Showing posts with label Idaho. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Idaho. Show all posts

Friday, June 9, 2023

Name Origins of the Unites States Part II + giveaway

 By Tiffany Amber Stockton


In May, my children and I visited the Pine Mountain Settlement School in southeastern Kentucky. Amazing little place, nestled in the middle of the mountains, miles from any town. You can read last month's post if you missed it.

Today, it's time for the next 10 state name history stories. So, let's go!

STATE NAMES and their ORIGINS

Hawaii comes from the Polynesian word hawaiki, meaning place of the Gods. It was, however, originally named the Sandwich Islands by James Cook in the late 1700s.

Idaho has notorious roots in the Athabaskan word idaahe, meaning enemy. It was originally applied to part of Colorado before being given to the Gem State.

Illinois has a silent "s" at the end, because it's of French origin. "Illinois" means "Land of Illini," giving a nod to the Native American population. "Illini" is the Algonquin word for "man" or "warrior." This land east of the Appalachians and south of the Great Lakes became the center of significant battles.

Indiana, as you might expect, stems from the English word Indian. The Latin suffix tacked on the end roughly means "land of the." During the early years of America, many native tribes were well-established in these areas.

Iowa comes from the Dakota word yuxba, meaning sleepy ones.



Kansas references the Kansa tribe, meaning people of the south wind. Makes sense for tornado alley.

Kentucky is yet another state named for the river running through it, inspired by the Shawnee word for on the meadow.

Louisiana, like Georgia, was named for a regent of the times, specifically, Louis XIV of France.

Maine has uncertain origins. Though it's worth noting that Maine was also the name of a traditional province in France.

Maryland is a tip of the hat from King Charles I to his wife Henrietta Maria. Some husbands give jewelry; King Charles gave naming rights to an entire state.

And that's all for today. If you're like me and LOVE puzzles, download this PDF for some puzzle challenge fun. You might be able to solve it on your own without reading the rest of the blogs in this set, or you can save it and add to it in future months. :)

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Which one of these states was the most fascinating to you?

* Do you live in any of these 10 states? If so, did you know this was the origin of its name?

* What do you think might be the origin of any of the other 30 states? (You'll learn about them throughout the rest of the year.)


** This note is for our email readers. Please do not reply via email with any comments. View the blog online and scroll down to the comments section.

Leave answers to these questions or any comments you might have on this post in the comment box below. For those of you who have stuck around this far, I'm sending a FREE autographed book to one person every month from the comments left on each of my blog posts. You never know when your comment will be a winner! Subscribe to comments so you'll know if you've won and need to get me your mailing information.

Come back on the 9th of July for my next foray into historical tidbits to share.

For those interested in my "fictional" life as an author and industry news about other authors, subscribe to my quarterly newsletter. Receive a FREE omitted chapter from my book, A Grand Design, just for subscribing!


BIO
Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those skills to become an award-winning, best-selling author and speaker who is also a professional copywriter/copyeditor. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help improve their lives in a variety of ways.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children and four cats in southeastern Kentucky. In the 20 years she's been a professional writer, she has sold twenty-six (26) books so far and is represented by Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

Saturday, December 10, 2022

“I Believe in Myself” - The Sheep Queen of Idaho

 

By Suzanne Norquist

“I believe in myself.” That’s how Emma Yearian responded when the banker asked her why he should lend her a large sum of money for hay during a drought. She seems to have built her life on this statement. A reporter once dubbed her the “Sheep Queen of Idaho,” and the title stuck. Her story inspired one of her grandsons to write a semi-biographical novel titled The Sheep Queen.




She never set out to earn that moniker. As a young woman, she followed in the footsteps of those before her. She went out West to teach school and married a cattle rancher.

Emma Russell was born in Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1866. Soon after, her parents moved the family to Illinois. There, she attended high school and Southern Illinois Normal College. Upon graduation, she went West and eventually found herself in the Lemhi Valley in Idaho, along the Montana border.



During the week, she taught in a one-room, sod-roofed schoolhouse. On weekends, she played piano for local dances. That’s where she met fiddler player and cattle rancher Thomas Yearian.

