Transcript Silver City - College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs

Silver City
Living History
in the
Owyhees
Boise State University
Center for Idaho History and Politics
Pictured: View east on Jordan Street, Jimmy Wayne
Before the gold rush brought fortune seekers to
Owyhee Country, generations of Shoshone and
Paiute people moved freely about the mountains
and canyon lands of southwestern Idaho.
Shortly after the mining boom began, Congress designated the Idaho Territory. Owyhee was
designated the first county. Tension grew between natives and settlers, and a series of
violent battles ensued. The Bannock War of 1878 culminated in early June near Silver City
at South Mountain. The U.S. Calvary caught up with warriors, killing Chief Buffalo Horn.
Survivors fled to Oregon. Eventually many were captured and returned to the reservation at
Duck Valley.
Pictured: Northern Paiute adults and children in the town of DeLamar, 1910. ISHS; Shoshone-Paiute tribal seal and map
In the 1860s, gold fever lured prospectors to the land that would become Idaho. From
north to south, Florence to Idaho City and beyond, gold camps and boomtowns sprang
up across the territory.
Pictured: Idaho Territory, 1863
Historians call Silver City the queen of Idaho’s ghost towns. Residents reject the ghost town
description, preferring instead historic mining town. Nestled within the Owyhee Mountains at 6,200
feet, it has outlived its closest neighbors Dewey, DeLamar, and Ruby City. In 1867, SC became
Owyhee’s County Seat (after Ruby City). Since 1934, the town of Murphy has held that distinction.
Pictured: 2008 aerial view of town
In 1863,
turning their
sights from the
Boise Basin
strikes to
search for the
mythical Blue
Bucket gold, a
group of
prospectors
led by Michael
Jordan
discovered
treasure in
Sinker Creek,
a short
distance
above the SC
townsite.
Pictured: Jordan Creek flowing under Jordan St., Dave Wilper
By 1864, most of the placer gold was gone. The surrounding mountains revealed
rich gold and silver veins, requiring greater effort to extract. Within the next year,
over two-hundred fifty quartz mines and 12 ore processing mills were operating in the
Owyhees. The Poorman, Blackjack, Morningstar, Oro Fino and others yielded $40$60 million. Today no major mines operate in the area.
Pictured: The Blackjack mine and mill, ISHS
Mining was dangerous work.
Falling rocks, cave-ins, and
other random accidents
could be deadly. In 1868,
workers from the Golden
Chariot and Ida Elmore
mines tunneled toward each
other.
When the Golden Chariot
men broke through their
side, the angry Elmore men
insisted they back up. An
underground war erupted.
Weaponry included powerful
jets of hot water and steam,
shot guns, rifles, handguns
and grenades.
The Owyhee War
Pictured: National Geographic topographic map of the Owyhee mining region.
Territorial governor David
Ballard sent in a marshal and
troops to settle down the
fight. In the end, One miner
was seriously injured, two
were dead.
In 1867, to ensure fair pay and safe working conditions, the Silver City Miner’s League began.
It was Idaho’s first labor union. Years later, the union would weigh in, but distance itself from the
trouble that erupted in the northern Silver Valley and the subsequent assassination of former
Governor Frank Steunenberg. Former Silver City miner Harry Orchard (Albert Horsley)
confessed to the murder, accusing William “Big Bill” Haywood of hiring him to commit the crime.
Haywood and other leaders in the powerful Western Federation of Miners were acquitted.
Orchard served a life sentence in the state prison.
Pictured: SC Miner’s Union ribbon; Harry Orchard as witness for the prosecution at the trial of William Haywood,
1907, ISHS
It wasn’t long before the town came to life. Women and children followed
the men. Germans, Chinese, Basques, Irish, African Americans, and people
from all corners of the U.S. ran businesses, made homes, provided services
and built a community. Citizens formed a brass band and a baseball team.
Pictured: SC children, ISHS
Once boasting a population high of 2500, today resident numbers fluctuate with the seasons.
A town watchman is the only winter resident, while a few dozen occupy their part-time homes
in the warmer seasons.
Pictured: SC Pioneers, about 1890. ISHS
At its height, the town had over 300 homes and shops. Today about 40
structures remain. In 1875, telegraph service began and the Owyhee
Avalanche became the territory’s first daily newspaper. By 1880, residents
had telephone service. Today, Silver City operates the nation’s the only
magneto phone system, with a directory consisting of one white page and
one yellow.
Pictured: (L) Dr. A.C. Lippincott’s office and residence, formerly the site of the Avalanche office. (R)Knapp Drugstore “Model
Pharmacy.” In 1905, it became the telephone office. (inset) a resident in her home, ISHS
Wells Fargo ran a stage line from Boise to Jordan Valley, Oregon. Passengers
endured a treacherous 2-day ride between Boise and Silver City, spending one
night in Nampa.
Pictured: Wells Fargo station in winter,1880s, ISHS. (inset) modern depiction of SC Stage.
Author Julia Conway Welch recalled that on snowy winter afternoons her mother,
awaiting her father’s return from a long day in the mine, knew he’d be in for
supper soon, “When at last the men came sliding down they looked like pieces of
soot drifting down a white page.”
