HomeMy Public PortalAboutGhost Towns - Grahamv• `7-4/ p kza--/
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Ghastly
Tied to London
GRAHAM — Rusty square nails, bits
of purple glass, and the remnants of
once -sturdy log cabins are all that re-
main of a London -financed, million -dol-
lar mining venture near the Sawtooth
Wilderness.
In the midst of the cabin ruins re-
main bits of the lives of the 300 men
and 41 ladies who once made their
home at Graham, such as pieces of a
white china saucer which bears the
name of a London firm.
The ruins, no longer distinguishable
as a saloon, boarding house, or miner's
cabin, have tiny trees sprouting
through the once sturdy walls. In every
gully behind each cabin are rusted
square tin cans which crumble beneath
a hiking boot.
Chunks of mining equipment are so
rusted that it is impossible to deter-
mine the original purpose.
The once booming mining town of
Graham is now 'a small campsite on
the North Fork of the Boise River,
about 80 miles north of Boise. The
rocky road to Graham climbs to 8,000
feet before it drops to the river.
The landscape around the one-time
town is painted in red, purple, yellow,
and white by wild flowers speckling
the forest. There are the strange or-
ange mushrooms poking from the
ground like displaced Florida oranges.
These have been nibbled by some crea-
ture with a large and very uneven bite.
Graham now is a lovely place for
camping, best for tenters. The rough
road discourages trailer campers.
There are two small campsites near
the one-time town. Fishing is good on
the North Fork of the Boise River.
In 1885 Matthew Graham, an Atlanta
silver miner,believed the area around
Silver Mountain deserved exploration.
At that time there was not much at-
tention given to the dull red out-
croppings which attracted Graham's
interest. Graham was a good promoter
with experience in selling Atlanta
mines in both New York and London.
His backers agreed to finance the Sil-
ver Mountain venture.
In Boise, The Statesman reported:
"It is evident that the new discovery
will eclipse any of the older quartz dis-
coveries in Idaho."
THE CORNER OF AN OLD CABIN at Graham reveals the sturdy co
by a ,builder without using' nails. Poking around in the logs that h
from the cabin, one can find remnants of the miner's lives.
The Atlanta News was even more en-
thusiastic about Graham's venture de-
claring, "The ledges of Silver district
are simply enormous."
Exploration began early in 1886, with
two shifts of miners who drove a tun-
nel some 240 feet to strike a vein at
Photos, Story by
Mary ,lane Williams
•
ti
out 200 feet beneath the surface. Re-
sults appeared to be favorable enough
!v;'that Matthew Graham managed to in-
terest London capitalists. In 1887 a
$15,000 road was completed to the min-
ing camp and a 500-_foot exploratory
tunnel was completed.
The vein contained what was inter-
preted to be ore worth $30 to $50 a ton
with a richer zone six feet wide report-
ed worth $90 a ton.
The news encouraged the mining
group which undertook the devel-
opment of an elegant 20 stamp mill.
About 150 men were employed.
Wages at Graham were $4 a day for
miners, and $3.50 for outside workers,
with $7 for carpenters and stonema-
sons. The rates, which were unusually
high, reflected the difficulty of getting
skilled labor to work in the remote dis-
trict.
Some 50 to 60 men worked through
the winter of 1888, as the Silver Moun-
tain boom reached its peak.
The new town of Graham boasted six
saloons, one store, five boarding
houses, one restaurant, two blacksmith
shops, a jail, and a butcher shop. It
also had a justice of the peace, two
faro games, 300 men and 41 ladies.
By August of 1888, the mill was com-
pleted with a mile -long tramway to
haul ore from the mine to the mill.
There were even telephones connecting
the mine and mill.
The only thing lacking in the whole
production was valuable ore. After a
few trial runs, the mill shut down. Gra-
ham spent the winter in London ar-
ranging for more British capital.
While Graham was on his way to
London an attachment for unpaid debts
led the county sheriff to take over the
mine.
It is said that those who stayed on at
e mining village that winter "had a
gay old time." The watchman was the
only one with anything to do at all, and
that was not a very taxing job.
June of 1889 brought three English
mining engineers to examine the prop-
erty. They were reported pleased with
the prospects and approved the 6,000-
foot tunnel which Graham wanted.
However, London money in the Idaho
venture had run out and the Graham
t mining property was sold at three sep-
a arate sheriff's sales held in August at
Graham, in September at Rocky Bar,
and in November at Idaho City. At the
final sale, the $350,000 mill was sold for
$9,500. The tramway, buildings, and
mines brought only $500.
It was estimated $1 million had been
spent in the search for gold and silver
at Graham.
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THIS ROAD LEADS to the Graham Airstrip after winding
past the U.S. Forest Service Guard Station at the site of
the mining boom town of Graham.
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THIS MAY HAVE been the saloon, butcher shop, or black-
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s THE NORTH FORK OF THE BOISE RIVER where once miners and their
ladies got the water for the necessities of life in a mining camp. The photo was
taken from the Graham Bridge, near the old mining town.
smith shop. There is nothing left to distinguish one cabin
from another at the extinct town of Graham.
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ALL THAT REMAINS of Matthew Graham's $1 million
dream to bring out both gold and silver ore is this brick
wall at the milling site and crumbling cabins at the site of
Graham.