Wagontown was one of the earliest settlements in the DeLamar District. Located near the town of DeLamar, Wagontown was primarily a placer mining operation, with tin being the main extracted ore. Today, all that is left of Wagontown is an old cemetery.

In 1865, Silas Skinner began constructing a toll road by hand, to aid in the transport of supplies for miners and the shipment of precious metals to the West Coast. The Skinner Toll Road, opened on May 19, 1866, linked to a route to Chico, California, and eventually to San Francisco, enabling freight to traverse between Silver City and Chico within a week. As traffic gradually shifted, more freight from Silver City traveled the Skinner Toll Road, leading to Chico via the Sacramento River, rather than the Columbia River route.

Jordan Creek is a 99 mile tributary to the Owyhee River. It was in this creek that the first gold placers were discovered in 1863, leading to the rush of growth in the area during the heyday of gold and silver mining. Today, Jordan Creek is used for irrigation for local ranches.

The DeLamar Mine, described as “the first modern open pit silver mine”, operated from 1977 to 1998. It has been reported that 625,500 ounces of gold and 45 million ounces of silver were produced over the life of the mine. In 2017, Integra Resources acquired the project and gold and silver mining is, once again, in active production in this area.

DeLamar, founded in 1888 by mining magnate Joseph R. DeLamar, was a thriving silver mining community nestled in Idaho’s Owyhee mountain range. Situated near Jordan Creek, the town featured a bustling business district and a nearby area known as “Tough Town,” renowned for its lively saloons, livery barns, and red-light district. Modern for its time, De Lamar had electric lighting, telegraph, and telephone connections. The town grew around the De Lamar Mining Company’s central plant, surrounded by mills, residences, and mercantile shops.

De Lamar’s prosperity was short-lived, with its decline beginning shortly after 1890. It remained inhabited for a few more decades, hosting a summer-only post office until 1930. In 1976, De Lamar was recognized as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places, although only four original structures remain today, now located on private property within a modern open-pit mining operation.

DeLamar Cemetery is a short side trip up a dirt road. Turn north and head up the hillside. You’ll come upon the cemetery, established in 1890.

On your right, up on the hill is a grove of Aspen trees. Aspens are the most widespread tree in North America. From the Midwest, across Canada, north into Alaska and across the West through to Arizona and New Mexico, quaking aspens dot the edge of conifer forests in clusters or “clones.” A grove of aspen is recognized to be one organism, meaning each tree is a genetic replica of all the trees in the group. In fact, one aspen grove in Utah is thought to be 80,000 years old, and is considered the heaviest living organism on earth. If you’re lucky to be on this route in the fall, keep your eyes peeled for the vibrant yellows and oranges that aspens are known for.

Only the cement power plant ruins and remnants of the mine stand as reminders of Dewey. Initially named Booneville, the town was purchased and rebuilt by Colonel W.H. Dewey in 1896. Renamed in his honor, Dewey flourished briefly with the construction of a grand three-story hotel, a post office, and a twenty-stamp mill. There was even talk of becoming the terminus for the Boise, Nampa, and Owyhee Railroad. However, the town declined as mining activity died, and the hotel succumbed to fire, ultimately leading to a ghost town.

The Silver City Cemetery holds the remains of over 300 individuals, divided into two sections. The “Masonic” portion, established in 1871, contains around 100 graves, while the “Citizens” section, established in 1876, holds approximately 200. Presently, only about 60 burial plots are visibly marked, with the majority lost to the passage of time.

As you exit town, look to your left for the sign marking the direction to the cemetery.

Today, Silver City is kept alive by tourism. Accommodations include a historic hotel, recently outfitted with indoor plumbing. Silver City has two prominent cemeteries—the Masons/I.O.O.F Cemetery and the Silver City Citizens Cemetery. A third cemetery, up Slaughterhouse Gulch hill, bears a simple sign reading “Cemetery,” serving as the final resting place for the town’s Chinese population. Chinese miners made up 21% of the population. Most of the Chinese graves in Silver City were relocated, leaving this Cemetery as a poignant reminder of the town’s overlooked Chinese residents amidst the romanticized tales of its mining heyday.