Goodrich School
Council, Adams County

Location: 1691 Goodrich Creek Road, Council, ID 83612

Located approximately 12 miles Southeast of Council, Idaho, the Goodrich School is a welcome sight for those enjoying the 84-mile-long Weiser River Trail that runs from the town of Weiser to New Meadows. The schoolhouse was built in 1911 and served its intended function until 1956 when the Goodrich School was absorbed into the nearby Council school system. The building has since been used for many local meetings, community gatherings, and family events. Sadly, the building feel into disrepair in the beginning of the 21st Century due to lack of maintenance and upkeep. In 2021, Friends of the Goodrich Schoolhouse formed and took over management of the property. They hope to restore the building back to its former glory and allow it to continue to a fixture both on the Trail and in the Council community.

In the earliest days of Idaho’s settlement, the Weiser River was an important thoroughfare between Boise and the gold fields further up north. Long before western settlers arrived, the ‘Council Valley’ was a vital location for local tribes. People would gather from all across the Northwest to settle disputes, discuss treaties, and come to a consensus on all matters of importance. Construction of the railroad up the Weiser River in the late 1800s accelerated settlement in the area, Council Valley became the City of Council, and shortly after the turn of the century, the town had grown from a couple of hotels and homes to a full-blown frontier town with a population of around 1,000 by 1903.

Due to its proximity to several mining districts, Council became a popular jumping off point for miners and fortune seekers, especially after the trip was shortened from a rough 2-day wagon ride through difficult terrain to a two-to-three-hour ride in relative comfort of a train car. It was during this boom that the Goodrich Schoolhouse was built. However, the collapse of the mining industry and Great Depression hit council hard, halving the population by 1929. The area would see another mini-boom with the rise of the logging industry and increase in ranching concerns. The population and economy remained stable until the 1980s when timber jobs dried up, and the local sawmill closed for good in 1995.

Following the decommission of the Wieser-New Meadows rail line, the grade was turned over to the Friends of the Weiser Trail, who have converted the beautiful path into a robust trail through some of Idaho’s most beautiful and foreboding bits of wilderness. Council sits about 2/3 of the way from Weiser to New Meadows, making Goodrich Schoolhouse the perfect rest stop for avid hikers and day-trippers alike.