SAMARIA, Idaho — This small town southwest of Malad earned its name long ago because of residents' hospitality.
"There used to be a stage line running through here. The people went all out to welcome those passing through and would wave at them. The (LDS Church) prophet Lorenzo Snow likened them to the biblical story of the Good Samaritan," says Clarence Hughes, who is practically Samaria's resident historian and volunteers his time running a small candy store.
Ever since its establishment and naming in 1868, Samaria has acted as a cradle to southeast Idaho's spirit of friendliness and warmth. The candles in every window during the holidays symbolize kinship and a welcoming spirit.
Merrill Price, who grew up in Samaria, says it is inescapable.
"People drive through here and can't get out without everyone waving as they go by," he says.
"They always say hello and bring things on special occasions. They bring breads and do Christmas caroling," says Price's wife, Twylla.
The Prices came back to Samaria after spending 30 years in Ogden, Utah. They brought their granddaughter, Shaelynn Larsson, 10, after her parents died in a car accident when Shaelynn was just over a year old. The Prices are a perfect example of the Samaritan habit of taking others under their wing.
"This is home. I knew I was coming back sooner or later," Merrill says.
The town, with a present population not much greater than 100, once was a center of growth. At the turn of the century, more than 800 people lived in Samaria and worked in a variety of stores and shops.
The stagecoach line gave the town hope the Utah Northern Railroad would move in and further promote expansion and prosperity. But Malad won that prize in 1906, foreshadowing Samaria's population decline. By 1910, the number was almost halved from its peak.
"Until the second World War, this was a pretty big town," Hughes says. "Then they went away for work and never came back."
Residents have watched their stores, school and even their churches move out of Samaria and into Malad. All that remains of the olden days is the Blue Goose, a saloon-turned-candy store. But the handful of Samaria diehards who still live there say they will not be leaving any time soon.
"Merrill always tells people we have only one more move — to the Samaria cemetery," Twylla says.
A significant factor in Samaria's makeup is its Welsh ancestry. Early pioneers — almost exclusively from Wales — settled the village, and the community's ethnic composition has changed little since.
"A Welsh area has a competitiveness. They are all nice and friendly, but there is an undercurrent of clannish behavior. They'll compete over anything; that's why they like to play cards," Hughes says.
Samaritans say they like their tiny village tucked away off the freeway in the shadow of the Samaria Mountain range. It has treated them well, they say.
"It's a very quiet, real friendly place," Twylla says. "I tell my friends in Ogden a car goes by every three hours instead of every three seconds," Merrill says.
"It's quiet and it's home," Hughes says.