I. B. Perrine

Who was I. B. Perrine?

Ira Burton Perrine was an Idaho farmer, rancher and businessman. Perrine is generally credited as the founder of Twin Falls and other towns in the Magic Valley region.

Perrine was born in Delaware, Indiana, a son of George and Sarah Burton Perrine, and a descendant of Daniel Perrin, "The Huguenot." He moved to Idaho Territory in 1884 and established a farm and ranch operation in the Snake River Canyon near present-day Jerome. Perrine was a successful farmer and rancher who among other things received a gold medal for his fruit display at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. The ranch remained in the Perrine family until 1964, when it was sold and became part of Blue Lakes Country Club.

Although Perrine's operation in the canyon received plenty of water, the surrounding area could not be easily irrigated and was therefore largely unproductive. Beginning in 1893 Perrine worked to convince private financiers to build a dam on the Snake River along with a corresponding canal system to irrigate the area. This work culminated in the 1900 founding of the Twin Falls Land and Water Company and the subsequent completion of Milner Dam in 1905.