Before I visited the Bayhorse ghost town, I stopped by the Land of the Yankee Fork State Park visitor center in Challis. The ghost town is part of this state park. The visitor center has a large collection of artifacts from Bayhorse as well as numerous historical photos. The staff there was very helpful and answered all of my questions. I received permission from the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation to photograph their photos and some of them are presented here.

The curious story of Bayhorse began in 1864 when a lone prospector discovered small mineral deposits near a creek flowing into the Salmon River. The prospector owned two bay horses. He told others of his discovery of silver and lead ore. Over time, his name was forgotten, and he became known as “the man with the bay horses.” A bay horse typically has a brown body with distinctive black shading on its legs, mane, and tail. As the mining camp developed, it eventually became known as Bayhorse.

In 1872, a much larger vein of silver ore was discovered, which helped Bayhorse grow from a mining camp into a mining town. Within a few years, large-scale hard rock mining operations began at the nearby Ramshorn and Skylark Mines. This sparked a silver rush, with prospectors and mine workers arriving in droves.

However, in 1889, a fire devastated much of Bayhorse. Later that year, mining production suffered due to a shortage of water, which was crucial for the milling process. The town’s troubles were compounded by declining silver and lead prices, causing several mines to shut down. By 1897, the smelter was dismantled and removed, as continued operations were simply unsustainable. As employment opportunities dwindled, miners and townspeople left Bayhorse, knowing the end was near.

(Public domain photo)

This is Bayhorse in 1915. At an elevation of over 6,000 feet, winters were brutal. Sometimes, snow blocked the narrow dirt road to the town and kept people isolated for months at a time.

(Public domain photo)

This is Bayhorse as seen from the opposite direction of the preceding photo. Part of the Gilmer and Salisbury Mill is visible on the far side of town.

(Photo courtesy of the Idaho Dept. of Parks and Recreation)

The owners of the Ramshorn Mine, Mr. Gilmer and Mr. Sullivan, built their stamp mill on the edge of town and named it the Gilmer and Salisbury Mill. The Ramshorn Mine is located on the side of a mountain a few miles away.

(Photo courtesy of the Idaho Dept. of Parks and Recreation)

In its first two years of operation, all the ore from the Ramshorn Mine was shipped to a smelter in Salt Lake City, Utah at a huge cost. This problem was resolved in 1882 when the mine owners built a 25-ton-per-day smelter on the edge of town, along with this stamp mill. Stamp mills are notoriously noisy. They operate by repeatedly crushing ore under steel stamps that weigh as much as 400 lbs., running 24 hours a day.

(Public domain photo)

This photograph from 1884 shows that the Nevada Hotel was a popular place, judging by the number of people on the balcony and the front porch. This building no longer exists.

Bayhorse developed into a bustling town. It boasted a post office, smelter, dance hall, markets, boarding houses, hotels, banks, stamp mills, sawmills, two cemeteries, at least one girlie house, and an abundance of saloons. By 1890, over 300 people called Bayhorse home.

(Photo courtesy of the Idaho Dept. of Parks and Recreation)

If you look closely you can read the sign above the doorway. It says “Michael Sargent General Merchandise”. The hand-written sign on to the left of the door reads “Thunder Mountain Stage Arrives 9 AM Leaves 2 PM Direct Route”.

(Photo courtesy of the Idaho Dept. of Parks and Recreation)

Traveling between Bayhorse and the nearest town of Challis involved a 22-mile-long horseback or wagon ride over rough and narrow dirt roads.

(Photo courtesy of the Idaho Dept. of Parks and Recreation)

By 1925, all mining operations around Bayhorse ceased and the town descended into ghost town status. This photo may have been taken in the 1930s after Bayhorse was deserted, as there is little evidence of human habitation.

Present day photos from my trip to the Bayhorse ghost town can be seen in the Bayhorse post.

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