Welcome to Owyhee County Idaho

Historic Ranches

You will ride through these ranches. Cattle were first brought to the area in the 1860s and thousands of them wintered in this mild climate.

Joyce Ranch

Located on Sinker Creek. Established in 1865 by Matthew Joyce, still working cattle ranch today. Paul Nettleton operates the upper portion of the Sinker Creek Drainage. If you come in from the west, you will see the sign right before you pass over Sinker Creek.

Colette

Located on Castle Creek, has original Stone House, still a working cattle ranch. An out vet check on Day 1 of the Owyhee Canyonlands ride is held on the ranch.

Montini

Located near the confluence with the Snake River with Sinker Creek. The stone barn and bunkhouse are still standing, Oregon Trail immigrant stopover. Two out vet checks will be located there on the Arabian Nights Ride.

Gilmore

Located up-stream from the Joyce Ranch. It is mostly gone back to nature. An Out Vet Check is held there on day 4 of the Owyhee Canyonlands Ride. *Interesting Note on name of Sinker Creek: In 1847 prospectors were said to have found gold nuggets so large they used them as fishing sinkers!

Early People

Unusual Owyhee Women

2.) Joe Monaghan- lived as a man for 30 years without detection. Worked as a gold miner, cowboy and served on juries at a time when no woman was allowed to! The undertaker discovered her true sex after she had die in 1904!!

3.) Kittie Wilkins: The Horse Queen of Idaho Raised horses from 1885 to 1911. At one time she had 4000 head (see, you don’t have so many after all!!) She exported teams by train to the East Coast and sold many to the US Army.

Mining in the area

The County Seat was first located at Silver City but was later moved to a more central location at Murphy.

Many people feel that there is still a lot of gold out there just waiting to be found!

Oreana Valley -The introduction of irrigation to the Upper and Lower Snake River Valleys have made thousands of acres of former desert land into productive farmland. Alfalfa, sugar beets and potatoes are grown here. Five cuttings of alfalfa hay are harvested each season.

One interesting note is that the Main Street of Oreana runs true North and South. Surveyors depend on this Initial Point to establish land boundaries everywhere in Idaho.

Geology of the Snake River Basin

10 million years ago, a series of large lakes began forming, periodically blanketing southwest Idaho. This series of lakes is referred to as Lake Idaho. Marine fossils are abundant in this region from Lake Idaho’s waxing and waning shorelines. The lake was permanently drained 1 million years ago when a then-small tributary of the Salmon River eroded head ward, eventually reaching the lake and causing its waters to drain northward, forming the Snake. (This tributary, eroded by the massive flood of water from Lake Idaho, became the Hells Canyon of the Snake River. The rhyolite canyons you will see (Castle Creek, Sinker Creek, Pickett Creek) were also formed as Lake Idaho drained. Windblown lakebed sediment formed many of the bluffs and 'badlands’ formations that you will see.

In 1879 Oregon Trail pioneers Milford and Mattie Givens discovered and fell in love with the hot springs area that today bears their name. The uncertain promise of the trail ahead proved poor competition for the Idaho site, with its abundance of fish and land animals for sustenance, and naturally hot water to simplify and enhance life. Oregon dreams were exchanged for Idaho reality as the Givens put down roots in this beautiful Owyhee County setting.

With the help of Milford and Mattie's four sons - Berry, Granville, Guy and Jess - a bath-house was built in the early 1900's. That structure included private rooms with soaking tubs.

In 1903 a hotel was built to accommodate the ever-increasing number of guests. An oasis in the desert, the hotel boasted a restaurant, ice cream parlor, and picnic grounds shaded with poplar and fruit trees. Later refinements included a barbershop and post office.

More and a Map!