The Hill with numbers is a
curiosity to first time visitors. Occasionally they are told
that the numbers indicate
"high water marks" of the
Big Lost River. It seems that
the truth is every graduating class since 1902
has painted its class year on
the rugged cliffs of the
mountain above the
city of Arco.
This a view of Arco from atop Numbers hill.
Listen to Jim on your PC look around his website.
Natural Bridge in Arco, Idaho
The Natural Bridge is high on the shoulder of King mountain in the Arco pass area of the Lost River Range is one of the most unusual scenic features in eastern Idaho. The huge limestone arch stands out from the high weather-eroded shoulder of the mountain. Its 80 foot high span frames the weathered spruce and high pinnacles of the summit of King moutain.
Located several miles off US 20-26 east of Arco it is only accessible to hikers. A county road leads from Arco to the Arco Pass road, then to a primitive road and turn off onto a primitive road leading to the foot of a narrow canyon known as Bridge Canyon. The trail up to the canyon follows along a now closed jeep trail. The trail is considered an easy to moderate walk. After you reach the view point the trail is not maintained and is a very steep ascent to the natural bridge. The final trail is not an easy climb and you will cross a talus slope which could be hazardous. As you round the final shoulder of the mountain the sudden view of the bridge is truly breathtaking. You may want to check with locals for conditions of road and trail before leaving the highway. Distance from highway to Natural Bridge is approximately 6.67 miles.
Reserve your room in Arco now.
When the town of Arco was formed in 1901 it was known first as Root Hog. Root Hog moved its borders to place the town at the intersection of two stagecoach routes that crossed Idaho. The town leaders applied to the U.S. Post Office for the town name of "Junction" for obvious reasons.(Junction of 26/20/93)
With a name that common and widely used the postmaster suggested that the place be named Arco for Georg von Arco (1869-1940) of Germany who was visiting Washington, D.C. at the time. (This is not a set in stone fact and can be disputed) Georg von Arco was an inventor and a pioneer in the field of radio transmission and would become the lead engineer of Telefunken, a German company founded in 1903 that produced radio vacuum tubes.
Arco was the first community in
the world ever to be lit by electricity generated by nuclear power. This occurred on July 17, 1955. On that date electricity generated by EBR-1 was fed over the lines serving Arco, producing approximately 2,000 kilowatts of electrical power for about 1 hour. This was done at the nearby "National Reactor Testing Station" (NRTS), which is now the Idaho National Laboratory. NRTS made further history on January 3, 1961, when the SL-1 reactor melted down, causing three deaths. It was the world's first (and the U.S.' only) fatal reactor accident. 52 nuclear reactors were built in the years following.
Several thousand people are employed and this helps support the surounding cities. Guided tours are available by submitting a request form. Guided tour.
Know Where to Dump
When RVs have to go...™
