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About Afton
In 1857, Frederick W. Lander and 15 engineers surveyed the route of the Pacific Wagon Road, the official name for the Lander Cut-Off, which passed through Afton and Star Valley. Built as an improvement to the Oregon Trail, it cut seven days off the journey and provided better water, wood and food for the emigrants. The following summer a crew of 115 men built the road, and between 1858 and 1912, tens of thousands of emigrants passed along this route.
More than thirty years later, Mormon Pioneers began colonizing this area, which they named Star Valley. Afton was settled in 1885 and by 1900 there were over 2000 people living in this area. It lies at the mouth of Swift Creek Canyon, a beautiful incursion into the forested Salt River Mountains.
Star Valley is now a popular retreat from urbanization, with many summer homes and tourist accommodations. The valley is green with grass and farmland and the mountains are covered with evergreen trees.