Murray History
Rich placers were discovered along Prichard and Eagle Creeks in the early 1880's. By 1883 a small gold rush was underway and in 1884 the town of Murray, named for miner George Murray, was established. The town quickly became the Shoshone county seat of government.
The placers at Murray were quickly worked out, but lode mining became increasingly important and the town of Murray continued to grow.
A Northern Pacific railroad line served Murray for two years during the 1910s. A post office was established in 1884, closing in 1959.
Murray Historical Marker
A historical marker summarizes the history of the area:
Gold was first discovered near the town of Murray in 1882. A.J. Prichard and his partners, Markson, Gellatt and Gerard, had come to the Coeur d’Alenes from Walla Walla, WA. following Mullan’s Military Road. Their prospecting started near Kellogg, ID and progressed to Beaver Cr. While en route they failed to discover the rich placer ground on Trail Cr. Working up Prichard Cr., the men’s tenacity yielded a strike. A.J. Prichard is credited with the area’s first gold discovery, but the actual person and location are unknown.
Before disbanding the partners had sworn to secrecy their discovery. But Prichard informed certain members of the Liberal League and the rush was on. Lured to the area were 5000 miners, prospectors and camp followers during the winter of 1883/84. Advertised for the rich “Diggins”, the pioneer mining camp of Eagle arose over night, but was quickly abandoned in favor of Murray. As the rush for gold around Murray waned, prospecting spread out to the south fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. In 1886 the mining activity shifted to the south side with the discovery of vast silver – lead deposits.
Gold production continued, but the boom town luster was gone. A short lived gold renaissance occurred from 1918 to 1925 when the Yukon Gold Co. dredged Prichard Cr.
Idaho Gold
"Where to Find Gold in Idaho" looks at the density of modern placer mining claims along with historical gold mining locations and mining district descriptions to determine areas of high gold discovery potential in Idaho. Read more: Where to Find Gold in Idaho.
