Bayhorse Ghost Town

We had toast or banana bread before our short walk with dogs on BLM land. As we walked, we picked up more rocks for potential tumbling.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lewis and Clark Trail

We had a light breakfast, then Mark and Steve walked the dogs in the desert while Mary and Cindy packed for day. On the drive to Salmon, we saw ring neck pheasants and chukkers on the Farm-Market Road from May to Ellis.

While Mark and Cindy were in the Lemhi County tax office, we walked around Salmon. We especially liked the park on the small island in the Salmon River. We met up and ate a late breakfast at Odd Fellows Bakery in Salmon. The restaurant is in an old building that had the Odd Fellows Lodge in Salmon. We had ham and jam croissant sandwiches, then split a bear claw and a molasses ginger cookie. The bakery had a small but nice dining area upstairs. Everything was very good.

Cindy on the Lewis & Clark Trail

We drove by Sharkey Hot Springs and up to the top of the mountain on Forest Service Roads to reach the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail at Lemhi Pass. We walked along part of the trail that the Lewis and Clark party took over the continental divide. The area is really beautiful with fall flowers remaining in the high mountain meadows. We could understand how the explorers saw such beauty in the area.

At the "Most Distant Fountain"

Our walk at Lemhi Pass took us through parts of Idaho and Montana as the trail winded along. This pass in in the Beaverhead Mountains of the Bitterroot Range at about 8,000 feet elevation. We stopped at the Sacajawea Memorial Area with a small picnic area dedicated to Sacajawea. We took a few snapshots and read interpretative signs on the Lewis and Clark expedition. We also went to “The Most Distant Fountain”, the spring that is reputed to be the head of the Missouri River. It is here that Lewis and Clark met the Shoshoni tribe. Fortunately, the chief of the tribe was Sacagawea’s brother. Although over 200 years have passed since the Lewis and Clark expedition, this area remains virtually unchanged other than a narrow dirt access road that has replaced the footrail.

Elk herd near Tendoy

We drove on the Lewis and Clark Trail, coming out at Tendoy, Idaho.  Turning south on ID-28, we stopped at a roadside park with interpretative signage about steelhead and salmon spawning in the area. We continued driving south on Rt. 28 near Lemhi when Mark spotted a mother moose and her two calves. Mark made a quick U turn to go back for photos. The adult moose watched us cautiously, keeping her calves near, but we were able to get a good look at the three of them.

We drove through Leadore on the Nez Perce Trail and toward the town of Gilmore to see the beehive clay charcoal ovens near Nicholia. On Rt. 28 we saw a herd of 75 over elk including several large bulls. Further south on the road, we saw several pronghorns including a herd of over 25 animals.

The Birch Creek Charcoal Kilns were built in 1886 to produce charcoal for the lead and silver mining operations at the Viola Mines about 10 miles east of the kilns. The charcoal was also used at the Nichola Smelter about three miles west of the mines. At one time there were 16 clay brick kilns at this site; each were about 20 feet in diameter and 20 feet tall. Every kiln could produce 1500 to 2000 bushels of charcoal during a two-day run.  Each held 30 to 40 cords of wood, typically Douglas fir, per load.

Birch River charcoal kilns

The ovens were in operation for less than three years when the price of lead fell. The site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and the Forest Service restored the kilns in 2000.

As we drove, we saw a harrier hawk dive down for a ground squirrel. We noticed it because of the especially long wings for a hawk. As we continued the 70-mile drive back to Salmon, we saw the pronghorn and elk herds again but from a distance this time. We also saw deer and sand hill cranes in fields as we drove.

Moose near Tendoy

We decided on the Dusty Mule Bar & Grill for dinner. This is one of the dinner options near Mark and Cindy, so they are regulars at the diner. The restaurant was especially busy this evening, and the waitresses were flying around trying to get everyone served. We were able to get a table without waiting and were not in a hurry to get our meals. Mary, Cindy and Mark had the Friday special, chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes. I went with the black and blue burger, a half-pound patty with blue cheese. The burger was very good and cooked just right. However, the French fries were inedible. They were brown on the outside but completely raw. If struck me as funny to get bad potatoes at a meal in Idaho.

We made the short drive back to the house in May, where we bathed and watched the mystery, Witness for the Prosecution on Acorn.