She married him in 1889, and the couple set up housekeeping in a log cabin with a sod roof. They had six children, and she decided to earn money for their education. She noticed that sheep ranchers made more money than cattle ranchers. So, she tried to convince Thomas to give up the cattle and buy sheep. Instead, he allowed her to add sheep to the existing stock.



She took out a loan and drove 1,200 ewes from Montana to Idaho with her husband and son. Neighboring ranchers didn’t appreciate her decision. Cattle and sheep owners were long-time enemies. She was supposed to keep her sheep at least two miles away from other ranch properties, an impossibility when driving them from one area to another. She was often summoned to court, but never convicted. And no one ever pointed a gun at her.

Emma ran the operation, and everyone thought of it as hers, although Thomas managed the cattle portion of the business. In 1910, they replaced the little cabin with a modern six-bedroom house, including electric lights and indoor plumbing.

She followed national events and predicted World War I years before it started. Realizing the army would need wool for uniforms, she took out another loan to increase production. Then she bought sheep with extra-thick coats. The investment paid off when the United States joined the war.



Through droughts and the Great Depression, she kept the ranch operating. By 1933, she had 2,500 acres and 5,000 head of sheep.

However, ranching wasn’t enough for her. She participated in professional organizations and became a state legislator, running as a Republican even though her husband was a Democrat. She served one term in office.

In her later years, she continued to work with the sheep, using a walking stick. In 1951, she passed away at the age of eighty-five.

Her legacy lives on because she believed in herself and lived life to its fullest.

***


"Mending Sarah’s Heart" in the Thimbles and Threads Collection

Four historical romances celebrating the arts of sewing and quilting. 

Mending Sarah’s Heart by Suzanne Norquist

Rockledge, Colorado, 1884

Sarah seeks a quiet life as a seamstress. She doesn’t need anyone, especially her dead husband’s partner. If only the Emporium of Fashion would stop stealing her customers, and the local hoodlums would leave her sons alone. When she rejects her husband’s share of the mine, his partner Jack seeks to serve her through other means. But will his efforts only push her further away?


Suzanne Norquist is the author of two novellas, “A Song for Rose” in A Bouquet of Brides Collection and “Mending Sarah’s Heart” in the Thimbles and Threads Collection. Everything fascinates her. She has worked as a chemist, professor, financial analyst, and even earned a doctorate in economics. Research feeds her curiosity, and she shares the adventure with her readers. She lives in New Mexico with her mining engineer husband and has two grown children. When not writing, she explores the mountains, hikes, and attends kickboxing class. 


Friday, August 9, 2019

Boo! Haunting Towns

By Tiffany Amber Stockton



Last month, I continued a summer series on ghost towns with the spotlight on Montana and Wyoming. If you missed that post, you can read it here: https://www.hhhistory.com/2019/07/dont-blinkyou-might-miss-it-ghost-towns.html.

Today is the final post on this series. Remember to share ghost towns in YOUR home state if there are any. This month, we'll travel a little further west into Idaho and Utah.

* * * * *

Boo! The Haunting Towns in the Rocky Mountains

Like Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado, mining for both gold and silver in the mountains saw thousands of prospectors, vigilantes, pioneers, and all sorts of explorers headed west during a short period in our nation's history. Population booms were the norm, and often, towns disappeared as quickly as they grew. The result? A ghost town.

As with the other states, the ones I feature are only a handful compared to the dozens of other towns scattered throughout the area. If you are on a road trip and interested in exploring more, check out some of the ghost town web sites first to plot out a route for exploration and discovery.

UTAH

Sego Canyon

A few fun buildings are fun to explore, but on the way out to this town, you will also find some amazing petroglyphs, so it's like getting two historic treats in one visit. The sandstone cliffs are an outdoor art gallery and a holy place. Native Americans painted and chipped their religious visions, clan symbols, and records of events onto the cliffs. It's an impressive site that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Ophir

WF Willis
This site isn’t a true ghost town as there are still residents living here. However, the historic site was created around the ghost town buildings, so what you find is a restored historical town with remnants of the original site. The historic buildings are only open to the public on Saturdays from May to September, but they are worth a visit if you are interested in ghost towns and the history of Utah.

Grafton

If you have any plans at all to visit Zion National Park, you should make it part of our visit to take a short jaunt over to Grafton. This ghost town has been refurbished and features a schoolhouse as well as a handful of homes. The scenery is beautiful, and the interpretive signs tell the story about this unique cotton town, something you primarily found in the southeastern United States. Grafton flourished until it was flooded by the Virgin River.


