GILMORE, IDAHO

A Ghost Town Reborn

January 7, 2008

A picturesque valley runs diagonally beneath the Lemhi Mountains in Idaho. This area has a lot of history. Native tribes date back thousands of years, and the Lewis & Clark expedition encountered Shoshones in the nearby mountains when they crossed Lemhi Pass. Later, Mormons settled the area and built farms. The name "Lemhi", applied to a number of geographic features in the area, comes from the Book of Mormon. Later, mining came to the area, and evidence of this activity can be found at various locations.

Gilmore is an old mining town in Lemhi County, Idaho, just to the west of Highway 28. It is well marked by a government sign. This is one of the best preserved ghost towns I have seen in some time, and it is likely to remain that way. Local people have decided to preserve the area, and they have begun to occupy some of the buildings. The presence of the new residents is likely to discourage vandals at this easily accessible site, so the historic buildings are likely to be preserved.

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These pictures show some of the nicely preserved old buildings at Gilmore. The pictures were taken on September 2, 2007.

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