GENESEE, IDAHO

Genesee History:

Originally Genesee was a village that grew up about a mile east of the present town beginning in 1872.  When in 1888 the Spokane & Palouse Railway was extended to Genesee, the owner of the townsite, Jacob Rosenstein, asked what was considered an exorbitant price for right-of-way and grounds.  As a consequence the reailway built its terminus a mile west of the village, and the original town was forced to move to the present location.

After the village moved, Genesee expererienced a period of rapid growth.  In the heart of some of the most productive farming land in the county, it became a trade and supply center for a fairly large area.  Hay and grain warehouses sprang up along hte tracks, and business boomed on the main street.  

Today:

Genesee is located 15 miles south of Moscow, nestled among the rolling wheat fields of the Palouse.  It sits at 2675 feet and has maintained a population of around 800 since the rapid growth of the 1900's.

Its convenient position halfway between Moscow and Lewiston allows it to serve as a bedroom community for both. Genesee's old family farms can be proud to boast the riches dryland farm ground in the nation.