Bayhorse Ghost Town

The Bayhorse Historic District, nestled within a narrow, deep canyon next to Bayhorse Creek in Custer County, Idaho, stands as one of the state’s better-preserved 19th-century mining camps. Founded in 1877 on the promise of a significant lead-silver property, the town expanded rapidly after 1880, reaching a peak population of between 300 and 500 residents and ultimately producing about $10,000,000 in wealth by 1898. The complex mining operation centered on the Ramshorn mine and featured critical industrial infrastructure, including a powerful smelter (once producing eighty tons of bullion monthly), an aerial tramway for ore transport, and the impressive Gilmer and Salisbury Stamp Mill. However, Bayhorse's boom ended abruptly in late 1889 following a fire and an unfavorable government ruling on silver lead ores, causing the smelter to close and the town to become "practically deserted" within two weeks. Compounded by declining silver prices and the high costs of shipping ore from the isolated canyon, all remaining operations ceased by 1915. Today, the site is managed as part of the Land of the Yankee Fork State Park, preserving structures like original log cabins, the mill site, and several intact beehive charcoal kilns for visitors to experience the history of this typical, though isolated, central Idaho mining town.