Idaho’s ghost town that’s still alive
Published at | Updated at
SILVER CITY – Silver City once served as one of Owyhee County’s prime silver-mining spots, but now it’s a living ghost town.
The small town boomed after a surplus of gold and silver was discovered in and around Silver City in the 1800s.
Today, 71 buildings are left in the town. Of those, 65 are occupied.
The town is entirely run on solar power and is self-sufficient, said Roger Nelson, owner of the Idaho Hotel in Silver City, as well as the town’s drug store. The hotel’s solar panels have been in place since 1983.
Nelson said Silver City is the largest town to be entirely powered by solar power, and the hotel still takes reservations.
The Idaho Hotel opened in 1863 after gold and silver deposits were discovered in the Owyhee Mountains. Nelson bought it in 2001.
“(Silver City is) the most intact town of its age, and its buildings are actually used,” Nelson said
Open house
Silver City will hold an open house from noon to 5 p.m. on Sept. 17 to 18, displaying at least 10 private buildings to the public. Admission for adults is $10 and admission for children younger than 12 is $5.
Because some of the homes are still occupied, some of them have old miners’ original furniture, which will be available for viewing. The school house and church will also be open.
It is the 22nd year the town has held the open house.
Other historic cities, such as Bodie, California, are no longer privately owned, he said.
Bodie is also a mining town that popped up as a camp in the 1880s when gold was discovered. In 1962, the state of California declared it Bodie State Historic Park.
“You can look through the windows (in Bodie), but you can’t actually go in,” he said of the government-owned town.
Many of the homes in Silver City are still home to original furnishings because when miners left in a hurry and they couldn’t take the belongings with them.
At its peak, Silver City’s population hit about 2,500 people with about 75 businesses. In 1972, Silver City Historical District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, including the Owyhee County Courthouse. When the district was nationally registered, mill sites, tunnels, shafts and exposed quartz vein could still be seen along War Eagle Mountain and Florida Mountain.
The National Register lists Silver City’s mineral yield at $40 million until large companies shut down in 1912. After wartime restrictions ended mining in 1942, Silver City became the ghost town it is today, according to the Idaho Historical Society.
If you go
Nelson says people should not use their GPS to get to Silver City. Head toward toward Murphy and take Silver City Road. GPS directions will take you down non-paved roads and could destroy your car.
Outside of social events, the hotel is remembered for a few brawls as well.
While many were fistfights and shootings, the most famous brawl was the fatal J. Marion Moore and Samuel Lockhart shooting that occurred in front of the hotel in 1868, according to the hotel’s history.
Although the hotel has many reservations for the summer already, it can still accept some new reservations for those wanting a tour. Get contact information for the hotel here.
“There’s not another city like Silver City anywhere,” Nelson said.