Silver City, ghost town in Owyhee County, Idaho, United States
Silver City is a ghost town in the mountains of Owyhee County, Idaho, with about 70 buildings scattered along the hillsides above Jordan Creek. The structures show different stages of aging, with some buildings slightly tilted on the slopes, while the Idaho Hotel and the old county office building mark the main areas of the settlement.
Silver City was founded in 1864 after silver was discovered on War Eagle Mountain and peaked in the 1880s with around 2,500 residents as a leading settlement in Idaho Territory. The easily accessible silver and gold deposits ran out after 1890, causing the population to drop steeply, though the town was never completely abandoned.
The town's name comes from the silver deposits that once drew people here. Walking through the streets, you see how mining shaped every part of daily life and how closely people lived and worked together in this mountain settlement.
The town is reached via a narrow dirt road best traveled in late spring after snowmelt, as winter and early spring often close the roads. Visitors should bring a vehicle with good ground clearance and carry water, food, and supplies since there are no shops or services in or near the town.
In the 1940s, Willie Hawes was the only full-time resident and served as mayor, police chief, and postman all in one. Today the town was added to the national register of historic places in 1972, standing as proof of how its remote location protected it from decay that affected other ghost towns.
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