Yankee Fork Road – Bonanza & Custer Idaho
The Yankee Fork Road in central Idaho serves as a tangible link to the state’s rich mining history, leading travelers through a landscape dotted with remnants of a bygone era. This route winds its way through the rugged terrain, connecting the ghost towns of Bonanza and Custer, testaments to the boom-and-bust cycles that defined the American West. The area, steeped in tales of prospectors, hard-rock miners, and the relentless pursuit of gold, offers a glimpse into the lives of those who sought their fortunes in the Idaho mountains.
The story of the Yankee Fork area begins in 1866, when a group of Montana prospectors, led by Joel Richardson, ventured into the region in search of placer mining opportunities. Upon reaching a significant tributary of the upper Salmon River, they established a camp and dedicated several weeks to prospecting. Despite their efforts, they did not strike gold. However, before returning to Montana, they bestowed the name "Yankee Fork" upon the creek, a nod to the fact that every member of the party hailed from the Eastern United States, a region often referred to as "Yankee" territory.
The lure of gold persisted, and prospectors continued to explore the area. Their persistence paid off in 1870 when gold was discovered on a tributary of the Yankee Fork near Jordan Creek. This discovery ignited a flurry of activity, leading to the formal organization of the Yankee Fork Mining District. A particularly significant find was made by William Norton in July 1875. Norton, along with his partner John Rohrer, extracted ore valued at as much as $20,000 through manual labor, marking a pivotal moment in the district’s development.
The discovery of the General Custer Mine in August 1876 by James Baxter, E.K. Dodge, and Morton McKeim acted as a catalyst, triggering a massive influx of miners into the area. This influx transformed the landscape, with tents and makeshift shelters sprouting up to accommodate the burgeoning population. However, the original founders of the mine soon realized that they lacked the necessary capital and expertise to fully develop the resource. Consequently, they made the decision to sell their interests to an English firm, paving the way for large-scale mining operations.
The history of the Yankee Fork is deeply intertwined with the fortunes of Bonanza, a town that epitomized the energy and optimism of the mining boom. Bonanza City, later known as Bonanza, was established in 1877 by Charles Franklin, approximately eight miles up the Yankee Fork of the Salmon River. The name "Bonanza," derived from Spanish, translates to "prosperity," reflecting the hopes and dreams of those who flocked to the area. Initial land sales ranged from $40 to $300, and the town quickly became a central hub for the surrounding mining activity.
In the early days of Bonanza, the transportation of machinery and supplies presented a significant challenge. Everything had to be brought in by mule packers along a treacherous 84-mile trail originating from Ketchum. The town’s initial structures were rudimentary log buildings, gradually improved upon as the community grew and prospered. The construction of the first saloon was a cause for celebration among the miners. Sawmills were soon erected to meet the growing demand for lumber, and plans were set in motion to construct a toll road connecting Challis and Bonanza in 1879, further solidifying its role in the Yankee Fork region.
Once completed, the toll road facilitated the movement of freight, though it still required teams of five to seven pairs of oxen, mules, or horses to haul loads along the 35-mile wagon trail. These journeys typically took four days to complete. A daily stagecoach service was established the following year, offering passengers a ride for $5.00, with the one-way trip lasting eight to nine hours.
Although Bonanza never hosted a mine or mill within its boundaries, it rapidly evolved into the central commercial and social center of the Yankee Fork area. By 1881, the town boasted a population of approximately 600 residents and a diverse array of businesses. These included Custer County’s first newspaper, The Yankee Fork Herald, a post office, a school, the Dodge Hotel, a blacksmith, a cafe and dance hall called the Charles Franklin House, a hardware store, grocery and variety stores, a dentist, a watchmaker, and various other enterprises catering to the needs of the community. The settlement also offered numerous entertainment options, such as a croquet field, a baseball field, and a small racetrack. Bonanza’s wide main street was adorned with trees and lined with two-story buildings featuring boardwalks or wooden sidewalks, allowing pedestrians to navigate the town without wading through mud or snow. The town also had a public well and a water system for residents and fire protection.
Meanwhile, Custer City had also sprung up about two miles upstream from Bonanza. However, during Bonanza’s peak in 1881, the town outnumbered Custer City two-to-one in population and sported a greater number of businesses.
Bonanza experienced its first major setback in 1889 when a fire swept through the town, causing widespread damage. Despite this devastation, the community managed to persevere. However, a second fire in May 1897 proved to be a more critical blow, destroying an entire block of buildings. Faced with the prospect of rebuilding yet again, most of the remaining merchants opted to relocate to nearby Custer. By this time, the town’s waterworks had deteriorated, rendering firefighters unable to contain the blaze effectively.
By the turn of the 20th century, Bonanza’s remaining businesses were limited to a boarding house, a saloon, a slaughterhouse, a few stables, and a handful of cabins. The majority of its population had either moved out of the area altogether or relocated upstream to Custer.
Today, Bonanza exists as a shadow of its former self, with only about seven dilapidated structures standing in various states of decay. A Forest Service Guard Station, constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s, is situated on a hill overlooking the old townsite. This station is responsible for the care and maintenance of the area’s recreational facilities.
Venturing westward up the hill beyond the guard station, visitors will encounter two cemeteries. The first of these cemeteries served both Bonanza and Custer, while the second, located a short distance further down the road and known as Boothill, contains only three marked graves.
The story surrounding these three unmarked graves remains shrouded in mystery. However, it is known that a couple named Richard and Agnes Elizabeth "Lizzie" King, both natives of London, England, arrived in Bonanza from Bodie, California, in the summer of 1878. The couple quickly established themselves in the community, with Richard engaging in real estate and Lizzie, described as a "golden-haired beauty," opening the Arcade Billiard Saloon and the Yankee Fork Dance Hall. The Kings befriended Charles Franklin, the founder of Bonanza and owner of The Franklin House. However, Lizzie often spent time with Franklin, frequently without her husband.
