Explore Idaho – The Richest Gold-Producing State In America

By: Marlene Affeld

Americans continue to carry on a love affair with gold, which began in 1799 when the metallic mineral appeared in North Carolina. During the 1800s and early 1900s, almost every farmer, merchant, business owner, camp cook, prostitute, thief, gambler, logger, cowboy, or drifter suffered a raging case of “gold fever.”

Discovery of the mysterious yellow metal brought the original settlers to the region and motivated the establishment of the Idaho Territory in 1863. As noted in statistics released by the United States Bureau of Mines, Idaho has produced more gold to date than any other state – mega-dollars and still counting. Today, more than 140 years since gold was first discovered, there is much more out there waiting for the recreational prospector to unearth; the “Old-Timers,” using primitive methods and tools, failed to get it all.

Locating gold in Idaho is a straightforward process once you familiarize yourself with some of the many rivers and general areas to start prospecting. The “Gem State” is inundated with a wealth of good gold prospecting locations. Over 10 million troy ounces of gold have been recovered in areas throughout the state: enough that, at today’s prices, would amount to more than 2 billion dollars worth of gold.

Canal Gulch Discovery Prompts Massive Gold Rush

Trappers for the Hudson’s Bay Company first witnessed gold in the creeks of the vast northwest in 1844. However, it would be after almost two decades of opposition from warring Indian tribes that gold made its mark on the history of what today is the State of Idaho.

In the early autumn of 1860, a party of ten brave prospectors, led by Captain E. D. Pierce, rode into the Nez Perce Reservation on a quest for gold. After a lengthy period of prospecting without as much as a promise of color, one of the exploratory groups, a fellow named Wilbur Basset, found the object of their search along the banks of Canal Gulch.

Basset's discovery set off a search for gold that would dramatically change the course of the history of America forever. Within a month, more than 1600 mining claims popped up and down Canal Gulch following Bassett’s find. The discovery point, located at the juncture where Canal Creek joins Orofino Creek, is near what is today the historic mining community of Pierce, Idaho.

Discovery At Boise Basin

Boasting a rich and colorful historical heritage, Idaho’s mining activity fully exploded with a subsequent strike at Boise Basin on August 2, 1862. The famous discovery at Boise Basin stands as the most productive gold strike ever witnessed in the United States.

During the initial flush of discovery through 1870, the basin produced more than 30 million dollars in placer gold at a remarkable time when gold was less than $4 a troy ounce. Lode mine operations contributed another $3 million. The creek, streams, rivers, and lode mines in the Boise Basin yielded more gold than that recovered during the entire 1849 California Gold Rush or the Klondike Strike.

First, a historically significant placer gold deposit, approximately 25 miles northeast of Boise, was uncovered, followed by multiple lode and placer discoveries throughout the surrounding mountainous terrain. The largest strike recorded during the Civil War, the Boise Basin, attracted thousands of hopefuls.

By 1863, Idaho City was populated by more than 6,200 gold seekers, making it the largest town in the Northwest, displacing Portland, Oregon. The ghostly remains of Idaho City are now a preserved historical destination. Although the robust village burned to the ground several times, and some of the homes collapsed upon their foundations when miners dug tunnels beneath the town, much survives to be explored by visitors and modern-day gold prospectors.

Gold deposits were first worked with a pick, shovel, gold pans, sluices, and rocker boxes and then by hydraulic wash plants that tore away hillside and made “molehills out of mountains.” The Boise Basin, covering more than 300 square miles, is segmented into several mining districts; the most productive districts are Moore Creek, Idaho City, Quartzburg, Centerville, Pioneerville, and Grimes Pass.

These prolific districts produced over 2,800,000 ounces of gold from 1863 to 1959. Think about today’s price of gold and do the math. It is easy to see why Idaho remains a magnet for today’s recreational gold prospectors nationwide.

In Idaho, both lode and placer deposits are plentiful. Miners that worked the lode mines found the work harder and less dependable, but with a generous payday when a significant nugget surfaced. Many lode mines producing gold failed when word of a “richer” strike surfaced across the valley. Motivated by greed and a quest for glory, miners would hear of better pickings, pull up stakes, and move on, abandoning what today would be a “winning” claim.

