Heavy snow loads have taken a toll on buildings in Bear Lake this winter, with estimates of collapsed structures in the county exceeding fifteen thus far.
Though some newer structures have given way, the most noteworthy loss in Bear Lake County is likely that of the historic Beck barn at 3527 Lanark Rd. The barn, built by Joseph Frederick Beck, was completed in 1944 and figured for many years in the travels of photographers and history buffs.
Beck’s granddaughter, Dynette Reynolds, in 2003 undertook research into the building’s origins. As quoted in Bear River Heritage Area’s Historic Barns of Southeastern Idaho, Reynolds wrote:
“The last of the round-roofed barns to be built was Grandpa’s own barn on Lanark Road. Completed in 1944, this barn took three years to build. Uncle Worthy and Grandpa spent three summers cutting Douglas Fir in North Canyon, then purchased around $3,000 worth of additional material. The cement was poured in the fall, and the studs, walls, and joists were completed before winter set in. The next year, the rafters were erected. Uncle Worthy remembers helping Grandpa draw an arc with nails and string on the floor of the hayloft, then the four layers of laminated lumber were cut on their outside edges along the arc. Each arc was entirely assembled on the floor, then raised into position and attached to the floor plate.”
Worthy Beck and his family operated a dairy on the property, with the barn hosting twenty Guernsey cows until the dairy’s closure in 1968.
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