Warren History
Gold was discovered in 1862 at the site that would become Warren, Idaho. The discoverer, James Warren, gave his name to the settlement, which was first known as Warren’s Diggings. The placers at Warren proved rich and extensive, with many miners striking it rich during the summer of 1862. An estimated two million dollars’ worth of gold was recovered in the first year alone.
Lode mines in the district were gradually developed during the late 1860s, and by the end of the decade several stamp mills were operating. After the placer deposits were exhausted, hard rock mining sustained Warren for decades.
Warren was known to be one of the most civilized and orderly camps in Idaho, in sharp contrast to nearby Florence which had a reputation as a lawless camp filled with drunks and outlaws. Why Warren evolved this way is a mystery, though one could speculate that since many of the founders of the town originally came from Florence, they were determined to build a town where miners could live in peace and safety.
The June 24, 1927 edition of The Oregon Daily Journal wrote about the early history of the town:
The Florence diggings were shallow. The Warren Diggings were deep and also rich... James Warren had the reputation of being a rather shiftless gambler, a ne'er-do-well, but his discovery, the Warren diggings was still going strong when the mines at Florence had played out. By November '62 there were 400 miners taking out $15 to $20 each per day at Warren diggings. Within two years there was a population of 1,500.
After miners with their rockers and long toms had gone to other diggings, [hydraulic] giants were put in and the returns were as rich as when the claims were first worked. After a few years the claims were sold to a group of Chinese miners, who became wealthy in cleaning up what the white miners had overlooked.
By the end of the 1860s, most of the placers at Warren had been worked out. Around 1,500 Chinese miners arrived in 1870 to rework ground that had already been mined. From 1870 to 1900, they formed the majority population in the district, outnumbering other groups by about three to one. Unlike many western mining towns, Warren gained a reputation as a camp where Chinese miners were welcomed and accepted.
Like many remote districts in Idaho, transportation to and from Warren was difficult. Until a wagon road was built in the 1890s, all supplies had to be brought in by pack train. Because heavy snow made freighting impossible in winter, provisions had to be stockpiled in advance. Winters in Warren were often lean, and some degree of rationing was frequently required.
Much of the business district of Warren burned in a devastating 1904 fire. The fact that the town was quickly rebuilt over four decades after gold was first discovered is testament to the quality and quantity of gold ores in the district.
During the early 1900s, mining in Warren continued on a small scale—just enough to keep the town alive. That changed in 1931, when a gold dredge was introduced to work the deep gravels of the area. The operation proved highly successful; by 1932, three dredges were active, and a fourth began operating in 1934.
Dredging transformed Warren into Idaho’s leading gold producer during the 1930s, providing a rare economic boost in a state otherwise gripped by the Great Depression. However, with several dredges operating around the clock, the available ground was quickly being exhausted. The final blow to Warren’s dredge industry came in 1942, when all U.S. gold mining was suspended during World War II.
The end of dredging in Warren signaled the conclusion of Warren’s days as a mining camp. Small-scale mining, tourism, and resident retirees have kept Warren from becoming a ghost town.
Today Warren is a sleepy town that is roughly a two-hour drive north of McCall. Half of the drive is on easy dirt road that can be travelled by most passenger vehicles during the non-winter months. There is a cafe in town where travelers can enjoy food and beverages while taking in the amazing history of one of Idaho’s premier gold camps.
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.
