Idaho’s Franklin County turns 100 this month, and multiple events are planned throughout the year to commemorate the important milestone.

    Cache County’s neighbor to the north was incorporated in 1913 and named after Franklin D. Richards, an LDS apostle whose name also inspired the name of Idaho’s oldest settlement — Franklin city.

    Established by a few dozen Mormon families in the spring of 1860, Franklin was the first European settlement in Idaho and became an important hub for what was then the northern limits of the Utah Territory.

    Those who called the region home had been sent there by the church’s prophet and president, Brigham Young, known for rearranging Latter-day Saint communities to expand the church’s membership footprint.

    In 1863, the region officially became the Idaho Territory, and in 1890 was formed into the state of Idaho.

    Preston historian and journalist Necia Seamons has been researching Franklin’s history for an ongoing series of feature articles in the Preston Citizen.

    “At the time, they thought they were part of Utah and they were actually part of the Washington Territory,” she said. “And then it became the Idaho Territory and they still thought they were part of the Utah Territory. It wasn’t until 1872 when there was a survey done that actually showed the area was part of Idaho.”

    Jan. 30 marks 100 years for Franklin County, and 2013 is also the sesquicentennial of the Idaho Territory.

    Franklin County Clerk Shauna Geddes said a number of events are planned for Jan. 30 as well as throughout the year.

    “We’ll have different displays in the courthouse and some historical books on display from the library,” she said. “And we’ll have punch and cookies.”

    Franklin County resident Myrna Fuller has published a book about 80 historical monuments and markers in the region. Geddes said the county will organize a special raffle event involving the places and stories in the book.

    “If you go to some of the places in the book and answer some questions after visiting the sites, you can be entered in a drawing,” she said.

    Geddes has also been looking into the area’s history and is learning more as the centennial date approaches.

    “We were originally in Oneida County and before that it was a larger county of Bannock,” she said. “There are two Franklin counties across the country that were not named after Benjamin Franklin — us and another one in Texas.”

    She says the centennial celebration is a chance for residents to learn more about Franklin County’s history and get involved in their towns and cities.

    “I think Franklin County has a really rich history,” she said. “A lot of interesting things have happened here in the past and we need to know about that and get a renewed pride in our community.”