ALBION

NAME: Albion
COUNTY: Cassia
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 6
CLIMATE: Snow in winter, hot in summer
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Spring through fall

COMMENTS: Albion has a few hundred current residents. It is on hwy 77 about twenty miles southeast of Burley and I-84. It is quite startling driving into this small town of a few hundred to see on a raised portion of the town these huge, hulking, abandoned buildings that are now only used by birds and other small animals. The grounds around the buildings are still well maintained, but danger signs adorn the closed entrances warning of asbestos. The buildings still look very solid. It is a fascinating place to walk around, although just a bit spooky, and the extensive lawns provide space to relax and even picnic.

UPDATE: The Albion Normal School was bought by a couple brothers in Boise. They are currently in the process of renovating these structures. The brothers' intentions are to make this site a retreat center for family reunions, corporate retreats, and travelers to Pomerelle Ski area and the City of Rocks. The asbestos issues in these buildings are being addressed as part of the renovation project. I spent of few days working out there in May of '08.

The grand opening for the first building is scheduled for late June. John Price


REMAINS: Six large college buildings and several smaller ones.

I am not from Albion, but I spent some time there exploring the area. The Idaho State Normal School was founded there in the latter part of the nineteenth century and was the prime source of income and employment for this small town in southern Idaho. The state no longer found the school necessary after WWII and it was closed in 1951. With the coming of the interstate system Albion found itself off the beaten path and the town continued to decline and now has a population of only 300. Submitted by: Rick Monson

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