Welcome to hagerman
Hagerman is a magical place in Idaho that’s chock-full of recreation amenities, world-class food, the largest trout farms in the world, spectacular sight-seeing opportunities and comfortable lodging, all just a few minutes off Interstate 84! It’s also a place with a business-friendly atmosphere where people can work hard during the day, and go fishing, boating or golfing in the evening. Ready to get to know more about us?
GET TO KNOW US
LEARN ABOUT HAGERMAN
Health Care
Hagerman has medical and dental services available locally for general care for families and individuals. There is a full-service hospital in Gooding, located 20 miles away, for medical emergencies.
Schools
Hagerman has a local elementary school and a junior/senior high school that serve our community. At Hagerman High School, the student body is comprised of 50 percent male students and 50 percent female students. Minority enrollment is 27 percent. There are approximately 381 students enrolled in the elementary school, which has an average student-teacher ratio of 15:1.
Hagerman Joint School District
324 2nd Ave North
Hagerman, ID 83332
Phone: (208) 837-6344
Fax: (208) 837-6380
Hagerman Elementary School
324 2nd Ave North
Hagerman, ID 83332
Phone: (208) 837-4777
Fax: (208) 837-4737
Jobs and Employment
Hagerman Industry Sector Employment 4th Qtr 2015 / Nearly 500 Covered Jobs
Historical Information
In a trip to Hagerman, it’s easy to soak up the history of the Thousand Springs region, especially the centerpiece of the historical experience, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument and the Hagerman Valley Historical Society.
Visit the Hagerman Horse display in the museum in downtown Hagerman and then you can drive out to visit the monument and see where the dug up the fossils that date back to the Pliocene era, some 3.5 million years ago.
Drive the 67-mile Thousand Springs Scenic Byway to get the full sight-seeing experience of the Thousand Springs region. It’s a teachable moment for children and adults to learn that Thousand Springs are the outlet for the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, a large freshwater resource that extends from St. Anthony to Hagerman. The pure waters from the aquifer are used to raise rainbow trout by multiple companies, including Clear Springs Foods, the largest producer of rainbow trout in North America, if not the world.
Visit Ritter Island in Thousand Springs State Park and tour the Minnie Miller Dairy Farm, where Minnie Miller raised highly prized Guernsey dairy cows. The two-story barn has been restored by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. You also can go hiking, paddling and fishing at Ritter Island.
Climate and Geography
In a trip to Hagerman, it’s easy to soak up the history of the Thousand Springs region, especially the centerpiece of the historical experience, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument and the Hagerman Valley Museum.
The Hagerman Valley was formed 15,000 years ago by the Bonneville flood, which gouged out canyons, moved house-sized boulders and left enormous sand bars as a huge torrent of water formed the Snake River canyon as we know it today.
The Valley’s unique landscape is dotted with innumerable, rounded boulders, known as “rock melons,” — some the size of an automobile.These large rocks bear silent testimony to the colossal flood that shaped the Snake River canyon.
The Thousand Springs Valley is a land of natural hot springs and pure, freshwater springs. Natural hot springs produce warm water that can soothe your aching muscles. The Thousand Springs complex gushes water at about 58 degrees, a temperature that’s perfect for raising trout.
The volcanic lava flows, deep box canyons, fossil beds, mine diggings and vast rock formations tell the story of days gone by. Here you will see the canyon of the mighty “Pohogawa,” the River of the Sage Plain, as the Indians called the Snake River. You can experience its rapids, whirlpools, waterfalls and wildlife.
It is a land of melon farming, the nation’s largest fish farms, waterfowl, a large diversity of fish in the Snake River, deer hunting and more. It is a land of hot summers and mild winters; a land that through the years has been home to Native Americans, Oregon Trail emigrants, settlers and homesteaders, farmers and ranchers.
“The Valley of the Thousand Springs” is one of those rare natural rest stops that has been serving travelers for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. The mild, almost snowless winters, hot springs and natural fisheries provided by the clear flow of springs at a constant 58 degrees made the valley a favorite wintering area for Native Americans.
The City of Hagerman, which gives the valley its name, was originally the site of a stagecoach stop (Overland Trail Route) along the Oregon Trail. Remains of this historic pioneer route can still be seen along the west side of the Snake River. Hagerman itself was officially established in 1892 when Stanley Hageman and Jack Hess opened a combination Post Office/General Store.
- The town was actually named for Stanley Hageman but a misspelling in the central post office registry changed its official name to Hagerman.
- There was only one store in Hagerman in 1893, when Billy Coltharp established his saloon, originally a barrel of whiskey and a tin cup.
- Billy lived in two small rooms in the rear of the saloon he built (now the Masonic Hall).
- He also built the original part of the old Morris Roberts store (now the US Bank).
- He established the park, which today bears his name and built the Park Opera House (now the American Legion Hall).
- Billy also helped organize the Hagerman State Bank (located in a corner of the Morris-Roberts Store) and served as its director. This bank later became the National Bank and moved to a new building in 1909 (now the Historical Society Museum).
WE’RE GLAD YOU’RE HERE
