New Meadows, Idaho | |
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City | |
PIN Railroad Depot in 2007
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Location of New Meadows in Adams County, Idaho. |
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Coordinates: 44°58′13″N 116°17′7″W / 44.97028°N 116.28528°WCoordinates: 44°58′13″N 116°17′7″W / 44.97028°N 116.28528°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Idaho |
County | Adams |
Area | |
• Total | 0.52 sq mi (1.35 km2) |
• Land | 0.51 sq mi (1.33 km2) |
• Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
Elevation | 3,868 ft (1,179 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 496 |
• Estimate (2016) | 477 |
• Density | 931.64/sq mi (359.87/km2) |
Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
• Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
ZIP code | 83654 |
Area code(s) | 208 |
FIPS code | 16-56890 |
GNIS feature ID | 0387535 |
Website | www |
New Meadows is a rural city in Adams County, Idaho, United States, at the southern and upper end of the Meadows Valley, on the Little Salmon River. Located in the west central part of the state, just south of the 45th parallel, the population was 496 at the 2010 census, down from 533 in 2000. New Meadows is located at the junction of the primary north-south highway in the state, U.S. Route 95, and State Highway 55, which connects it with McCall and Boise.
The city of New Meadows hosts the last surviving Pacific and Idaho Northern (PIN) Railroad Depot. Without the Pacific and Idaho Northern Railroad, New Meadows would arguably not have existed. The PIN Railroad ran from Weiser to an area about two miles (3 km) from Meadows, thus creating the site of modern-day New Meadows, founded in 1911.
The depot was built in 1910 and served as the northern end of the PIN Railroad. It is a significant cultural and historical resource, located in the Payette River Scenic Byway corridor in the city of New Meadows, at the junction of US-95 and state highway 55. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The depot is an asset for the community of New Meadows and currently functions as a community center for the local area. It hosted the Barn Again! Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition in 2005, and represents early twentieth century efforts to create a north-south railroad for Idaho. Though the efforts ultimately failed, the PIN Railroad served an important function as a "farm-to-market" railroad until 1940, and then as a timber railroad for local timber outfits.
The Union Pacific acquired the line in 1936 and in 1979 abandoned the northern end of the line, from the Tamarack sawmill site north of Council to New Meadows, along US-95. The depot was a functioning facility until 1972. In 1978, ACHS acquired the title to the PIN Depot to preserve it as a repository for the history of Adams County. Since 2000, the building has been preserved from immediate deterioration. The foundation has been restored and the building now has a new roof.