By A. H. KOSCHMANN and M. H. BERGENDAHL - USGS 1968
Click here for the Principle Gold Producing Districts of the United States Index
Founded in about 1912, Power County was formed from the part of Oneida County that bordered the Snake River.
In the late 1800's and early 1900's, placers were worked along the Snake River near American Falls. Staley (1946, p. 30) listed gold production of 17,039 ounces for Oneida County from 1880 through 1912 and 1,446 ounces from Snake River placers in Power County from 1913 to 1942. This total of 18,485 ounces represents probably only a small fraction of the total yield, for as Staley (1946, p. 30) noted, the poorly kept records do not do justice to the actual production of the placers. In the 1950's these placers were inactive.
