Garden City
Population
1896-249 1996-225
Looking down from this panoramic view of Bear Lake lies the Town of Garden City.
When the Mormons arrived they found an azure blue lake, long cold winders, cool
summers and home. The Town was probably named by Wright A. Moore who said
"We live in a city of beautiful gardens". Garden City was established in 1877. After
building a few aspen cabins, pioneers began the task of constructing an irrigation canal
from Swan Creek in a southwestern direction to agricultural ground surrounding the
town. The homesteader's property was laid out into twenty acre parcels and eight
hundred acres were set aside for farming. Electricity, from a small hydropower plant,
on Swan Creek came to the area in 1912. The Swan Creek also supplied culinary
water to the area in 1936. in 1879, the Town of Pickleville was established on the
southern edge of Garden City. Strangely enough, no church buildings, community
structures, stores or a post office were ever built. It was the recreational hub of
the valley with the creation of the Ideal Beach Amusement Company in 1916 whose
legacy continues today. Pickleville was not named for pickles but for Warren W.
Pickle, who secured funding for a culinary water project if the town was named
after him. In 1890, again to expand a water system, Garden City and Pickleville
were combined into one municipality. Garden City today is best known for Bear Lake,
summer recreation and raspberries. With its ever changing colors, miles of beaches
and unique ecology, Bear Lake is visited by thousands of people annually. The area
has a climate perfect for growing raspberries. They were first grown in 1910 and their
size and flavor are renowned. Few visitors can pass through Garden City without
enjoying a fresh raspberry shake. On this centennial year, it is hoped that the future
of Garden City does not forget its past and that this town will continue to
preserve its incomparable surroundings, its way of life and its people.
