Several miles up South Fork of Salt River was situated the small town of Santa Fe, named for Santa Fe, N.M.

Dr. John Bybee is known as its founder. He and several other early planters settled there and the town came into being in 1837. Being an inland town, far from a railroad, it remained a trading point for a considerable territory.

Two very old churches are there. One is the Christian Church where soldiers were quartered during the Civil War. The United Methodist, formerly the M.E. Church, South, is also quite old. The town lies on the bluff above the river and cannot be reached without crossing a stream. The South Fork curves around the town and is crossed when going south or east. There is no crossing on the north, though the river winds there too. When going west one must cross Long Branch.

Former businesses included a bank, two general stores, blacksmith shops, a drug store, an undertaker, a hotel, garages, poultry business and other enterprises. To travel through the town now brings a feeling of nostalgia, because two of the landmarks have been destroyed by fire in recent years. First the old "Snyder Hotel" burned, leaving a big gap on Main Street. Then in 1981 the large stone building that housed the "Perry Davis" grocery for so many years, also the I.O.O.F. Lodge burned. Arson was suspected in that fire but nothing could be proved. Several dwellings and one small store remain there.