State Treasurer Finds Herself In An Old Rut

Lydia Justice Edwards did not look at all like Idaho’s treasurer on the wagon train crossing Caribou County.

She was not wearing a suit or even a dab of makeup. There was plenty of mud from Ivins Road on her hiking boots.

“This is the pioneer look,” she said Thursday. The band had reached the stage of weariness where they were not concerned with looks.

They were among 95 people who are traveling in a wagon train along the Oregon and Lander trails in Caribou County.

They gathered Wednesday at the county fairgrounds in Grace and set off. They will end their 65-mile journey this afternoon at the Henry store northeast of Soda Springs.

While Edwards has a head for the state’s finances, she also has a heart for the state’s historic trails.

“I love the walk because you can see and touch Idaho and its history,” Edwards said.

Although she came to the wagon train alone, she quickly made friends.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie,” said Linda Simmons, whose husband, Bart, is the wagon master. “You can’t go on without each other. That’s what you learn, what life’s all about. It really makes you appreciate nature and survival.”