The first Volga Germans to arrive in the Paul, Idaho, area staked claims through the Homestead Act, but very few of those were successful because of the poor soil conditions.
When irrigation was started in the area, farming became possible and a sugarbeet industry grew up.
Later arrivals of Volga Germans came seeking work in this sugarbeet industry.
The following Volga German families settled in and around Paul:
Amen from Walter
Gomer from Dönhof
Mai from Kratzke
Moore from Moor
Spreier from Dietel
- Schlager, Lee Ann. The Schlager Family: /From the German Colony of Makarovka, Russia (Peterson, UT: Lee Ann Schlager, 2002): 42.
- Sallet, Richard. Russian-German Settlement in the United States (Fargo, ND: North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies, 1974): 53.
Paul Cemetery (FindAGrave.com)
Paul, Idaho (Wikipedia)