The Quartzburg Mining District, notable for its record-breaking lode deposits, is an exception. The district is still a beehive of activity, including Cumo Mine exploration operations northwest of Idaho City.

Geologists comment that although the Boise Basin experienced much exploration, only a fraction of the sought-for metal was discovered and extracted from the ground. It stands to reason that more deposits are waiting for discovery. The Middle Fork of the Payette River, Clear Creek, Crooked Creek, and Grimes Release are areas for further research.Salmon

As easy pickings along Canal Creek played out, adventurous prospectors trekked south to discover rich gravel beds in Salmon River country. By the end of the summer of 1862, more than ten thousand hardy souls poured into the Florence Basin. For a brief period, the district produced more than $600,000 worth of gold "every day," based on today’s gold price. The Silver City Gold District in Owyhee County, which began production in 1863, has made over 1 million troy ounces or 31 metric tons of silver, primarily from lode deposits.

Central Idaho Prospecting

Known for its rugged, remote mountains, prospecting for minerals and gems in Central is best suited to the physically fit miners equipped with a dependable 4-wheel drive vehicle. There are no services beyond the western edge of Hells Canyon, so come prepared with survival supplies, mining equipment, a first aid kit, tools, food, and plenty of water.

Riggins, a welcoming town with services including mining supplies east of Cuprum, is an excellent place to check your directions, fuel up, and pick up last-minute grub and gear. Cuprum, located on the banks of the River Of No Return, also known as the Salmon River, is a 300-mile long mighty river with its tributaries. It has an established history of good gold production.

The Clearwater River, located a bit south of the Salmon, is also a proven gold producer and an excellent destination for a weekend gold panning trip. The mining community of Orofino is a good resupply point or home base for exploring the drainages of the Clearwater. The Clearwater is known for fine and flour gold.

Valley County is also an intriguing prospecting destination for the adventurous recreational prospector. The remote areas around the ghost towns of Thunder Mountain, one of the last great Idaho gold strikes, are especially interesting. Going downstream from Thunder Mountain, the historic village of Roosevelt now lies under the weight of water known as Roosevelt Lake. The lake manifested in 1909 when Monumental Creek diverted due to mudslide activity.

The areas surrounding Thunder Mountain beckon the hardy and physically fit. A 4-wheel drive is required to navigate the rugged mountain back roads accessing Monumental Creek, Big Creek, Mule Creek, and tributaries and drainages around Roosevelt Lake and Thunder Mountain.

The Idaho State Historical Society reports, “Prospecting of the Salmon River Mountains increased considerably after the Sheepeater War of 1879, and the organization of Alton district on Big Creek, June 15, 1885, extended mining from Warren's east into that region. Although there were some prospects on upper Big Creek, the primary production occurred at Snowshoe, which yielded $400,000 between 1906 and 1942.”

Sampling The Snake

Millions of ounces of gold remain gleaming in the gravel and sandbars along the Snake River. Gold panning is allowed on the banks of the Snake, except the Hells Canyon Recreational Area, where prospecting is prohibited.

Old timers report the diggings are exceptionally good below American Falls and east of the Snake in the majestic Owyhee Mountains. Silver City bears a confusing name as its fame came from gold. Silver City is a well-preserved historic gold rush town with mining artifacts and resident ghosts. Silver City is a good base camp for exploration and gold panning activities in the creeks and streams around War Eagle Mountain. Upstream, tributaries around the ghost gold fields of Empire City, Ruby City, and De Lamar are fine spots to find color.

Kellogg, Idaho – “Founded By A Jackass And Inhabited By His Descendants.”

In 1885, Noah Kellogg, a carpenter and prospector, was a young man down on his luck. He bunked down in the town of Murray, Idaho, while he wandered about, seeking someone to give him a grubstake. Finally, two local merchants, Peck and Cooper, tired of his whining, forked over the money needed for grub and gear. Mr. Peck and Mr. Cooper even threw in an old burro to tote Kellogg’s pack to get him on his way and out of their hair.

Wandering without a destination, Kellogg set forth trekking down the north fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. As he proceeded down the Coeur d’ Alene, he followed a trail that carried south over the mountain peaks, breaking free of the forest on the south fork of the Coeur d’ Alene River. Crossing the river, he proceeded south up narrow Milo Gulch. At a site that is less than 1000 feet from the City Hall of what is now the town of Wardner, Kellogg called it a day and set up camp to rest for the night. Sometime before daylight, as Kellogg slept, the jackass (burro) wandered off.

