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MERIDIAN
IDAHO

MERIDIAN

The original Meridian town site was filed in 1893 on homestead grant land belonging to Eliza Ann Zenger. Her husband, Christian, filed the plat with county officials and called it Meridian. While the Zengers moved from Utah, many other early settlers left their homes in Missouri to come west. They either traveled by wagon or immigrant railroad car, bringing their lodge and church preferences with them. They established local institutions soon after arriving and filed for homestead lands. In other words, they brought their community with them. Meridian was incorporated as a village in 1903 with a population of approximately 200 and a bustling business center.

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A creamery was built in 1897, and other dairy-related businesses followed, as Meridian established itself as a dairy center for the state. This part of the community’s history is still celebrated annually during Meridian Dairy Days in June. Dairy Days has been observed in one form or another since 1929. Around the turn of the century, settlers established fruit orchards and built fruit packing businesses and prune dryers along the railroad tracks. Local orchards produced many varieties of apples and Italian prunes. Production continued through the mid-1940s, when it was no longer profitable and the businesses closed. In 1941, Meridians status changed from a village to a city.

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