1000 miles of History, Ghost Towns and Amazing Scenery.

Hodakaguy

Adventurer
Just finished a 4 day 1000 mile road trip with the van and my father joined the trip with his Tacoma/Vagabond camper. Such a cool road trip, soooo much scenery and history to explore out there.

Warning...Picture Heavy Post.


Heading out of town we were treated to an awesome sunrise.

20200730_054701-X2.jpg


First up was the historic mining town of Wallace ID. This is town is full of history and cool things to explore. There is also a bicycle trail on a old railroad bed that is all down hill and travels through tunnels and over trestles...we will have to come back for those!

P7302970-X2.jpg



Dad checking out the signs :)

P7302964-X2.jpg



Wallace is home to the Center Of The Universe!

P7302981-X2.jpg



I found it strange that the Center of the Universe is located in the middle of a 4 way intersection where people will want to stand on it to take photos lol. All locations in town are referenced from the Cnter of the Universe :).

P7302984-X2.jpg


P7302986-X2.jpg


P7303103-X2.jpg



This pawn/antique shop in Wallace is a very cool shop, a must stop when your there!

P7303037-X2.jpg



Dad checking out the Mermaid

P7303021-X2.jpg


P7303020-X2.jpg



My wife checking out the lovely room of death lol.

P7303028-X2.jpg


P7303031-X2.jpg



More fun stores

P7303054-X2.jpg


20200730_101047-X2.jpg


P7303067-X2.jpg



Wallace is famous for it's houses of prostitution, there were MANY of them in this small town. The last operating brothel closed in 1991. The Oasis cat house closed in 1988 and was boarded up tight with everything inside...they just turned off the lights and left, eventually it was purchased and the time capsule was opened and its now a perfectly preserved museum. Really good tour.

P7303086-X2.jpg


P7303106-X2.jpg


20200730_114403-X2.jpg



Continued Below....
 

Hodakaguy

Adventurer
Continued from above...

P7303119-X2.jpg


P7303100-X2.jpg


P7303123-X2.jpg



Next we left Wallace and headed about 7 miles out of town to the ghost town of Burke ID. Burke was one of the largest producers of silver, zinc and lead. Look up Burke on youtube for some really cool history.

Burke back in the day.....

P7303066-X2.jpg



Today little is left except small ruins, you would never know how massive this place really was.

P7303134-X2.jpg


P7303136-X2.jpg


P7303171-X2.jpg


P7303177-X2.jpg


P7303180-X2.jpg


P7303187-X2.jpg



Massive head frame in the background.

P7303192-X2.jpg


P7303193-X2.jpg


What's left of the Frisco Mill. During a battle between the miners and the mill owners the miners placed explosives in a mine cart above the mill and sent the cart down the tracks into the mill, completely destroying the mill.

P7303211-X2.jpg


P7303198-X2.jpg



Shot from the Drone

DJI_0003-X2.jpg



Stopped at the 50,000 silver dollar store in Montana. Just cheap tourist stuff here but kinda cool to check out.

20200730_163551-X2.jpg



Using the Biolite grill to cook up some steaks for dinner...yummm

IMG_4908-X2.jpg


20200730_185819-X2.jpg


My wife enjoying the trip....

20200730_194305-X2.jpg



Continued Below....
 

Hodakaguy

Adventurer
Continued from above...

Dad setting up camp...takes all of about 2 minutes. The Vagabond Drifter is a slick setup!

20200730_195805-X2.jpg



Next we stopped in Missoula MT....Ehh...just a big city and we weren't to impressed so didn't spend much time here.

P7313228-X2.jpg



Back on the road and heading south towards the Salmon river. Several cool towns to stop and explore along the way.

P7313273-X2.jpg


P7313300-X2.jpg


P7313306-X2.jpg



Stickers on entering state signs must be a thing now :)

P7313318-X2.jpg


P7313319-X2.jpg


P7313332-X2.jpg


P7313329-X2.jpg



Lots of beautiful scenery along the way.

P7313355-X2.jpg


P7313361-X2.jpg



Found a great free camp site right on the Salmon river...soooo nice! While we were camped here a park ranger stopped by to chat and we told him that we were heading to the Yankee Fork gold dredge and the ghost town of Custer ID. He told us that there is a historic dirt road called the Custer Motorway that would take us right to Custer and avoid paved roads, heads up over the mountains at 9k feet.... just turn at Challis and follow the dirt road. Awesome! Custer Motorway it will be!

P7313384-X2.jpg



Kiddo got a lot of play time in the river

P7313404-X2.jpg


DJI_0022-X2.jpg


P7313421-X2.jpg


P7313449-X2.jpg


P7313465-X2.jpg



Camp from above

DJI_0018-X2.jpg



Doesn't get much better than this!

IMG_4945-X2.jpg


20200731_195826-X2.jpg



Continued Below...
 

Hodakaguy

Adventurer
Continued from above...

If anyone has ever watched Lucy and the long long trailer you will get this...my wife started collecting rocks to bring home lol.

P8013476-X2.jpg



Heading out again....more amazing scenery

IMG_4961-X2.jpg


IMG_4941-X2.jpg



Heading up into the mountains on the Custer Motorway.

P8013484-X2.jpg


IMG_4976-X2.jpg


20200801_084712-X2.jpg



Time to get the drone out again for another perspective.

IMG_4974-X2.jpg


IMG_4975-X2.jpg


DJI_0029-X2.jpg


DJI_0028-X2.jpg



Continuing down the trail.