Frigid winters ensured chilled summer
ice boxes.
Pictured: Ice harvest, ISHS
The Pioneer Cemetery, one of four burial
areas for the town, is a short walk down an
aspen covered path. Marked and unmarked
graves tell the stories of prominent citizens,
immigrants, outlaws, and too many children.
Civil War soldier/Irish-born California
Volunteer Patrick McMahon rests near
Confederate Pressley Sawyer Cooper.
Pictured: Path to cemetery; graves. Wilper,Hyslop,Pollard
Idaho Hotel
The original Idaho Hotel was in Ruby City.
In 1866, when Silver City was clearly the
livelier site, J.K. and Hosea Eastman built
this famous building on Jordan St. Today
it is one of three operating businesses in
town. Visitors can rent a room, purchase
a snack or meal, or take a tour of rooms
and dining areas.
Pictured: Patrons at the hotel bar, ISHS; back of hotel, Ken
Pollard; interior room, Bingo Barnes.
Idaho Standard School
opened in 1892. Recent
restoration efforts made it
safe for visitors and
preserved it for future use.
Silver City schoolchildren attended classes in the
whitewashed, two-story building: younger grades
on the first floor, older students upstairs. For a
number of years Walt and Mildretta Adams who
grew up here, operated the second floor as a
museum, displaying hundreds of artifacts.
Pictured: Schoolhouse 2009, Penelope H.; Restoration, Dave Wilper
Masonic Hall
The Masons were a thriving group in
Silver City. Their lodge building
straddles Jordan Creek. Originally a
planing mill, turning out finished
boards for homes and other structures,
the second floor served as a social hall.
Pictured: Workers install a new roof on the Masonic Hall, Dave Wilper
Today, like many former businesses or
social buildings, the hall is a private
residence.
Stoddard Mansion
Young John
(Jack) Stoddard
served in the
Civil War as an
Iowa Volunteer.
He sought his
fortune in the
Owyhees,
discovering the
first major strike
near DeLamar.
By far the fanciest house in town, the Stoddard house boasted wall to wall
carpeting, custom wall paper, center light fixtures, and hand wood graining
by Jack and Mary’s son George. Current owners work painstakingly to
restore the features.
Pictured: Exterior of Stoddard House, Dave Wilper
In 1870, Jack
married Mary
McMahon and
built this two
story home.
Local carpenter
Otto Patscheck
fashioned the
intricate
woodwork
featured outside
and inside the
home.
On a rocky bluff above town stands Our Lady of
Tears Catholic Church. Founded in 1898, OLT is in
its third home, two earlier churches destroyed by
fire and heavy snow. The Catholic diocese
purchased the current building from the
Episcopal Church in 1933. With a sturdy new
foundation and roof, fresh paint, custom made
windows, and restored interior, it is one of the
best preserved buildings in Silver City.
Services are held in the
church once a month during
the summer. Open doors and
a bell welcome visitors.
Pictured: Exterior and interior of Our
Lady of Tears Catholic Church, 2008
Nugent House
John E. Nugent was a lawyer and state
senator who lived here in the 1890s.
The home was built in 1876 by
Benjamin W. Abbott, a local
businessman. Today’s owners, Peter
Burrill and Dave Wilper, have worked
tirelessly over three decades to restore
the home to it’s original splendor.
Pictured: Nugent House before and after renovation, Dave Wilper
Controlled burns conducted by the Bureau of Land Management are closely
monitored to avoid disaster.
Pictured: BLM burn hillside on NE side of town, viewed from Nugent House, Dave Wilper
Silver City Fire and Rescue volunteers train and prepare for emergencies.
Pictured: EMT and fire training, Jim Hyslop
Rising high above town, War Eagle Mountain (8,051’) was the location of a number of
lucrative mines. Today, it is a site for a radio transmitter and solar-powered generator.
Pictured: Radio tower atop War Eagle, Brian P. McCamish
Today the remote Owyhee mountains can attract other varieties of
fortune seekers. In 2008, one of the largest marijuana growing
operations in Idaho history was discovered near Silver City.
Owyhee County law enforcement
officials destroyed the harvest.
Pictured: Helicopter brings illegal plants to leading area; officials
load trailers and burn the entire harvest, September 2008.
Jim Hyslop
On the second weekend after Labor Day, Silver City residents and business owners
hold an open house. Visitors are charged a small admission fee for guided tours of
private homes and are encouraged to support the three local businesses: the Idaho
Hotel, Sinker Creek Outfitters, and Pat’s What-Not Shop. Proceeds from the annual
fundraiser go to the Silver City Fire and Rescue Dept.
Pictured: SC citizens dressed in period clothing, greeting visitors, Hyslop
Several days each year, Silver City becomes a classroom for hundreds of students.
Pictured: Melba, Idaho 8th graders pose with their teachers in front of the Idaho Standard School, Dave Wilper
Population 0
Ghost Town of Silver City, Idaho
Evelyn Boynton Grierson