Come morning on September 4, 1885, cursing the stupid jackass, Kellogg began cross trekking the area trying to find the missing animal. Kellogg, hearing the jackass braying, found him high on a hillside. Adjacent to where the burro was grazing, Kellogg noticed the sun sparkling and glittering of something that turned out to be a massive outcropping of galena or lead ore. Kellogg’s monumental discovery established the famous Bunker Hill and Sullivan Mines and the booming mining town that bears his name. The city of Kellogg still proudly portrays its motto: “Founded By A Jackass And Inhabited By His Descendants.”

As far as breaking records and establishing benchmarks, the Silver Valley of the Idaho Panhandle is home t

one of the most abundant mineral deposits in the entire world. Pritchard Creek and Eagle Creek, near Murray's old gold ghost town, produce nice flake gold along with the occasional “eureka moment” nugget.

All the creeks, streams, rivers, and drainages around Mullan, Osburn, Silverton, and Kellogg contain placer gold. Land open to mineral entry in the panhandle falls under the jurisdiction of the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM.) Gold-bearing creeks include Big Creek, Pine Creek, the Saint Joe River, and the Coeur d’ Alene River. Providing easy access, a 73-mile paved bicycle trail runs the panhandle, following the river all the way to the Montana border.

The Silver Valley, a wealthy producer of gold, silver, lead, zinc, and galena, is responsible for most of Idaho’s mineral production. Idaho mineral production statistics indicate that from 1860 to 1969, the state produced more than $3,420,000,000 in minerals, as much as $2,880,000,000 or more than 80 percent from the metallic mining areas of the Silver Valley.

The Coeur d’Alene Mining District in Shoshone County has produced more than 440 thousand troy ounces (13.7 tons) of gold as a byproduct of silver mining.

Whether you are looking for gold or garnets, areas near St. Maries, Bonners Ferry, Moyie Springs, Copper Falls, and Eastport, Idaho, are open for mineral entry.

Rules And Regulations

Watersheds in Idaho are under the control of the state and the stewardship of the USFS and the BLM. The BLM and USFS manage more than two-thirds of all Idaho waterways, and much of it is open to recreational gold prospecting with non-mechanized equipment. If you want to pan for gold in Idaho, obtain a permit from the Idaho Department of Water Resources.

Idaho defined the miners' understanding of lode and placer gold. Both are found in Idaho. Lode gold is embedded in quartz and is impossible to retrieve by panning. Placer gold is anything from dust to nuggets dislodged by earthquake or erosion from its nesting spot to wash downstream. Spring runoff and massive avalanches carry considerable distances from the source. As gold moves down the creek, it tumbles against other rocks where the friction makes it smooth. The rougher the gold, the less distance it has traveled. Nuggets may appear when sniping or engaging a metal detector. Flour, flake, and small gold nuggets grace the lucky prospector's pan.

Respect Mineral Rights

Before you even think about panning or metal detecting on public or private land, determine the ownership and if a mineral claim or patent cover the property in question. The Idaho Department of Lands, the local County Treasurer’s Office, and the Bureau of Land Management are good references for checking land ownership. Don’t be a claim jumper! Always inquire if gold panning is allowed and do trespass. If gold panning is permitted, please respect the privilege - “Pack it in and pack it out,” filling all test holes and leaving only footprints.

The Idaho State Department of Water Resources warns, “It is a misdemeanor in Idaho to alter a stream channel without the permit or to violate the conditions of the permit. You will likely encounter a fine from $150-$500 per day for violations. Also, it is important to understand that an IDWR permit does not allow you access to private lands or another person's mining claim or lease. Mineral removal from streams on private lands requires permission or a mineral lease from the owner.”

References:

History Of Mining In Idaho

https://history.idaho.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/reference-series/0009.pdf

Mining History Of South Central Idaho

http://www.idahogeology.org/PDF/Pamphlets_(P)/P-131.pdf

Idaho Department Of Water Resources – Mining Permits

https://www.idwr.idaho.gov/streams/recreational-mining-permits.html

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