Bonanza Idaho ghost town
Bonanza City
Established in 1876, the town's name represented the optimism felt by early day miners, and luckily their dreams were richly realized for decades. By 1881, the population of Bonanza peaked at 600 and the town boasted a dentist, a tin shop, a watchmaker, hotels, saloons, boarding houses, a post office, and even the first newspaper in Custer County, The Yankee Herald. Bonanza City prospered for over 30 years, until its glory days of gold mining faded around 1910.
From the beginning, Bonanza was a well-planned settlement. Its streets were laid out in a rectangular grid, which was quite unlike most boomtowns that tended to be constructed haphazardly. Bonanza's main thoroughfare was wide and lined with trees, and there was a public well and a water system. Despite the latter, major fires in 1889 and 1897 destroyed much of Bonanza. But by then, the tiny town of Custer had been established two miles south, and most merchants reestablished their business there.
Not much is still intact in Bonanza today. Most of the old buildings succumb to heavy snow and windstorms each year, but they still make for interesting photos and historic reminders. It's tempting to want to treasure hunt amongst the rubble, but posted signs prohibit the removal of artifacts, so stick to just taking pictures.
texture by skeletalmess
Bonanza Idaho ghost town
Bonanza City
Established in 1876, the town's name represented the optimism felt by early day miners, and luckily their dreams were richly realized for decades. By 1881, the population of Bonanza peaked at 600 and the town boasted a dentist, a tin shop, a watchmaker, hotels, saloons, boarding houses, a post office, and even the first newspaper in Custer County, The Yankee Herald. Bonanza City prospered for over 30 years, until its glory days of gold mining faded around 1910.
From the beginning, Bonanza was a well-planned settlement. Its streets were laid out in a rectangular grid, which was quite unlike most boomtowns that tended to be constructed haphazardly. Bonanza's main thoroughfare was wide and lined with trees, and there was a public well and a water system. Despite the latter, major fires in 1889 and 1897 destroyed much of Bonanza. But by then, the tiny town of Custer had been established two miles south, and most merchants reestablished their business there.
Not much is still intact in Bonanza today. Most of the old buildings succumb to heavy snow and windstorms each year, but they still make for interesting photos and historic reminders. It's tempting to want to treasure hunt amongst the rubble, but posted signs prohibit the removal of artifacts, so stick to just taking pictures.
texture by skeletalmess