In the summer of 1883, William F. Rigby purchased, dismantled and moved by oxen a mill to the new community of Rexburg, establishing the only mill in southern Idaho. The mill was reconstructed on the west side of Third East, between Second and Third North. William Rigby, Thomas E. Ricks, and James E. Fogg, Sr. became partners starting the Rexburg Milling Company. On April 1, 1889, the mill burned. It was a great loss for the area since the closest flour mill was in Logan, Utah.
Approximately 148 yards south of this marker, a second mill was completed in November 1889 east of the town. The mill was four stories high, 45 feet by 65 feet, and build of native white limestone. When flour sacks developed holes too large to be patched, they were given away, bleached, washed, and soon made into pantaloons and petticoats. At times china dishes were given away as premiums.
On the night of January 12, 1915, people watched helplessly as this second mill, the oldest landmark in the valley, burned to the ground. For thirty-two years the Rexburg Milling Company served the young community by providing lumber, lath, shingles, and flour. The cause of the fire was impossible to determine.
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