Osiris

Not too far from Bryce Canyon National Park, there's a scenic route that will take you to the town of Osiris. This location has a few homes and a large mill that once supported the community. It sites right next to the river, so it's a nice little stop and way to break up a long time in the car on a road trip. With so many towns that were full of miners and vagabonds, it's always a nice change of pace to find one with a form of industry based off the products of the mining.

Old Iron Town

Old Iron Town is located west of Cedar City. This town still has current residents living nearby, and the remaining buildings from Old Iron Town are from an old mining site. The highlight feature of this site, though, is the amazing beehive oven, the only one of two remaining from the original site. These unique kilns were used to burn wood, which then smoldered for several days and was used as charcoal for the iron making process. There is also a good variety of mining relics to explore and see.

IDAHO

An amazing fact about the state known for its potatoes is there are over 100 documented ghost towns spread out across the state. Sure, towns like Silver City have been fully preserved and welcome visitors all year long, but what about the other towns which made a name for this state during the mining boom? You might want to brush up on your Idaho history and take note of these.

Rocky Bar

J Day Photography
It's nearly impossible to imagine this was once one of Idaho's major metropolitan areas back in the 1860s. Spanish prospectors were the first to settle here, and the growth of the town was so explosive, it rivaled Idaho City as a contender for the title of Idaho's capital. When visiting Rocky Bar, just a few miles north of Featherville, add an extra dose of history to the journey by taking a side trip up to Atlanta on the outskirts of the Sawtooths.

Ulysses

Patty's Photos
This town was once home to Idaho's largest active gold mine. The original town had an ideal setting near Indian Creek, from which the mill processed low-grade ore for a major profit, but the community was set back in 1904 by a major fire that completely destroyed the plant and Ulysses' hope of riches. Today, a few dilapidated cabins and mining remnants are all that remain.

Yellow Jacket

Patty's Photos
No, it's not a town with an overwhelming presence of wasps and hives. This one was a 19th century gold rush camp that features a 5-story boardinghouse, an impressive mining relic with a charm that is fully "Idaho." The population only peaked around 200, and the town began to dwindle right after the turn of the 20th century, holding on until 1942, when both mine and mill operations fully shut down.

Ragtown

Bureau of Land Management
This town sprung up as a unique temporary community. Rather than hundreds of log structures, the landscape was dominated by the makeshift shelters that gave the town its original name: Tent Town. When cabins cropped up as necessary to protect workers from Idaho's frigid winters, local folklore and legend in stories says rags were stuffed into the cracks between logs to keep out the chill, giving rise to community's new name.

* * * * *

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Are there any ghost towns in the state where YOU live? If so, share the state and the name of the town(s).

* Which one of the ghost towns above tickles your fancy the most and makes you want to visit?

* What was your favorite part about today's post?



BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those childhood skills to become an award-winning and best-selling author and speaker who is also an advocate for literacy as an educational consultant with Usborne Books. Through personal development, she strives to help others become their best from the inside out.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children and three dogs in Colorado. She has sold twenty (21) books so far and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

Monday, August 20, 2018

Quirky Montana Historical Facts


I came across my share of quirky historical trivia while researching the Montana Gold series, set during Montana’s goldrush, a wild and wooly time in the Old Wild West. Many colorful stories attach to place names in particular. Here, for your entertainment are some of the gems I mined in my historical research. 


Quirky Montana Historical Facts 

Montana was Idaho


You read that right. Idaho Territory formed March 4 1863 and covered some of the, er, territory that would become part of southwestern Montana in the present day. Prior to that date, the land was part of Washington Territory.

Image: Idaho Territory Coat of Arms
 The borders shifted again on March 26 1864, at the birth of Montana Territory. One family living in Hell Gate (south of what is now Missoula) held an unusual claim to fame. Their three children had been born in a single house but three different territories.

Image: Montana Territory Coat of Arms



The Ruby River contained no rubies

The Upper Ruby River; image by Mike Cline [CC BY-SA 3.0] from Wikimedia Commons
Early settlers mistook the pretty red gemstones they found in the riverbed and along its banks for rubies. These were in fact garnets. The name stuck, regardless.

