In the summer of 1883, William F. Rigby purchased, dismantled and moved by oxen a mill to the new community of Rexburg, establishing the only mill in southern Idaho. The mill was reconstructed on the west side of Third East, between Second and Third North. William Rigby, Thomas E. Ricks, and James E. Fogg, Sr. became partners starting the Rexburg Milling Company. On April 1, 1889, the mill burned. It was a great loss for the area since the closest flour mill was in Logan, Utah.

Approximately 148 yards south of this marker, a second mill was completed in November 1889 east of the town. The mill was four stories high, 45 feet by 65 feet, and build of native white limestone. When flour sacks developed holes too large to be patched, they were given away, bleached, washed, and soon made into pantaloons and petticoats. At times china dishes were given away as premiums.

On the night of January 12, 1915, people watched helplessly as this second mill, the oldest landmark in the valley, burned to the ground. For thirty-two years the Rexburg Milling Company served the young community by providing lumber, lath, shingles, and flour. The cause of the fire was impossible to determine.

Check out all of the historic markers placed by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers at JacobBarlow.com/dup

A tithing barn was built on this property in the summer of 1885, two years after the first settlers arrived in Rexburg. The barn was built of 1×10 inch rough lumber and put together with wooden pegs. It was sixty feet long and thirty feet wide. The lower floor housed grain, animals, and produce, while the loft held hay. As the Pioneer Saints in this area had very little money, they paid tithes with produce which was stored in the barn and disbursed as needed.

There were no homes available in 1888 when Jacob Spori came to Rexburg to be the first head of the Bannock Academy (Ricks College). He and his family were housed temporarily in the empty tithing bar. On July 6, 1888, Elizabeth Spori Stowell was born in one of the grain bins that had been converted into a temporary bedroom.

In 1899 the tithing barn was sold to John A. Garner, one of the original settlers. It was taken apart and moved one-half mile east to 657 North Hill Road where it was reassembled and used. It is standing there today (1988).

A tithing offer was built near the barn. Later it was sold and converted into a home. In 1919 the building was razed so the Adams School could be built on the property. The First Ward Church, a rock building, was built on this block in 1905. In 1976 the rock church was severely damaged in the Teton Dam flood and replaced with a new building at a new location.