The Long Way
Owyhee County
People walking through a mountain cemetery.
Plate I. Cemetery in Silver City. From visitidaho.org
An aerial view of a rustic mountain town nestled among forested hills.
Plate II. Historic wooden buildings, Silver City. From visitidaho.org
A view of historic wooden buildings nestled in a mountain valley.
Plate III. Historic wooden buildings in Silver City. From visitidaho.org
Exterior view of historic wooden buildings along a dirt street with a forest behind.
Plate IV. Historic wooden buildings in Silver City. From visitidaho.org
A historic two-story white building stands in a desert landscape with mountains in the background.
Plate V. Historic schoolhouse in Silver City. From visitidaho.org
Two children playing by a flowing river.
Plate VI. Panning for gold, Silver City. From visitidaho.org
A weathered gravestone stands outdoors in a grassy area.
Plate VII. Cemetery headstone, Silver City. From visitidaho.org

Silver City

Murphy, Owyhee County, Idaho. Ghost town.

Details

Map. Murphy, Owyhee County, Idaho. Larger map
Where
Murphy, Owyhee County, ID. No street address stated. Directions
Season
Roads in and out are typically closed from November to May, opening on or around Memorial Day weekend.
Getting there
From Boise, find your way to Murphy; Silver City Road begins about 5 miles south of Murphy and climbs over New York Summit into town.
Access
The property is all private and visitors walk the town when the road is open; dry camping (no potable water or plumbing), outhouses, and little food; bring your own water due to mercury leached from years of mining; the road is suitable for most cars, though an SUV or truck with clearance handles the upper stretches more comfortably.
Phone
208.495.1154
Established
1860's.

Seventy or so structures still remain standing downtown, just as they did back in the 1860's, with most buildings slouched on the hills above Jordan Creek; the property is all private and the township is a listed historic district.

Sources

  1. visitidaho.org/travel-tips/silver-city-and-other-owyhee-treasures