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Silver City

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Silver City Living History in the Owyhees Boise State University Center for Idaho History and Politics Pictured: View east on Jordan Street, Jimmy Wayne – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Silver City


1
Silver City
Living History in the Owyhees
Boise State University Center for Idaho History
and Politics
Pictured View east on Jordan Street, Jimmy Wayne
2
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
3
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
4
Historians call Silver City the queen of Idahos
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
Owyhees County Seat (after Ruby City). Since
1934, the town of Murphy has held that
distinction. Pictured 2008 aerial view of town
5
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
6
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
7
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. 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.
The Owyhee War
Pictured National Geographic topographic map of
the Owyhee mining region.
8
In 1867, to ensure fair pay and safe working
conditions, the Silver City Miners League began.
It was Idahos 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 Miners Union ribbon Harry Orchard
as witness for the prosecution at the trial of
William Haywood, 1907, ISHS
9
It wasnt 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
10
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
11
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 territorys first daily newspaper. By
1880, residents had telephone service. Today,
Silver City operates the nations the only
magneto phone system, with a directory consisting
of one white page and one yellow.
Pictured (L) Dr. A.C. Lippincotts 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
12
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.
13
Author Julia Conway Welch recalled that on snowy
winter afternoons her mother, awaiting her
fathers return from a long day in the mine, knew
hed 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
14
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
15
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.
16
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
17
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. Today, like many
former businesses or social buildings, the hall
is a private residence.
Pictured Workers install a new roof on the
Masonic Hall, Dave Wilper
18
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. 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.
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 Marys son George. Current
owners work painstakingly to restore the features.
Pictured Exterior of Stoddard House, Dave Wilper
19
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
20
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.
Todays owners, Peter Burrill and Dave Wilper,
have worked tirelessly over three decades to
restore the home to its original splendor.
Pictured Nugent House before and after
renovation, Dave Wilper
21
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
22
Silver City Fire and Rescue volunteers train and
prepare for emergencies.
Pictured EMT and fire training, Jim Hyslop
23
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
24
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
25
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
Pats 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
26
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
27
Population 0 Ghost Town of Silver City,
Idaho Evelyn Boynton Grierson
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