Paris, ID

Paris is Bear Lake County's seat, set on the western side of the high Bear Lake Valley. Latter-day Saint pioneers led by Charles C. Rich established the settlement in September 1863, building log homes and a meetinghouse before the first winter. The town's early economy was hands-on: water-powered flour mills, a shingle mill, dairy, tannery, general store, and later a railroad branch tied Paris to the valley's farms and canyons. The red-sandstone tabernacle on Main Street, begun in 1884 and completed in 1888, is the clearest surviving piece of that civic and religious center.

ATTRTricia Simpson / CC BY-SA 3.0

Paris Museum on South Main Street keeps photographs, documents, books, and household objects from the people who built the valley community. Around July 4, the city's recurring program brings a chuckwagon breakfast, patriotic program, parade, Bear Lake Junior Rodeo, and craft fair to Main Street, the tabernacle, and nearby parks. City offices, churches, businesses, farms, and ranches still sit within the county-seat map. Paris is a place where the old buildings do practical orientation work: start at the tabernacle and courthouse, then follow Main Street toward the museum and the valley roads.