Jefferson County’s fifth sheriff was a ‘devoutly honest’ man who loved horses and serving his community

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Published astatine 2:40 pm, June 30, 2024

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is nan seventeenth successful a bid astir erstwhile lawmen successful eastbound Idaho.

RIGBY – Edgar Thomas Fillmore burned his look arsenic nan whiskey still successful Rigby exploded.

It was 1933 and nan 54-year-old man had been elected Jefferson County’s 5th sheriff nan erstwhile fall. He’d tally for agency successful hopes of making immoderate other money during nan Great Depression, according to a written history provided by his grandson, William Fillmore.

It had been 20 years since Jefferson County had been formed and for 13 years, nan 18th amendment, making nan manufacture, transportation, and waste of intoxicant forbidden nationwide, had been successful effect. The ratification of nan 21st amendment, which overturned Prohibition, was conscionable months away.

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It was during this transitional clip that Sheriff Fillmore had bootleggers and moonshiners to woody with. A whiskey still connected nan barren furniture conscionable beneath nan span connected Yellowstone Highway had been brought to his attention. He investigated and recovered it dug into a cave, covered up pinch writer and twigs.

“He went to municipality and sewage 5 gallons of gasoline and poured it down into nan still and past threw a lucifer successful nan hole. This caused a terrific detonation and fire,” a written family history says.

Though it destroyed nan whiskey still, Fillmore’s look was severely burned. The grade of his injuries is unclear.

Fillmore’s early life

E.T. Fillmore, arsenic he was known to friends and family, was calved successful Salem, Utah connected Jan. 14, 1879. He was nan 5th kid of Edgar and Lydia Fillmore.

Family members picture Fillmore arsenic six feet gangly pinch an diversion build and a pleasant disposition.

He’d moved to Rigby pinch his wife, Mabel Garrick, successful 1903.

“The railroad was offering settlers a reduced rate. For $38, you could get a container car from Manti, Utah to Rigby, Idaho. E.T. chartered a container car. He loaded his livestock and family equipment and near Utah connected Nov. 8, 1903. They arrived successful Rigby connected Nov. 9,” family members constitute successful their individual history.

Fillmore’s begetter bought 160 acres of onshore successful Clark (three miles eastbound of Rigby) nan pursuing spring. E.T. settled successful a two-room compartment connected nan workplace pinch Mabel, wherever 4 of their 5 children were born.

In December 1918, E.T. bought nan adjoining 80 acres connected nan northbound broadside of nan property, which “had an almost caller 5 room location connected it pinch a afloat basement.”

They lived present for 13 years until it burned down.

In a family history, Zada, E.T.’s only daughter, says they were connected their measurement location from seeing a movie successful Rigby erstwhile they noticed nan flames.

“It looked for illustration nan neighbor’s location was burning,” Zada says. “A 4th mile away, we could spot nan shape of trees astir nan light. It precisely matched nan shape of trees astir our house.”

By nan clip they arrived, Zada says nan tile had caved successful and nan flames were 30 to 50 feet high.

Her brothers, Kenneth and Blaine, were location unsocial astatine nan clip and made it retired safely, but nan location was wholly destroyed. The origin of nan occurrence was not specified.

They gathered immoderate belongings they were capable to salvage and yet moved to different location successful Rigby.

E.T.’s kids retrieve their begetter arsenic a “daybreaker,” who worked dawn to dusk each time of his life. The written history includes accounts of clearing land, plowing fields, increasing crops, milking cows and hauling firewood.

E.T. particularly loved his horses.

“He trained them well. His horses were successful amended style than anyone else’s. He talked to them, and astatine times he didn’t moreover request a rein to fto them cognize what he wanted of them,” boy Stanley says.

Fillmore ‘was esteemed by each who knew him’ successful his civic and religion service

E.T. besides loved serving his community. He reportedly served connected nan schoolhouse committee and arsenic head of nan Great Feeder Canal and Burgess Canal. He unsuccessfully ran for region commissioner successful 1924.

Though E.T. was skilled pinch a firearm and loved to hunt, nan determination to tally for sheriff seems to person been motivated purely by financial reasons. Despite galore long, backbreaking hours moving nan farm, nan Depression near him incapable to make nan workplace payments. Serving arsenic sheriff provided an further income.

Under Fillmore’s leadership, everyone was held accountable and he “did not springiness favoritism to anyone, moreover his ain relatives.”

He didn’t do himself immoderate favors, either.

“While successful office, he had to service foreclosure papers connected himself, arsenic he was delinquent pinch nan Federal Land Bank. They (bankers) wanted either nan money aliases nan land. He made a woody pinch them to clasp nan original 80 acres, and they could person nan northbound 80. They agreed to this,” writes Stanley.

His characteristic of “devout honesty” earned him nan respect of nan full organization and neighboring counties, according to his obituary successful nan Rigby Star.

E.T. Fillmore was a personnel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but wasn’t progressive for astir of his life.

In those early years surviving successful Idaho, Gwen Barrett, E.T.’s daughter-in-law, said his lips would get chapped and bleed while moving successful nan basking sun.

“Someone told him if he would chew tobacco, his lips wouldn’t get sore for illustration that,” Gwen writes.

That was nan opening of a lifelong addiction that E.T. struggled pinch for galore years.

His son, Kenneth, who was Gwen’s husband, recalls his dada informing him astir baccy and intoxicant earlier his first schoolhouse dance.

“He said that he would springiness thing if he could discontinue smoking,” Kenneth says. “I was confronted pinch these things, and I remembered my dad’s advice.”

But that didn’t extremity E.T. from serving his religion successful immoderate measurement he could. Gwen says he helped stitchery money to build nan Rigby Tabernacle, which burned down years ago.

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“He paid a double magnitude connected nan building of nan Clark Ward meetinghouse,” says Gwen.

And E.T. was ever doing acts of work for his neighbors.

“It was not different for E.T., during a blizzard, to hook Chub and Fly (two of his horses) to nan sleigh and spell to Rigby, 3 miles away, conscionable to break roads for his neighbors, aliases anyone that had to usage nan road,” according to Stanley.

“He was a friend to everyone and everyone seemed to for illustration him,” Kenneth adds. “He ne'er had immoderate problem getting hired thief erstwhile needed. He paid a small much wages than nan neighbors did. I asked him why he did that and he said, ‘I want to beryllium adjacent to everyone and not beryllium successful their debt.'”

His son, Garrett, says his dada ne'er swore if he sewage mad, and he appreciated that example.

“The point I appreciated (most) astir my dada was his tolerance,” Garrick writes successful a family history. “I learned from him that nary matter what comes your measurement to make nan champion of it. If group return advantage of you successful immoderate way, it isn’t your sin, unless you effort to get even, past you sound nan props retired from nether yourself until you are connected their level. You can’t thief anyone up if you are successful a spread yourself.”

A ‘useful and progressive life’ comes to a close

E.T. and Mabel yet retired and lived successful a mini location successful Idaho Falls nan remainder of their life. Declining wellness resulted successful E.T. surviving his last years successful a remainder home.

He passed distant connected Oct. 28, 1956 astatine property 77.