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ID Central Idaho

ID Central Idaho

Central Idaho, including the Sawtooths and Frank Church Wilderness

11 posts

Oro Cache Mine

Oro Cache Mine

The Oro Cache Mine was a small gold producer in the Beaverhead Mountains near Salmon. It is at the head of Freeman Creek, and was the largest mine in the tiny Carmen Creek Mining District. The mine was supposedly discovered in 1897, and was developed rapidly. It operated intermittently until

Sunnyside Mill

Sunnyside Mill

Deep in the forests of central Idaho and almost entirely surrounded by the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness is the Sunnyside Mine. Once a large mine, it has been completely reclaimed. It does have some mill ruins left. Discovered by the Caswell brothers in 1899, they sold the mine

"Sulphur Dog" Mine

"Sulphur Dog" Mine

We read about an old mine deep in the forests of Idaho with the remains of a 10-stamp mill and, more interestingly, a "portable" smelter. Smelters are rare, and it's even rarer to find one deep in the backcountry. And I've never even heard of a portable one. The mine

Hermes Mine

Hermes Mine

Deep in the woods of Idaho, cinnabar was discovered at the headwaters of Sugar Creek (later renamed Cinnabar Creek) by Pringle Smith in 1902. Actual mining didn’t start until the early 1920s and even then, it was limited to only a few flasks of mercury. The mine was worked

Livingston Mill

Livingston Mill

We got a tour of this mining camp in central Idaho from the caretaker who lives on-site. He was very generous with his time and was happy to show us around. I asked him why the name “Trump” was painted on the mill buildings and he said: “You never know.

"Hunting Grounds" Mill

"Hunting Grounds" Mill

Lost in the woods of central Idaho, we found a Chilean-style roller mill still full of ore waiting to be processed. The mill is a C.C. Lane slow-speed roller mill and was installed at the millsite around 1930. It once had a steam engine to go along with the

"Silver Edsel" Mill

"Silver Edsel" Mill

Mines in this part of Idaho were first worked in the 1880s and 1890s but development didn’t start in a serious way until the 1920s when the first mill was built on this site. The mill was expanded in 1934 into a 50-ton (per day) mill. The lead and