Silver City, Idaho

Silver City is a ghost town in Owyhee County, Idaho, United States. At its height in the 1880s it was a gold and silver mining town with a population of around 2,500 and approximately 75 businesses. Silver City served as county seat of Owyhee County from 1867 to 1934. Today, the town has about 70 standing buildings, all of which are privately owned. Many of the owners are third or fourth generation descendants of the original miners. There are a handful of small businesses, but no gas or service stations.

Silver City was founded in 1864 soon after silver was discovered at nearby War Eagle Mountain. The first daily newspaper and telegraph office in Idaho Territory were established in Silver City. The town was also among the first places in Idaho to receive electric and telephone service. After the placer and quartz vein mines were played out around the time Idaho became a state in 1890, and due in part to its extremely remote location, Silver City began a slow decline, but was never completely abandoned. Small-scale mining continued off and on until World War II; the last mine to be operated all year round in Silver City was the Potossi and the Manager was Ned Williams. The Idaho Hotel in Silver City was restored and re-opened in 1972.

Silver City is located 25 miles south-west of Murphy via a dirt road.

References

Further reading

* [http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0200.pdf The Owyhee Country]
* [http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0336.pdf Owyhee County]
* [http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0145.pdf Stage Lines - Owyhee]
* [http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0869.pdf Charles A. Hackney and the Owyhee Avalanche]
* [http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/1124.pdf Population Of Silver City, 1864-1910]
* [http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0238.pdf Ruby and Silver City War Meetings February 14-15, 1866]
* [http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0239.pdf Battle of Three Forks and the Owyhee Cannon]
* [http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0358.pdf Camp Three Forks]
* [http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0553.pdf The Stoddard House in Silver City]
* [http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0940.pdf Silver City Historic Buildings and Sites]
* [http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0218.pdf Boise, Nampa, AND Owyhee Railroad]
* [http://library.boisestate.edu/Special/FindingAids/fa100b.htm Catherine Minear Moore]
* [http://idahohistory.cdmhost.com/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/p265501coll1&CISOPTR=269&REC=3 The Owyhee War -1868]
* [http://idahohistory.cdmhost.com/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=any&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=/p265501coll1&CISOBOX1=Owyhee&CISOSTART=1,1 Idaho State Historical Society Digital Collections pertaining to the Owyhee mining district]

External links

* [http://historicsilvercityidaho.com/ Historic Silver City Idaho]