Ashton

History

In 1900, the Union Pacific Railroad, under the careful watch of the Oregon Short Line (OSL) and St. Anthony Railroad Company, brought the railroad into the Upper Snake River Valley from Idaho Falls to St. Anthony, Idaho, southwest of what became Ashton. The venture had considerable local support and official support from the LDS Church. Following successful construction and operation of the St. Anthony Railroad, Union Pacific, under the careful watch of the OSL and the Yellowstone Park Railroad Company, began plans for another railroad from St. Anthony to the Madison River entrance of Yellowstone National Park or to what is now known as West Yellowstone. For years, Union Pacific wanted improved rail access to Yellowstone's geyser basins and to Old Faithful Inn, that opened in 1904. Old Faithful Inn was only from the Madison River entrance, nearly half the distance from the Northern Entrance at Gardiner, Montana that was served by the Northern Pacific Railroad. The planned route for the new railroad was through Marysville, up Warm River Canyon into the forested Island Park country, and on over the Continental Divide at Rea's Pass into what became West Yellowstone. Despite the obvious economic advantages and support, the residents of Marysville, perfectly happy without a railroad, resisted the new railroad intruding upon their land and into their lives. The matter was expeditiously resolved when Union Pacific decided to build the railroad through a new town one mile (1.6 km) west of Marysville named after the OSL Chief Engineer, William Ashton. The founding of Ashton and the first scheduled train service to Ashton both occurred in 1906 with predictable results. Ashton quickly sprang to life while Marysville slowly declined into near oblivion. One of the two…

Geography

Ashton is located at an elevation of above mean sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. Ashton is from the southwest corner of Yellowstone National Park, from Grand Teton National Park and from the Grand Teton with a clear view. Ashton is surrounded by farmland but is less than five miles (8 km) from the Targhee National Forest. There are four rivers within of Ashton, and all are outstanding trout streams: the Henrys Fork of the Snake River, Fall River, the Teton River and Warm River. Also nearby are three notable waterfalls: Upper Mesa Falls and Lower Mesa Falls, both on the Henrys Fork, and Cave Falls on Fall River. Ashton's climate is unique and distinct relative to most of the U.S. northern Intermountain West. Ashton's annual precipitation, at , is among the highest in southern Idaho and yet Ashton is not in the mountains. Further, the areas five miles (8 km) north or five miles (8 km) east of Ashton receive over of precipitation while St. Anthony, only to the southwest, receives only . This unusually high precipitation in the Ashton area is due to the geography of southern Idaho and Yellowstone. The Snake River Plain, formed by the Yellowstone hotspot across southern Idaho, creates a moisture channel that extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Ashton and Yellowstone area. Average monthly precipitation in Ashton shows a transitional regime. Precipitation peaks first in December–January, reflecting influence from Pacific Ocean-originating storms during the winter season, and second in May and June, reflecting showers and thunderstorms that create a May/June rainfall peak that prevails in nearby Montana and Wyoming. Ashton has relatively drier summers (July/August). This area…

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• NORTH FREMONT JR/SR HIGH SCHOOL
  High · ASHTON · 316 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• ASHTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
  Elementary · ASHTON · 260 students · 20:1 ratio