IDAHOHISTORY

THE QUEEN OF GOLD CAMPS

The year was 1862

Gold had just been discovered in the Boise Basin. Drawn by the lure of instant
wealth, prospectors poured into the area by the thousands. Towns sprang up
everywhere, like mushrooms. The development of the State of Idaho was underway.

Almost overnight Idaho City became the largest town in the territory. It was a
beehive of commercial activity. In its heyday the city boasted more than 250
businesses, including such amenities as opera and theater houses, music stores,
tailors, breweries, bowling alleys, barber shops and bakeries, pool halls and drug
stores. And, of course, numerous saloons.

It was a bawdy, lusty town where whiskey was cheaper than water. Life was cheap,
too. Men went armed at all times and were quick to defend themselves. Winners in
disputes often spent time in the stout log jail. Losers were carted off to Pioneer
Cemetery.

Despite the atmosphere of lawlessness, Idaho City flourished. Within three years of
its founding, the city had surpassed Portland, Oregon, as the most populous in the
Northwest. And no wonder: during the gold rush more than $250,000,000.00 worth
of the precious yellow metal was taken from the Boise Basin.

From boom to bust...

Within a few years of the strike, the
gold had become harder to find and
more difficult to mine. With fortunes no
longer to be made, the prospectors left
in droves.

Fires also ravaged the community. The
first, in 1865, wiped out eighty percent
of the buildings in town. Others, in
1867,1868, and 1871, were similarly
destructive. Luckily, due to the
extraordinary wealth of the gold strike,
the town was speedily rebuilt each time.
Today some of the best examples of
early brick work and wooden
architecture still exit in Idaho City.
Many structures erected in the 1860's
remain standing and represent some of
Idaho's most important historical
buildings.

In spite of adversity, Idaho City still
thrives more than 140 years after its
founding.