Bayhorse, Idaho facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Bayhorse
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 Location in Idaho
Location in the United States
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| Location | Custer County, Idaho |
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| Nearest city | Challis, Idaho |
| Built | 1877 |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000671 |
| Added to NRHP | March 15, 1976 |
Bayhorse is a fascinating ghost town located in Custer County, Idaho, United States. It was started in 1877, but the town really began to grow around 1880. Bayhorse was once a busy mining town, famous for its large silver deposits.
In 1882, the town got better at smelting (a process to get metal from ore). This helped them produce a lot of silver. In just one year, they made $300,000 worth of silver! By 1885, about 300 people lived in Bayhorse. The town had many businesses, including a mill, three stores, a hotel, a restaurant, a meat market, a lodging house, and even five saloons. That same year, they built a refinery. This allowed them to make silver bars directly in town. By 1900, Bayhorse had mined over $10 million worth of valuable metals, including silver, lead, and copper.
In 1976, the entire community of Bayhorse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a special place protected for its history. The state of Idaho bought the town property in 2006. Since 2009, it has been open to the public as part of the Land of the Yankee Fork State Park.
What You Can See Today
If you visit Bayhorse today, you can still see many cool things. Along the main dirt street, there are preserved ruins of old houses. You can also spot mining equipment that was used long ago. Another interesting sight is the charcoal kilns. These were special ovens used to make charcoal. The charcoal was then used to heat up and smelt the ore from the mines. It's like stepping back in time to see how people lived and worked in a mining town!
