Historic Grant community looks ahead with plans for new sign
Published at
GRANT — Many East Idahoans may not realize it, but in Jefferson County, just outside Menan along the Snake River, sits a small, tight-knit community called Grant. Now, residents are working to make sure it is a place people do not overlook.
A group of Grant community “old timers” has come together to design a new community sign they say better represents the area’s history and pride.
A former Grant resident and owner of Sign Pro, David Whitehead, has offered to build and install the sign at cost. Organizers hope to raise $15,000 to complete the project and celebrate its completion later this year with a community gathering.
The new sign will replace the current Grant sign on the Lewisville Highway, installed in 1996 as part of an Eagle Scout project by Jeremy Gneiting and built by Whitehead, a young Sign Pro employee at the time.
“At the time, I never imagined how meaningful that project would become to me,” Gneiting said. “Even now, 30 years later, I still feel a sense of pride every time I drive by, knowing I was able to contribute something lasting to the place we call home.”
Over the years, community members, including Whitehead and Tad Hegsted, have helped refurbish the sign to keep it standing.
Residents are inviting others to join the volunteer effort and consider donating to help replace the existing sign. With the nation approaching its 250th anniversary and Grant marking more than 140 years as a community, organizers say it is a perfect time to invest in a long-lasting sign.
A small community with deep roots
Grant’s history dates back to the late 1880s, when early pioneers followed wildlife trails into what was then known as “Poverty Flat,” later called “Gravy Bend.”
The land was covered in thick sagebrush, and with no roads, early families faced difficult conditions. Despite limited resources, settlers worked together to bring water to the area and establish a community.
By the early 1890s, residents built a small structure that served as both a school and a church. The Grant School District and a local Latter-day Saint congregation were organized around the same time, and a post office followed in 1893.
The Grant Store, once connected to the post office, served the community for more than a century before closing in the late 1990s.
As the community grew, so did its gathering places. Grant Hall, built in 1900, became a social hub where people from across the Snake
River Valley came for weekly dances.
In 1920, local cowboys and farmers held a rodeo on the community’s baseball diamond. The event eventually evolved into the annual rodeo now held in Rigby.
How to help
Plans for the new sign include a durable aluminum structure measuring 5 feet by 8 feet, with raised acrylic lettering on both sides. It will be mounted on a steel frame set in concrete footings, with rock bases designed to withstand the elements for decades.
“We’ve received some feedback that river rocks are very prevalent, so we have updated the sign’s rocks accordingly to the (rendered) image,” Gneiting said.
Gneiting said they are halfway to their $15,000 goal. Donations can be mailed to The Grant Sign, c/o Tad and Paula Hegsted, 3521 East 100 North, Rigby, idaho 83442. Checks can be made payable to “Grant Sign,” or contributions can be sent via Venmo to @GrantSign.
“We have no mayor, councilman, or city building; we’re just relying on the generosity of the community,” Gneiting added.
Organizers say the new sign will not only mark the community’s location but also serve as a lasting symbol of Grant’s history and unity.
They also expressed gratitude to Anheuser-Busch for allowing the sign to be placed on its property, where it will stand for generations as a reminder of the people who built and continue to care for the Grant community.