Hell Gate Canyon earned its name.

Hell Gate Canyon from Heaven's Gate overlook, Idaho. Image by Dsdugan [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons
French trappers named Hell Gate Canyon for the piles of human bones they found within it. The Flathead tribe had to pass through the canyon to reach hunting grounds on the other side. Unfortunately, the narrow canyon entrances made ideal locations for members of the Blackfoot tribe to ambush the hunting parties.

Deer Lodge wasn’t a building.

Hot spring mound in the "Deer Lodge" prairie of the Rocky Mountains.
Color lithograph after G. Sohon. [CC BY 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons
Well, okay. There are buildings in the town of Deer Lodge, and Deer Lodge Valley has its share of buildings. However, both the town and the valley were named after a mound. A remarkable landmark in its day, Deer Lodge Mound has less status in modern times. A warm spring (now capped) steamed at the top of the 40-foot-high geologic formation and deposited minerals down its side. This made the mound into a salt lick for multitudes of local deer. The spring steamed in the cold winter air, reminding the local tribe of a lodge with smoke curling above it.

Tell it to the judge.

Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis in a portrait miniature by John Wood Dodge (1807-1893)
 (www.civilwar.si.edu) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Virginia City, Montana was almost named after Jefferson Davis’s beautiful wife, Varina. However, Judge Bissell, a devout Unionist, refused to approve the town charter until the name was changed. The framers of the town opted for the judge’s suggestion of Virginia City, and the charter went through.

The fort that wasn’t.

Fort Owen in Montana's Bitterroot Valley; image by Forest Service Northern Region from Missoula, MT, USA
[CC BY 2.0 or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Major John Owen, a retired army sutler (supply manager), settled in 1850 with his beloved Native American wife in the Bitterroot Valley and there established a ‘fort.’ Really just a trading post, Fort Owen never housed soldiers or heard a shot fired. Major Owen was trusted by the local tribe and settlers alike. He served as Indian Agent to the Flathead tribe between 1856 and 1862.

Uncovering very human stories while researching my books makes history come alive for me. I hope I have given you a small window into the past.

About Janalyn Voigt


Janalyn Voigt's unique blend of adventure, romance, suspense, and whimsy creates breathtaking fictional worlds for readers. Known for her vivid writing, this multi-faceted author writes in the western historical romance, medieval epic fantasy, and romantic suspense genres. 

Janalyn is represented by Wordserve Literary Agency. Her memberships include ACFW and NCWA. When she's not writing, she loves to garden and explore the great outdoors with her family.


Cheyenne Sunrise (Montana Gold 2)

Can a woman with no faith in men learn to trust the half-Cheyenne trail guide determined to protect her?
Young Irish widow Bry Brennan doesn’t want another husband to break her spirit. When she and her brother Con join a wagon train headed to Montana Territory, Bry ignores her fascination with Nick Laramie, the handsome trail guide.
Nick lives in an uneasy truce between the settlers and his mother’s tribe without fully fitting in among either. With no intention of dragging a woman into his troubles, he stifles his yearning for Bry.
The perilous journey throws the two together, leaving Bry no choice but to trust Nick with her life. Can she also trust him with her heart? Answering that riddle forces Bry to confront her unresolved questions about God’s love.

Based on actual historical events during a time of unrest in America, Cheyenne Sunrise explores faith, love, and courage in the wild west. Learn more.

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Ruby City, Idaho...and a Giveaway



After silver and gold were discovered in 1863 along what is now Jordan Creek in Idaho's Owyhee Mountains, a mining boom erupted in southwest Idaho, and several towns were created in rapid succession. Ruby City was one of them.

While Ruby City was not the first town, it became the first official city and Owyhee County's first county seat. As such, it boasted a sheriff, lawyers, a post office, a newspaper (the Avalanche), mercantiles, smiths, and miners--possibly thousands of them, working in the lodes on War Eagle Mountain.


Owyhee Mountains.jpg
Owyhee Mountains, Public Domain
So popular did the area become that in 1865 a stagecoach ran to Ruby City from Chico, California, at a cost of fifty dollars. (An additional sixteen dollars provided a bedroll and "provisions.") Forty men made the first trip, and it took twenty-seven days to complete.

