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| Bayhorse ghost town |
When we returned, we had a cold cereal breakfast and packed for trip to Bayhorse, an old silver mining ghost town. We made a quick stop at the transfer station. The key wouldn’t work in the lock, so we kept the garbage in the back of the pickup. Cindy called the waste company and was told that the problem would be looked into soon. We dropped some mail at Ellis Post Office before heading south to Challis. From there we took ID-75 along the Salmon River to the Bayhorse Road.
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| Bayhorse ghost town |
We stopped at the abandoned town, which is now a state park, and picked up a pamphlet guide to the remaining buildings in the town and mining area. Mining started in the town in the 1870s, but the most productive years were from 1882 through the 1890s as the technology for extraction improved. However, the prices for silver and lead dropped at the beginning of the 20th century leading to a cessation of mining operations. In the heyday of the town, the population was over 300. It is said that the area was named Bayhorse because a man with two bay horses told prospectors of a rich silver ore in the area.
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| Building shingled with tin cans |
A lot of buildings from the town and mining operations are still standing. We were impressed by a remaining stone structure that was used in the refining operation. A large structure used in silver and lead extraction was built on the slope of the mountain, taking advantage of gravity to carry the ore through the process of extraction to wagons below. Residents of the town had a unique approach to weatherproofing their building. Shingles on the roof were tin cans that had the top and bottom removed, cut and flattened. Siding was done with the same technique but with larger containers such as lard cans. It seemed like a practical way to reuse the cans that would otherwise have been waste. We walked up the path toward the mines. A short distance away were to the beehive charcoal kilns, where wood would be converted into charcoal for use in smelting the ores. As we were looking at the kilns, Cindy found a prairie rattlesnake crossing the road and headed for cracks in the brick kilns.
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| Prairie rattlesnake at Bayhorse ghost town |
As we returned to the parking area, we met the ranger on duty, who answered some questions and seemed happy to have us visiting the area.
We drove further out the one lane gravel road that was deeply rutted to Little Bayhorse Lake. A few people were fishing, and there was a campground with a few campers. Mark said that he fished this lake last year and had some success catching trout. We had a cracker, peanut butter, and snacks lunch in the truck then walked around the lake. The weather had turned breezy and cool. The path around the lake was swampy in some areas and muddy where cattle had been. We collected a few rocks that might polish well as we walked. About halfway through the walk, a rain started and the wind became colder and more intense. We got back in the truck to drive to Big Bayhorse Lake. As we were leaving, we noticed the group fishing in the lake was also walking toward their vehicles.
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| Little Bayhorse Lake |
Big Bayhorse Lake wasn’t far, but the road was even worse. The sun was out, but the temperature had dropped to 52. We decided to forego a second walk.
Driving back down to ID-75 we saw a squirrel with long, black-tipped tail and a turkey hen with 5 small chicks. The turkeys appeared to be the same species as our eastern wild turkeys.
On our way back to May, we stopped for groceries at Lamb’s Foodtown in Challis. We were back at the house around 4:00, where the temperature was in the low 70s with a light breeze.
Dinner was Smithfield teriyaki pork tenderloin, rice and salad which was very good. We were cold, tired and hungry.
After dinner, Carron, Dean and Mac Morgan stopped by to get chicken food for their other chickens. Mac, Carron and Dean’s grandson, is 11 months old.
Watched two episodes of Madame Blanc Mysteries on Acorn TV before turning in. Mark and Cindy seemed to enjoy this show.
