Featured Mining Town: Bonanza, Idaho
Settled in 1877, Bonanza was the first major settlement in the Yankee Fork area of Salmon River country in Central Idaho. By 1881, Bonanza had a population of over 600 residents, making it temporarily the largest settlement in the area. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Custer, Idaho
The town of Custer was laid out and settled starting in 1878, in conjunction with the planned construction of the General Custer Mill. Custer would grow to be the economic center of the Yankee Fork area of Central Idaho during the late 1800's. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Idaho City, Idaho
Originally known as Bannock, Idaho City was settled in December of 1862, early in the gold rush to the Boise Basin region of southern Idaho. The Boise Basin rush was the largest since the California Gold Rush of 1849, and by 1864 Idaho City would become the largest city in the Pacific Northwest, eclipsing even Portland, Oregon. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Atlanta, Idaho
With production estimated at over 16,000,000 dollars, Atlanta was one of the more productive mining areas in Idaho. However, due to the extremely remote location, it took several years for any significant production to occur after the initial ore discoveries in 1863, and almost 70 years for the districts mining industry to be fully developed. Continue Reading
Incredible Photos of Boom Town Tent Cities
The discovery of gold or silver in the West was usually followed by a rush of people attempting to arrive at the new district first to get established in mining or business. New mining camps were hastily constructed out of materials that could be easily transported over great distances and on difficult terrain. The most Continue Reading
Journigan’s Mill – Death Valley National Park
Journigan’s Mill was built in the 1930’s at a site in Emigrant Canyon that was near several springs. Water is Death Valley’s most precious resource, and mills were usually located where there was access to springs nearby. During the course of the mills roughly twenty years of operation, water would be piped to the site Continue Reading
