4.4 hr
Overview
In 1898, prospectors found copper ore at Eureka Bar , near the confluence of the Snake and Imnaha Rivers in Hells Canyon . It was a low-grade ore and, in 1902, miners spread the story that the seams also contained gold. Soon, about 2,000 gold fevered men were camped at Eureka Bar , and the hotel/saloon, post office, and building for a stamp mill were constructed, financed by East Coast investors. The Lewiston Southern Mining Company ran a sternwheeler, the Imnaha , up the Snake, using cables attached to iron rings on the riverside cliffs to winch the boat up rapids. The stamp mill was loaded on the Imnaha in November 1903. The steamer began to haul herself over the whitewater at Mountain Sheep Rapid, two miles below Eureka Bar , but snagged her paddle wheel on the cable, stayed afloat long enough for all aboard to jump to safety, and then broke up and went to the bottom. With no stamp mill and no discernable presence of gold, everyone left. When the first mailman arrived, he found a ghost town.
Trail Stats
15.8 km
186 m
366 m
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Photos
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