CHESTERFIELD: Mormon Outpost in Idaho
This (91) page book tells the story of an 1880 - 1920 Mormon ghost town located on the Oregon trail in Southeast Idaho , with photographs and histories of the old buildings and the pioneer families who lived there. Unencumbered with modern gas stations, fast food establishments, or sub-divisions, the remnants of the geometric town plat and sturdy pioneer homes remain visible among the cultivated fields. Seeing the Townsite today, one is struck by the power of the vision of a perfect city that was its first inspiration. Life was never easy on these remote and wind swept hills. Chesterfield never became more than a village struggling on the edge of survival, and eventually nearly all the families moved elsewhere. But, for the years they lived together there, their town symbolized the devotion of their lives to a great system of order. We hope that families, teachers, schoolchildren, church groups and senior citizens alike will use it to catch a glimpse of the past.
The Mission of the “Chesterfield Foundation” is to protect and preserve the history of the old Chesterfield Townsite; this shall be accomplished by the restoration, maintenance and by sharing the buildings, artifacts and landscaping.
Our Goal is to help visitors experience the old pioneer life and to return this Historic Community to the way it was in those bygone days.
Full restoration of the Historic Townsite began in the 1980's and is an on-going project by the Chesterfield Foundation.
We are selling each book for $20.00 + $5.00 shipping. All proceeds will go to the Chesterfield Foundation for the operations and restoration work at the Townsite.
BOOKS CAN BE ORDERED BY:
- Mail: Chesterfield Foundation, Inc.
- P.O. Box 2
- Bancroft, Idaho 83217
- Phone: (208) 648-7177
- Email: info@chesterfieldfoundation.org
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RECIPES and REMEMBRANCES COOKBOOK
The Chesterfield Foundation has collected the best recipes from Gem Valley residents, descendants of early settlers, old cookbooks used by early settlers, family and friends. The cookbook contains 1,000 well-loved recipes including appetizers, main dishes, desserts and many others. The recipes include the contributor's name, enabling you to find the recipes of ancestors, family and friends. They are bound in a hard-cover 3-ring binder personalized with pictures of Chesterfield. It will also include notes and comments regarding Chesterfield. Each recipe dated prior to 1920 should be indicated as they will be marked in the cookbook.
We are selling each cookbook for $20.00 + $5.00 shipping. All proceeds will go to the Chesterfield Foundation for the operations and restoration work at the Townsite.
BOOKS CAN BE ORDERED BY:
- Mail: Chesterfield Foundation, Inc.
- P.O. Box 2
- Bancroft, Idaho 83217
- Phone: (208) 648-7177
- Email: info@chesterfieldfoundation.org
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Historic Chesterfield’s New Cookbook—A Great Read
By Marge Nickisch
For the cook who savors unusual and interesting recipes, the cookbook collector, or even the eclectic browser who enjoys perusing recipes from pioneer days to the present, the Chesterfield Foundation’s new cookbook is a must.
Entitled Recipes and Remembrances and published by the Chesterfield Foundation, the cookbook is a mix of old and new recipes. Several date back about a hundred years.
If you’re looking for something in particular or even a little unusual, chances are you’ll find it among this volume’s many recipes.
Many recipes arose from the kitchens of Chesterfield’s early settlers, others come from descendants of those pioneers. The remainder were submitted by friends and supporters of the Foundation.
Significantly, the cookbook is full of tried-and-true favorites of the families. Most of the recipes were handed down from mother to daughter from generation to generation. The originator of some of the recipes can be determined; the origin of others has been lost.
The cookbook is the brain child of Judy Nelson, a Chesterfield descendant and volunteer, who stocks and operates the Chesterfield’s Little Log Store during the summer months.
“The response to my request for recipes was enormous,” Judy says. In fact, the Foundation rapidly sold the entire first printing. “I never dreamed we’d get so many recipes”, she adds, “so we tried hard to eliminate duplicates.” However, sometimes recipes for the same dish were so different that several versions were included in the cookbook, such as the six recipes for Carrot Pudding, from pre-1920 to an up-to-date version.
Recipes and Remembrances is a hefty, notebook-bound tome. With more than 1000 recipes, there is certainly something for everyone—Rhubarb Punch, Homemade Root Beer, Cheese Dogs, Salmon and Cucumber Salad, Homemade Noodles, Yam Biscuits, Buttermilk Pie. Are you still curious? Try this soup entry: Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Bisque with Chipotle Chile. That sounds like one for Emeril’s TV food show.
Older recipes list ingredients such as lard or suet, which were staples in pioneer kitchens. Grandma Ruth David’s Suet Pudding, or Starter, are examples. But not to worry; you can find a recipe for Starter too. Another recipe calls for “butter the size of an egg”. Now, would that be Grade A Large, Medium or Extra Large? How about Green Tomato Mince Meat? Or making your own honey (“any color rose petals will do”). Or making your own saltines, even horehound candy?
Directions are sometimes scarce: “boil until thick” or “one sieve of flour” or “peel some apples, stew until tender with not too much water.” Then, too, you can find a clearly instructed recipe for Fricasseed Chicken. Prepare the chicken according to the directions in the recipe, and then “place on the back of the range and stew slowly, an hour for young chickens and three to four hours for old ones.” One recipe calls for “four big handfuls of noodles.” It reminds me of my mother, who used to tell me, “Just use your own judgment.”
A few of the recipes list only the ingredients, for early recipes were written without directions. In the pre-cookbook era, every cook was expected to know what to do with the ingredients.
The various ethnic heritages of the recipe contributors is evident in the recipes for Danish Kringle, Helicok Norwegian Christmas Bread, German Chocolate Cake, Shepherd’s Pie, Ukrainian Christmas Eve Doughnuts, Greek Chicken, Irish Lamb Stew and Weiner Schnitzel, among others.
Recipes and Remembrances also contains a section of Dutch Oven cooking. Most of these recipes are of modern fare, but one recipe is to be cooked “in a milk can over broomstick-size wood.”
The cookbook even contains pioneer household remedies from the early days of Chesterfield’s existence. There’s advice on making crack filler, furniture polish, a mustard plaster, lye soap, and even directions for removing “fly specks from gilded frames.”
With the holidays just around the corner, Recipes and Remembrances is a fresh Christmas gift idea. Just turning the pages makes for a pleasant read through Idaho history.
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- Donations
- Thank you for supporting the Chesterfield Foundation
- Your generosity is greatly appreciated and helps fund vital restoration projects
- (All donations are tax deductible)
- 1. 2010 Membership: $____________________________
- ($20.00)
- 2. Restoration Fund: $ ___________________________
- (If you desire
- specify Building) ____________________________
- 3. Operation &
- Maintenance Fund: $ ___________________________
- 4. Endowment Fund: $ ___________________________
- Total Donations: $ ___________________________
- Chesterfield Foundation, Inc.
- P.O. Box 2
- Bancroft, ID 83217
- (208) 648-7177
- Books
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