One of the best little drives one can take if you live in the S.W. corner of Idaho were I do is to the historic town of Silver City. If you are around my age you will remember Bonanza and The Rifleman, two of my all-time favorite T.V. Shows. Those two shows remind me of Silver City.
When you drive south of the city of Nampa on Highway 45 you will eventually cross the Snake River of Idaho. You then turn due south on State Highway 78 and you will follow the Snake River for a few miles before you turn do west on the signs that direct you to Silver City. Silver City is about an hour and half drive from Boise, Idaho.
There is a lot of talk about the high mountains of Idaho with the vast mountain ranges and the high mountain lakes dense with heavy pine trees. While these areas are definitely beautiful I have always had a warm place in my heart for the Owyhee Mountains which surround Silver City.
I first visited Silver City back in the early 70's when I was a teenager. Several of my cowboy friends and I took drives into the Owyhee Mountains and the first time I saw Silver City, Idaho it was like I was taken back 100 years and more!
Silver City is an old mining town that that did not get burned down or become modernized. The Idaho Hotel stand just as it did 100 years ago and has been maintained in its original state. There are outfitters and guides that will take you on a horseback ride you will never forget. Mountains that stand 8,000 feet high surround Silver City which stands at 6,200 feet.
There are a total of about 75 structures that still remain in Silver City that date back from the 1860's to the early 1900's. During the thriving days of Silver City it had about a dozen streets, 75 businesses, around 300 homes and a population of around 2,500. Silver City was the County Seat for Owyhee County from 1866 to 1934.
When you drive and walk in and around Silver City you will see four separate burial areas with some very interesting head stones remaining. Some are quite large and worth photographing.
About 50 miles from Silver City is a ranch owned by some friends of mine. In the 1980's I was hunting on their ranch when I ran across a village that had several cabins made of rocks piled one on top of each other. Near this area I saw a headstone that was protected by a rod iron fence. The headstone had the name of a lady and her infant child. I sat there and my mind just pictured the people that lived there. How they lived, struggled and how they survived the winters and the other elements of their surroundings.
My friends know how much I love the Owyhee Mountains. A few years back I was given a book about the Owyhee Mountains. To my surprise I found the story of this lady and her infant child. It mentioned the lady's name and how she died. It was an amazing story that just touched my soul.
The Owyhee Mountains were home to many Indian Tribes and many arrowheads have been found along the banks of some of the creeks in the Owyhee Mountains.
This is a drive worth taking and as I say, it will take you back a hundred years and you will marvel at the history and the beauty. If you fly into the Boise Idaho Airport you will be less than an hour and a half from Silver City. It will be a trip you will never forget. Silver City, Idaho. An Idaho Landmark.
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Posted By: George Tallabas - Boise Idaho Real Estate Agent - Associate Broker
with RE/MAX Advantage, Canyon Counties #1 Brokerage in sales and listings
specializing in Boise Idaho Real Estate and Southwest Idaho Real Estate.
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Hi George - what a lovely post about your area, and you can clearly see you wrote this from your love of the towns and areas you mentioned. The Snake River - I can remember going to the Snake River Stampede way back when we lived in Mountain Home AFB.
Are those dirt roads in Silver City that I'm seeing? Tumbleweeds blowing through town, saloon doors swinging back and forth - that's what that first picture makes me think of. ;-)
Very nice post on your area - great job!
Ann