then I'll have Verna." For the next years the family lived in fear of this "stalker." He would show up at unexpected times and in unexpected places. One morning they came out and he was on the landing outside their bedrooms. Another time he came on a Sunday morning, thinking they would all be at church and attempted to set fire to the barn. Hebe was home and saved their property. After serving time in jail for his continued harassment of the family, Maguire was released and once again vowed to do harm to the family. The sheriff gave the Perrys a gun to defend themselves if it became necessary. Later that year, Sir Jim lost his life in the great flu epidemic of 1918.

2 Canals
When it was time to build the canals that would carry the water diverted by the Great Feeder Headgates, David Ririe rode his horse to where he wanted the water to end up. Then he turned around and headed back toward the Snake River, marking the path as he went. Through his efforts, relying on sight and judgment and without the use of modern tools to measure elevation or distance, the path for these canals was laid out. They were dug without power equipment, largely by hand and today are still in use with few alterations. At the time of his death, David Ririe was president of the Farmer's Friend Canal Company.

3 Ririe-Shelton Cemetery
Burial place of Joseph and Leah Ellen Lovell, David and Leah Ann Ririe, James E. and Verna Ririe, their daughter Ann who died as an infant, Clive P. Ririe, his daughter, Glenna and James A Ririe plus numerous other relatives.

4 James E. and Verna Perry Ririe Home
When first married, James E. and Verna lived with his Mother in her large home. After Max was born they moved approximately ½ mile west to this location. Like his father, James wanted his family to have the best he could afford. He was a successful farmer, hard working and tough.

This home holds memories for each of their children.

Standing behind this home was a large red barn that had been moved from Leah Ann Lovell Ririe's property. During the summer when the loft was empty, the boys used to play basketball there.

5 Site of the Homestead of the Joseph Hyrum Lovell Family
Joseph Hyrum Lovell and his wife, Leah Ellen Radford were successful farmers and ranchers in Oak City, Utah. They decided to "pull off into a new country" in hopes of finding better opportunities for their children. With a caravan of seventeen wagons and a big band of horses and cattle, the family headed for Wyoming. Reports of the area where they planned to settle (Star Valley) were extremely favorable. They left Oak City on the fourteenth of May and it took five weeks to make the journey.

When they arrived it was clear that the reports they had heard overestimated the potential of the area. The family tried to make the best of their situation but after a short time it was clear that the harsh climate and remote area were obstacles they could not overcome. They packed up the end of September with all that remained of their possessions in two wagons. After being caught in an early snowstorm and traveling a total of six days the family found an abandoned home at this location that had been used as a barn, cleaned it out and moved in.

After Joseph Hyrum Lovell died, his wife and children were left destitute. One night as Leah Ellen prepared for bed she prayed that she might find some way to buy the few necessities that she wasn't able to make for herself. The next morning she left her small cabin and not far away found a shiny silver dollar lying under a sagebrush. She said it was still clean, neither dirty nor dusty and she believed it had been placed there in answer to her prayer.

6 David and Leah Ann Lovell Ririe Home
In 1906 David built this home for his family. He always wanted them to have the best he was able to provide. Originally the home had 14 rooms but it has been reconfigured for apartments.

7 Ririe Town Hall
There are several old photos in this building and also a history of Ririe in the town library.

8 Ririe Community Building
Also served as school gym, site of athletic victories, music performances and theatrical productions starring David, Max, Clive, Carma and Wayne.

9 Great Feeder Headgates
Both David Ririe and Henry Morgan Perry were involved in the building of this channel. It was engineered to divert water from the Snake River to smaller canals, which ran throughout the upper Snake River Valley. During construction, David Ririe was working on the head gate. Riding a large white horse, David went out in the river to remove a large rock which had shifted and was causing debris to back up behind it. The water was deeper than expected and his boots filled with water, making it hard for the horse to pull David to safety. The men who were working nearby saw David let go of the horse and go down into the water. They rushed down stream to watch for his body, thinking it would be impossible for a man to go through the gates with the force of the stream without being bumped against something and killed. When they looked at the head gate and saw David climbing out with the crow bar still in his hand they all felt that his life had been spared.

Henry Morgan Perry was the person who suggested the name Great Feeder and was president of the company. He was also boss of the crew that built the project. When they were finally finished one of the workers turned to him and said, "We've done it boss!" Henry Perry replied, "Don't call me boss anymore, I'm just one of you." Later on a hot midsummer afternoon he was lying flat on his stomach on the catwalk poking driftwood away from the head gates. A salesman approached and asked politely, "My good man, can you tell me where I can find the president of the Great Feeder Canal Company?" "Why yes," Henry Perry replied, "I'm the president." And he kept on working.

Follow the Ririe Highway East from Ririe to Poplar and then to the Great Feeder Headgates

10 Rigby Cemetery
Burial place of Henry Morgan Perry, Fannie Young Perry, Velda Lovell (Verna's twin) and her husband, Hy Lovell (James Edmond's cousin) plus other relatives.