boise basin museum

Idaho City was a BOOM TOWN in 1864, with miners coming from around the US and the world to try their fortunes in one of the least remembered gold rushes of the era. The town itself was far from unknown as at one time it is reported to have been home to between 25,000 and 30,000 residents. It also, unfortunately, liked to catch fire often and completely - with at least 2 years of catastrophic fires back-to-back. During that time, it WAS the Old West - with prospectors, cowboys, plenty of bars, and Main Street Showdowns. In fact, a US Marshal met his end in a duel with the once-Mayor of the city - reported in the street. Of course that's the short version of a longer tale with much more intrigue and "old-westishness." (Don't mind the spelling or if that's even a word. If you reach Idaho City, and miss the museum, you've lost the opportunity to gain a huge amount of insight into the town itself as well as the culture of the area. In fact, there is an even more remote museum, in the small town of Placerville to the Northeast of Idaho City. Putting both of these stops at the top of your travel itinerary will provide an excellent insight into the history, industry, and livelihood of those who braved to call this rugged, beautiful, and potentially lucrative area over a century and a half ago.