CUSTER - BAYHORSE

I did not expect the next couple of places to be so preserved. This is the blacksmith's shop in Custer.
Being within the state park, Custer is well-organized and suitable for visitors. Here's an old stamp mill. It was here that I first put on the sunscreen I bought in Boise before heading on the long trip. The sun was blazing down.
Charles Alexander Pfeiffer purchased this family home after his marriage to Ellen Louise Olson in 1890. Families in Custer were not unusual but certainly not the norm either as most miners and merchants were single men. That smaller building is the assay office.
I imagine Mrs. Pfeiffer had it looking better back in her day.
The sign on the front says Brockman Cabin. Probably once used by some fella called Brockman. This is a restoration by the USNPS.
The schoolhouse also went through restoration. There is a little museum inside.
A miner's cabin.
It has the essentials.
The sign on the front says Empire Saloon, but it's a gift shop these days.
Another family home, this time for the McKenzies. A bit of trivia. The McKenzie family was one of three families from Custer to attend the 1904 World's Fair in St, Louis.
The bridge over Bayhorse Creek.
And then the dirt road to...
...Bayhorse, another well preserved ghost town. This is one of several hotels over the years that used the name Bayhorse Hotel.
Earl J. Michael and August Sargent would not be happy to see what has become of their store.
This might have been a jail or secure storage.
Charlie Baker was an orderly in the Civil War and ended up providing medical care in Bayhorse. While not a licensed doctor, he delivered babies and treated illnesses and injuries. He and his wife Agnes lived in this building before moving to the town where I would be spending the night.
Another rushing stream.
That's some old ruined mining structure or something.
The 1882 Gilmer and Salisbury concentrating mill. It's in pretty good shape for a building of 143 years.
Now stone buildings are built to last. It was known as the Wells Fargo building, due to the fact that the Ramshorn Mine owners John T. (Jack) Gilmer and Orange James (O.J.) Salisbury had acquired the Holliday, Well, Fargo & Company. There is no truth to the rumor that O.J. murdered his former wife and a waiter.
The smelter operated from 1879 to 1897, when it closed due to high transportation costs.
The charcoal kilns provided the fuel for the smelter.
On the road again headed through Grand View Canyon.
Mountains of the Lost River Range.
There is not much in this part of Idaho. Just a sequence of small towns along US 93. Since there were more expensive places to stay on the trip, I opted for the White Knob (stop giggling) Motel and RV Park in Mackay. That was the town that Charlie and Agnes (remember them?) moved to from Bayhorse.
This is the extent of the motel part. Just six rooms.
But it was adequate, with no frills needed. There was however one problem. The window had a gap at the top. Not sure what was going on with that, but it made the road noise out front a little louder. Fortunately, there was not a lot of traffic overnight and I did have earplugs.
Another weird thing was that most restaurants in these towns were closed on Sunday. This was the only one I found while researching ahead of time that was not. So thanks to Pickle's Place I had a surprisingly good patty melt.
I had to drive 24 miles each way between Mackay to Arco for dinner.

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