The town thrived despite the high costs of living there: supplies had to be hauled to Ruby City's 6,200 foot elevation and prices reflected the inconvenience (hay, for example, sold for between $100-$300 a ton). Existing trails weren't easy, and while entrepreneurs named Sam Skinner and Colonel Fogus built better roads, they charged for the use of them. 

Men outnumbered women by 200 to 1 at one point, and the men were eager for entertainment. Traveling troupes of dance hall girls, called "Hurdy Gurdy Girls," came through on occasion, and a dance with one of the German or Dutch gals cost fifty cents. So did a drink for the lady, and while the man buying it might think it was whisky, the women really drank tea.

Aside from dancing, other entertainment came through town, from circus acts to famous performers like John Kelly, a violinist, whose songs brought tears to the miners' eyes.

Also passing through town were circuit preachers and Catholic missionaries, as no church existed until one was built in Silver City in 1869. 

During the winter, when the weather made it difficult for visitors to pass through, the men kept busy by gambling and challenging each other to winter sports. According to a newspaper article, the record for skiing down Florida Mountain to Ruby City was twenty-eight seconds.


Residents who could afford more than a tent built wood homes and businesses. 
One of them was the Idaho Hotel, built in 1863. In 1866, a third story wing was added to accommodate more guests.

In 1864, however, a new town was laid out a mile away: Silver City. It was closer to the mines and out of the wind that sometimes swept through Ruby City. By the end of 1866, the decision was made to transfer the county seat from Ruby City to Silver City.

Folks started to move from Ruby City and bring their homes and businesses with them. The Idaho Hotel was dismantled, and its pieces were loaded onto sleds, pulled by oxen through the snow to its new home in Silver City, where it stands today. While Silver City is now a ghost town, visitors can still stay at the Idaho Hotel during warmer months.
SilverCityID.jpg
Silver City in 1892, Public Domain
Since so much of Ruby City was dismantled and moved, nothing really remains there today beyond some white stone markers in the cemetery and a sign noting where it stood. In fact, the site of the town has all but disappeared since the area was used for hydraulic placer mining.
Ruby City Cemetery
by William Yates, Public Domain

But the raw beauty of the place is still there to be enjoyed for those who step off the beaten path in search of Ruby City.

***
Your turn:

Speaking of rubies...what's your favorite gemstone? Comment with a way to contact you in the comment by 11:59 pm May 6, to be entered to win a copy of My Heart Belongs in Ruby City Idaho: Rebecca's Plight!

Journey now to Ruby City, Idaho of 1866 where...


A Marriage Mishap Creates an Awkward Love Triangle in this Silver Mining Town

Looking forward to a quiet life and a full stomach, mail-order bride Rebecca Rice is pleased to marry her shopkeeper intended, Mr. Fordham, until the justice of the peace calls him Thaddeus, not Theodore—proceeded by the title Deputy.

Is it possible to marry the wrong man?


When the newlyweds realize they’ve married the wrong partners with similar names, an annulment seems in order—and fast, since Rebecca’s true intended is impatient to claim her as his own, not to mention Rebecca would never marry a lawman like her father. But when the legalities take longer than expected, Rebecca wonders if Tad wasn’t the right husband for her all along . . . 




***
Susanne Dietze began writing love stories in high school, casting her friends in the starring roles. Today, she's the award-winning author of over a dozen historical romances who's seen her work on the ECPA and Publisher's Weekly Bestseller Lists for Inspirational Fiction. Married to a pastor and the mom of two, Susanne lives in California and enjoys fancy-schmancy tea parties, genealogy, the beach, and curling up on the couch with a costume drama and a plate of nachos.You can visit her on her website at www.susannedietze.com, and enter a contest this week to win the book and a prize pack!

Saturday, October 22, 2016

A Ghost Town that Lives On, by Marilyn Turk

Silver City, Idaho, during its boom in the late 1800s.
Seeing a ghost town was on my bucket list, but I didn’t realize I’d be checking that off on our visit to my brother and sister-in-law in Nampa, Idaho. I’m from the southern United States, and my knowledge of the West is woefully limited, so I thought all ghost towns were in California, New Mexico or Arizona. But I was in for a great surprise.

