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TOLO'S FORK'

BETWEEN THE YEARS OF 1812 TO 1840 WE FIRST LEARNED FROM ROBERT STUART'S DIARY THAT 'GEORGETOWN CREEK' WAS THEN CALLED 'TOLO'S FORK' WHEN THE BEGINNING WAVE OF EMIGRANTS STARTED TREKKING ACROSS THE OREGON TRAIL. THERE ARE FEW REFERENCES TO THE STREAM.

DANIEL POTTER, WHO WINTERED AT THE BEAR LAKE RENDEZVOUS SITE THROUGHOUT THE WINTER OF 1827, GIVES US THE STORY OF HOW THE STREAM OBTAINED ITS NAME WHICH APPEARS TO BE THE FIRST NAME THE WHITE MEN KNEW IT BY. POTTER REFERRED TO THE AREA, WHERE THE CANYONS FORK, ABOVE THE PRESENT ROAD TO SUMMIT VIEW AS 'TOLO'S PLACE.'

TOLO WAS AN INDIAN, PROBABLY A SHOSHONE, WHO WAS KILLED THERE BY A BEAR. AFTER THAT THE STREAM WAS CALLED 'TOLO'S FORK' UNTIL EMIGRANTS ALONG THE OREGON TRAIL BEGAN DESCRIBING AREAS BY THEIR GEOGRAPHIC IMPORTANCE.

FROM 1840 THROUGH 1870 THE STREAM NATURALLY BECAME 'TWIN CREEKS'. 

HOWEVER, MAP MAKERS OF THE TERRITORIAL MAPS OF IDAHO IN 1876 AND OF THE POST ROUTE MAPS OF THE TERRITORIES OF MONTANA, IDAHO AND WYOMING HAD THESE MAPS PUBLISHED IN 1884 BY ORDERS OF POST MASTER GENERAL JOHN WANAMAKER. ON THESE MAPS THE STREAM WAS OFFICIALLY CALLED 'GEORGETOWN CREEK' AND THE LEFT AND RIGHT FORKS WERE DESIGNATED ACCORDINGLY.

THAT NAME 'GEORGETOWN CREEK* BECAME THE OFFICIAL DESIGNATION IN 1909 WHEN THE FIRST CARIBOU NATIONAL FOREST MAPS WERE PRINTED.

(FROM EPISODE 'TALES OF THE CARIBOU'...BY BEAR LAKE DRUG AND KVSI OF MONTPELIER ID)