P8013602-X2.jpg


P8013592-X2.jpg


P8013621-X2.jpg



Kiddo cruising on the bed

P8013545-X2.jpg




More history. This was once a toll road and whats left of the toll cabins are still here at 9k feet. Very cool!

P8013546-X2.jpg


P8013556-X2.jpg


P8013560-X2.jpg



Wild strawberries...yummmm

P8013523-X2.jpg


P8013510-X2.jpg


P8013579-X2.jpg



Continued below...
 

Hodakaguy

Adventurer
Continued from above...

Didn't take long to find the old dump site.

P8013567-X2.jpg


P8013570-X2.jpg


P8013577-X2.jpg



A little photography along the way

P8013630-X2.jpg


P8013650-X2.jpg


P8013661-X2.jpg



Next we visited the ghost town of Custer. Another great piece of history. But first up...breakfast :)

P8013701-X2.jpg


P8013702-X2.jpg



In a small remote ghost town in the mountains of ID we ran into Chad with Adventure Wagon! Chad is an awesome guy and makes some really cool Sprinter gear. We are running his Mule bags and basically patterned a lot of our interior off his kits. Great to chat with you Chad!

P8013708-X2.jpg



Showing Chad our build.

IMG_5039-X2.jpg



Chad even placed a Hodakaguy sticker on his van :)

P8013721-X2.jpg



Custer from the Air

DJI_0031-X2.jpg



And checking out the old buildings.

20200801_122237-X2.jpg


P8013739-X2.jpg


P8013752-X2.jpg



Next we explored the abandoned Yankee Fork gold dredge. Unlike the Sumpter dredge that we explored last trip the Yankee dredge is completely intact with all the original equipment...plus they let you climb and explore on all levels!! Such a cool piece of mining history.

P8013846-X2.jpg


P8013842-X2.jpg



Heading into the dredge, people provide a good reference and show the scale of the bucket line.

P8013775-XL.jpg



I spy a Sprinter :)

P8013778-X2.jpg



Continued Below....
 

Hodakaguy

Adventurer
Continued from above...

Massive electric powered winches. These were used to position the dredge and raise/lower the bucket line.

20200801_125703-X2.jpg


20200801_125741-X2.jpg



Resistor banks used as speed controls for the motors

20200801_125808-X2.jpg



Thats it...just a little further :)

20200801_125935-X2.jpg


20200801_130011-X2.jpg



Upper axle on the bucket line

20200801_130114-X2.jpg



Grizzly bars to reject large rocks before they get to the trommel.

20200801_130132-X2.jpg



Bull gear that drives the bucket line. This is the weakest spot on the dredge, the large bull gear was replaced 3 times while this dredge was in operation.

20200801_130324-X2.jpg


P8013798-X2.jpg



Trommel from above

20200801_130407-X2.jpg



Checking out the sluice runs

20200801_130620-X2.jpg


20200801_130629-X2.jpg



Gold recovery area, the pot on the lower right was used to burn off the mercury and recover the gold.

20200801_130804-X2.jpg



The dredge made its own power via two 1940 Ingersol Rand Diesel engines running two generators.

20200801_131030-X2.jpg


20200801_130921-X2.jpg



Got the drone back out for a few shots of the dredge

DJI_0051-X2.jpg



Great shot of the tailings left behind from the dredge

DJI_0024-X2.jpg


DJI_0020-X2.jpg


DJI_0014-X2.jpg



Continued Below...
 

Hodakaguy

Adventurer
Continued from above...

Wife got in a little panning while we were there...didn't get anything but more cool rocks to pack in the van :)

P8013851-X2.jpg



Sawtooth Mountains as we head south and home

20200801_151425-X2.jpg



Hot springs along the hwy....gonna have to come back here!

P8013899-X2.jpg



Restaurant along the road lol.

20200801_162516-X2.jpg



Stopped for ice cream and had to leave a sticker :)

20200801_141307-X2.jpg



Next morning all that was left was to make coffee and roll into home.

20200802_053308-X2.jpg



Hodakaguy
 

jadmt

ignore button user
I grew up down the road from Wallace and it was well known for its brothels even into the 80's and maybe the early 90's. The interstate went directly thru the town. instead of bypassing it like it is now.
 

shortbus4x4

Expedition Leader
I grew up down the road from Wallace and it was well known for its brothels even into the 80's and maybe the early 90's. The interstate went directly thru the town. instead of bypassing it like it is now.
Wallace was also the last place on I90 that had a stoplight, in addition to the brothels. I worked with a guy who grew up in the Silver Valley and his family worked at the mines. He had some stories to tell.?
 

goldtooth

Member
The hot springs in that pic is Kirkham. We went to them on our trip to Idaho in early July and they are spectacular and don't smell like typical sulfur hot springs.
nate
 

gdaut

Active member
Great trip report. We were up in that area last week.

Pistol, there was a sign that said they needed 11 feet of water to float the dredge. Yankee Boy Creek is just a creek, so I am guessing they would dam up sections to make a big pond, dredge that section and then move upstream. It is an interesting piece of industrial history, and also an interesting piece of environmental history. There are about 6 miles of huge piles of gravel spoil on both sides of the creek. The mining company completely destroyed that area and then just packed up and left. There is a restoration project going on around the dredge, which is an interesting piece of modern industrial/environmental history as well, but I don't think that area will be anything like restored in my or my kids lifetimes. Everything around the area where they did not dredge is really beautiful though. Well worth a visit.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,535
Messages
2,875,633
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top