The drive from Nampa to Silver City, Idaho, was an hour and a half, but the longest, most arduous part was going up the mountain to get to the old mining town hidden 6,000 feet above sea level. As the paved road gave way to a rocky dirt one, we climbed higher and higher, rimming the edge of the Owyhee Mountains. My first thought was why would anyone build a town in such a remote area?  No doubt the name of the town was a hint.

The mountain road to Silver City
What interesting history I discovered! First of all, the name “Owyhee” is pronounced like Hawaii (silent H). Thinking the name was of Native American origin, I was amazed to find out that the name came from 1819, when three natives from Hawaii were part of a fur-trapping expedition sent to trap a stream that emptied into the Snake River. When they did not return, the expedition’s leader went back to check on them, found one man murdered and the other two missing.  He named the stream in their honor, using the word “Owyhee,” which was an early spelling for the word Hawaii.

Stagecoach arrives at the hotel, 1890
As our road got bumpier, we bounced around the single lane while I feared meeting a car coming the other direction, seeing no room for passing unless one of us was precariously close to the edge that dropped off the side. Later, when I discovered that Silver City was a stop on the stage coach line in the late 1800’s, I sympathized with those who had to travel the same roads in such an uncomfortable vehicle.



Finally we arrived at Silver City and the sign at the entrance telling visitors to respect the historic, privately-owned property. There was also a sign noting the population: in the summer, between 50-100, in the harsh winter, 2 (who are caretakers of the town).
Opening to mine







Silver City was founded in 1864 soon after silver was discovered at nearby War Eagle Mountain. The settlement grew quickly and was soon considered one of the major cities in Idaho Territory. The first daily newspaper and telegraph office in Idaho Territory were established in Silver City. The town was also among the first places in Idaho to receive electricity and telephone service.
Masonic Lodge


School, Silver City


In its heyday, from about 1860 to the late 1880s, as many as 2500 people called the settlement home. The town contained 300 homes and 75 businesses. At its mining peak, the Silver City Range boasted more than sixty mills processing ore, with an estimated production of at least sixty million dollars, in gold and silver, retrieved from over 100 area mines.

Outhouse in Silver City
Today, Silver City has about 70 standing buildings, all of which are privately owned. Many of the owners are third or fourth generation descendants of the original miners. There is no longer any electricity, but the owners use generators or solar power to supply their needs during their return in the summer months.

One of the best ghost towns in the country, Silver City has kept its character thanks to property owners committed to its preservation. Due to its historic designation, no new buildings are allowed, but maintenance such as painting and repairing continues to preserve the original buildings. With a little imagination, a visitor can visualize how the town looked at the turn of the 19th century when it was a bustling county seat full of people, horses and stagecoaches.

Idaho Hotel today



Freight wagon in front of Idaho Hotel, 1800s.

The 1866 Idaho Hotel closed in 1942, but was reopened in 1972 and still provides guest rooms and the only restaurant in town.





Pat's What Not Shop

Across the street at Pat's What Not Shop, one of the two other businesses open in Silver City, I found the most interesting book. Tales of Silver City was written by a Alta Grete Chadwick, a woman who was born in the town in 1895 and lived until 1972. For a history lover like myself, this collection of stories about life during the early 1900s in a western mining town is fascinating.



church, Silver City





Other public buildings still standing are the school which now houses a museum on its second floor, and the 1869 Masonic Lodge, which is still used for town meetings, and the 1898 church.







The bar in the Idaho Hotel


Wells Fargo office inside Idaho Hotel
Front desk of Idaho Hotel




A walk down the road leads you to a couple of cemeteries where tombstones disclose more about the resilient people who lived in the town.



Have you ever been to a ghost town? I highly recommend a visit to Silver City if you have a ghost town on your bucket list.



Marilyn Turk loves to study history, especially that of lighthouses and the coast of the United States. Her newest book, Rebel Light, is set in Florida during the Civil War. She is the author of A Gilded Curse, a historical suspense novel set om Jekyll Island, Georgia, in 1942, and Lighthouse Devotions - 52 Inspiring Lighthouse Stories, based on her popular lighthouse blog. (@ http://pathwayheart.comTo find out more about Marilyn’s new releases, sign up for her newsletter at marilynturk@pathwayheart.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.