Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Seek to Enhance It’s City Creek Trailhead

Fort Hall- The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are excited to begin enhancing the City Creek Trailhead area to better preserve plant and animal life, and improve responsible access for hikers and bikers. The Tribes have owned the City Creek Trailhead area for years and signs have recently been installed to show Tribal ownership.

According to Chairman Blaine Edmo, “the signage will not limit any access to the recreational users. We are looking forward to cooperating with users of the City Creek trailhead area to provide for continued safe, responsible, environmentally sensitive use of the area.”

The Fort Hall Reservation used to be much larger than it is today. It encompassed what is now the City of Pocatello. In 1888, before the City of Pocatello existed, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes granted a railroad right of way through the Fort Hall Reservation. The right of way included land in the City Creek area because it was a water supply for steam engines the railroad needed. A condition the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, Congress, and the Railroad company agreed upon was that when the property was no longer used for a railroad purpose it would revert to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. In the early 1900’s steam engines were replaced with internal combustion engines, and the Railroad company stopped using the water supply easement. At that time the City Creek property legally reverted back to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes because it was no longer used for a railroad purpose.

In 2012, the Department of Interior informed the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes, the Union Pacific Railroad, and the City of Pocatello in writing ownership of the area had already reverted to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. Since then, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes have allowed continued use of the area.

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes are good stewards of the land. The Tribes recognize the area is an important natural resource to City residents. The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes want to improve the recreational safety of the City Creek area and do not intend to restrict all non-Indian use.

For more information or if there are any questions, please contact the Tribes Public Affairs office at publicaffairs@sbtribes.com

###