Leesburg, Idaho, human settlement in Lemhi County, Idaho, United States of America

Leesburg is a ghost town in Lemhi County, Idaho, at 6,653 feet (2,028 m) along Napias Creek in Salmon National Forest, west of Salmon. After gold was found at the Leesburg Mine on July 16, 1866, the settlement grew to include a mile-long main street and 100 business firms; little of the original community remains, and the entire site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Gold was discovered at the Leesburg Mine on July 16, 1866, and the town was named for General Robert E. Lee because most settlers were Southerners. It once had 7,000 residents, 100 businesses, and a mile-long main street; miners dug over 400 miles of ditches for sluicing. By 1930 placer mining was nearly all hydraulic, and the mine produced almost $16,000,000 in gold before 1938.

The town was named for General Robert E. Lee because most of the settlers were Southerners. The Leesburg Mine was discovered on July 16, 1866, and the settlement grew quickly. The population once reached 7,000, including Chinese miners, and the main street was a mile long.

Leesburg lies at 6,653 feet (2,028 m) along Napias Creek in the Salmon National Forest, west of Salmon, Idaho. The site is reached by mountain roads, so check conditions before setting out and plan for snow at this elevation outside summer. The whole townsite is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and only traces of the original community remain to walk among.

Miners dug over 400 miles of ditches to carry water for sluicing gold, and by 1930 placer mining was carried on almost entirely by hydraulic methods. Before 1938 the Leesburg Mine had produced nearly $16,000,000 in gold. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.