In a valley that never has and probably never will see a McDonald's or a drive-through Starbucks, where rush hour means you just might pass another car, sits a town site that is frozen in time.

Northwest Backroads

Chesterfield, Idaho

Chesterfield, Idaho was a Mormon pioneer village settled along America's earliest highway – the Oregon Trail – back in 1880.

It is believed it was the harsh weather and difficulty making a living that forced its residents to leave.

When Chesterfield was finally abandoned, it was never demolished or built-over, but rather restored. And the spirit of the pioneers of Chesterfield is such a big part of it.

Members of the Chesterfield Foundation have been lovingly restoring the town so that future generations can experience this preserved piece of the Old West.

Using old pictures as guides, they've rebuilt buildings brick by brick, framed photos of the people who brought this town to life, and carefully kept banners that once hung from their walls.

A difficult as the living was in those early days, the people of Chesterfield still valued social time and the role their Mormon religion played in their community, and the old tithing office shows how seriously they took their giving, even when they had so little.

Their homes, which ranged from crude log cabins to stately brick mansions, still welcome visitors who come to learn about this pioneer town, and the recently rebuilt amusement hall still hosts dances on summer evenings.

Although abandoned for decades, Chesterfield helps us learn about history – not from pages in a book, but from the bricks in the buildings and the music still left in the old pump organ.

A ghost town that seems so empty is still filled with stories to tell.

The Chesterfield ghost town is not far from Pocatello, Idaho. In the spring and summer, it's open for tours, pioneer-life demonstrations, and even dances.