ISHS 73-57-18 The Caswell brothers in their cabin. The Caswell brothers discovered gold at Thunder Mountain in Valley County. Left to right: Lew, Ben, Dan based on a tentative identification from Mrs. Elsa Phelps, grand niece

In 1862, the discovery of gold in the Boise Basin initiated a population explosion in southern Idaho. Word of earlier discoveries at Pierce (1860) and Florence (1861), in northern and central Idaho, drew hoards of eager prospectors to the region. Silver City, Idaho City, formerly known as Bannock City, and many other boom towns quickly grew from small tent city encampments into sophisticated mining centers.

In 1881, led by the discovery of gold in the north fork of the Coeur d’Alene River, mining migration shifted to north Idaho. In 1883, during the cold winter months, prospectors again discovered gold in the Coeur d’Alene region. Between late 1883 and early 1884, thousands of miners braved frigid temperatures using little more than snowshoes to traverse the rugged, snowy terrain. In 1885, Noah Kellogg made perhaps the most important find to date in the region when he pulled out silver from the south fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. On September 4th, suggests local legend, Kellogg’s jackass wandered away from his camp and upon looking for the creature Kellogg noticed a glimmer in the river. Whether the legend is true or not, the story speaks to the importance of Kellogg’s find which led to the largest mining enterprise in Idaho, the Bunker Hill and Sullivan Mine.

While most miners found little more than adventure and bad luck, a few found gold and fortune. One thing is true, Idaho yielded gold, silver and wealth beyond imagination, truly earning its moniker as the Gem State. In 1899, Jay A. Czizek, inspector of mines, reported that between 1860 and 1899, men and women extracted $250,000,000 worth of gold and silver from Idaho. By today’s standards and prices that amount exceeds $6,000,000,000.

Report broken links to webmaster@ishs.idaho.gov and Idaho State Historical Society • 2205 Old Penitentiary Road • Boise, Idaho 83712 Phone 208-334-2682 • Fax 208-334-2774