Meanwhile, Richard and his real estate partner, William Dillon, experienced disagreements that led to the dissolution of their partnership. Shortly thereafter, Dillon allegedly sold land belonging to King, resulting in an argument during which Dillon fatally shot King on July 14, 1879. Dillon was sentenced to ten years in prison, and Lizzie began making arrangements for her husband’s burial.
Charles Franklin, who had developed feelings for Lizzie, offered his support, assisting her in selecting a burial site on the hillside recently designated as Bonanza’s new cemetery. Richard King was to be its first occupant.
Franklin, harboring hopes of winning Lizzie’s affections, purchased two additional plots, one for himself and one for Lizzie. Almost immediately after her husband’s burial, Franklin openly courted Lizzie, fueling rumors of an imminent marriage. However, Franklin’s plans were thwarted by the arrival of Robert Hawthorne, who began working for Lizzie as a dealer in her saloon. Hawthorne captivated the beautiful blonde, and the two were married on August 11, 1880. Just six days later, Robert Hawthorne and Agnes Elizabeth "Lizzie" King Hawthorne were found dead in their home.
Charles Franklin buried the newlyweds next to Richard King, and, notably, he did not include her married name on her marker. Instead of the date of death, he inscribed the date of their marriage on both her and Hawthorne’s grave markers. Although suspicions arose that Franklin was responsible for the couple’s deaths, he was never arrested. Soon after, Franklin gathered his belongings and moved to a placer claim near Stanley. Several years later, he was found dead in his solitary cabin, clutching Lizzie’s photo in a gold locket. His body was buried near his cabin, far from the tiny cemetery where his love, Lizzie, lay between her two husbands.
Bonanza is situated approximately eight miles north of Sunbeam along Idaho State Road 75 (Yankee Fork Road.)
The Yankee Fork Gold Dredge stands as a tangible reminder of the area’s industrial past. Located about half a mile from Bonanza, this massive machine represents a later chapter in the Yankee Fork’s mining history. Once placer mining operations were exhausted and the major mines ceased production, claim owners recognized the potential for extracting remaining gold from the riverbed and tailings. In the early 1930s, placer miners familiar with the area’s gold deposits joined forces to attract a company interested in dredging the river.
By 1938, they had piqued the interest of the Silas Mason Company of Shreveport, Louisiana. Initial tests conducted by the company indicated the potential to recover gold valued at as much as $16,000,000.
The Silas Mason Company subsequently formed a subsidiary called the Snake River Mining Company. The dredge began operations in October 1939. The 988-ton dredge, measuring 112 feet long, 54 feet wide, and 64 feet high, commenced its task of recovering the remaining gold. Requiring 11 feet of water to float, the dredge could excavate to a depth of 35 feet and was equipped with 72 buckets, each with a capacity of eight cubic feet, for hauling up the gravel ore.
The dredge continuously extracted rock and recovered the precious mineral through a process of washing and separating the rock and dirt from the gold. It operated until 1942. Operations ceased briefly until 1944, when they continued until the dredge reached a rock dike below Bonanza in 1949.
At that point, the Snake River Mining Company sold the dredge to J.R. Simplot and Mr. Baumhoff, who operated it until 1951. Baumhoff then sold his interest to Simplot, who continued to operate the dredge for another year until his mining claims were depleted. In 1952, the dredge ceased production permanently. It recovered about $11 million in ore over the years.
J.R. Simplot donated the dredge to the U.S. Forest Service, but there were no funds to develop it as a museum. In 1979, the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge Association was formed by former employees and their families. They restored the dredge, and today it is open for tours during the summer.
Custer, located just two miles north of Bonanza, is a more intact ghost town, founded in early 1879 near the General Custer mill site. Sam Holman, a Harvard Law School graduate, founded the settlement. Holman worked as a prospector rather than pursuing his law career. Arriving in Yankee Fork in 1878, he became the first justice of the peace in Bonanza. He also staked a claim two miles north of Bonanza. Instead of working the claim, he divided and sold his property as lots for building a new mill. When the Custer Mill was completed in December 1880, Custer began to grow in importance. In the 1880s, both cities flourished, and Custer grew to a population of about 300.
By the 1890s, the cities had grown together, supported by the operations of the Lucky Boy and Black Mines, and were operated by common authorities. During this decade, Custer grew larger than Bonanza, especially after two fires wiped out some of Bonanza’s buildings, and the merchants moved to Custer. The town reached its peak population of 600 in 1896. In its heydays, the town boasted a post office, a general store, a boarding house, several restaurants, the Nevada House Hotel, a school, and the ever-popular numerous saloons. However, it never had a church.
Town residents passed a law forbidding any Chinese to live within the town limits, so a small Chinatown developed just southwest of Custer. The immigrants worked as launderers, cooks, and miners on low-grade properties.
By the turn of the century, the end was in sight for both communities, and in 1904, the Lucky Boy Mine and General Custer Mill closed. A few businesses continued to survive by supplying new mines near Sunbeam and the Loon Creek district, but most people began to leave. By 1910, only about 12 families were living in Custer, and when the Sunbeam Mine closed in April 1911, it spelled the end of the mining camp, and Custer became a ghost town.
The Yankee Fork Historical Association, the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Salmon-Challis National Forest have restored and preserved the settlement. Today, Custer stands as a testament to the past, offering visitors a glimpse into the lives of those who once called this rugged landscape home.