Moses Splawn, who had been mining at Elk City and Florence, headed south to the Owyhees. Southeast of Murphy, on Sinker Creek, he and two other miners found a little gold, but decided to go back up north across the Snake and Boise Rivers to the mountains. They met up with George Grimes and party, and together they all went up a creek northeast of Boise City in August of 1862. After about 10 days they began to pan some "color." Just when it got better, they were harassed by some Indians who shot and killed George Grimes, August 15. He was buried in a prospector's hole along the creek that now bears his name - Grimes Creek.
The miners headed back to Boise for supplies and the word got around about a gold strike. Returning, they set up a camp, calling it Centerville. They needed more water in later years to wash their diggings, so a ditch was dug to bring water down from up north.
Other miners went further up Grimes Creek and struck it rich. The settlement was called Pioneerville and was the first town in the Boise Basin.
Four miles upstream from Pioneerville, a Mr. Wells and 75 men began a mining operation called The Golden Age Mine and the camp was called Golden Age Camp. During the early 1900s the town had two mills, a dozen houses, to miner’s bunkhouses with recreation hall and a two-story hotel. The Diana School was soon constructed. The two mills turned out about $3000 in gold per day. This operation was cut short when the mine shafts began to be flooded with water from Grimes Creek and had to be abandoned.
Come Back Mining Camp, on another creek drainage was about three miles northeast of New Centerville. It was first named Fort Hog em’ by early miners who were competing for the best claims. From this area, it's estimated that over $670,000 of gold ore was mined. In 1940-41 a rich pocket of gold ore was discovered that yielded about $200,000 in profits.
Farther north, and up the creek towards Garden Valley was a mining camp, Placerville. It had a population of about 5000 people. The popular Magnolia Saloon was the fanciest of all the 29 saloons in town. The Boise Basin Merc sold general supplies and was saved in the forest fire of 1931 by it's metal doors and shutters. The brick butcher shop survived because of the thick layer of dirt in the ceiling that was used as insulation. A Mr. Robinson started a store in 1874 that operated for over 100 years. In the large cemetery are buried many wealthy families as attested by the large and beautiful headstones. One grave with a bronze plaque, is known as the "Fiddler’s Grave." Popular belief is that three fiddlers are buried there but in reality there's only one fiddler, Fred Cursons. Banjo player, Larry Mouton, and a miner George Wilson, are all in a common grave. The two musicians were on their way to play for a dance at Centerville accompanied by Mr. Wilson, who was just returning from Boise City after cashing in his gold dust for $10,000 worth of gold coins. Wilson was robbed and murdered and the other two also murdered because they were riding along with him on Ophir Creek.
J. Marian More brought in about 90 miners from Walla Walla and about 60 miners from Central Idaho to work claims on what became known as More's Creek. Later a dredge was built to work the gravel in the creek bed.
World War II brought an end to mining operations in the Boise Basin.
Bannock City was established one More's Creek in 1862. By 1863 there were about 6275 people in town, and the name was changed to Idaho City. It was incorporated February of 1864 by an act of the Idaho Territorial Legislature which also established a prison December 15, 1864 with Sumner Pinkham as the first county sheriff.
The Masonic Lodge was organized July 7, 1863 and the lodge hall was built in 1865 which is still standing.
Toussaint Mesplie, a French priest arrived in 1863 for the Catholic Church.
Rev. C. S. Kingsley, a Methodist minister from Portland, Oregon, preached the first sermon in the union hall November 22, 1863 to a large crowd. A church was constructed in the winter of 1863-64. The building was sold to the county for a courthouse. A brick building was constructed and it too was sold later for a new courthouse. The minister had a love of flowers which were shipped in from San Francisco to sell. The Rev. Kingsley later became the leader of the local vigilantes.
The "Idaho World" was the territory’s leading newspaper and it reported that the town had 46 saloons and four breweries.
Lumber was needed for buildings in the Boise Basin, so a steam sawmill was set up on Grimes Creek in July 1863, which turned out 10,000 to 15,000 feet of lumber per day.
Bricks were made at Buena Vista and were more costly to produce so construction was mostly lumber, until the big town fire of May 18, 1865. It was said to have been started by an angry saloon patron.
The Idaho Saloon, the Wells Fargo office, the county offices, City Hotel, Magnolia Hall and Harris Drug Store all burned. Craft’s Store contained a large safe with many miner’s pouches of gold dust. They were removed to safety and the gold return to the owners after the fire.
The most plush entertainment center was the Jenny Lind Theatre, with it's 800 seats - some of which were upholstered in red velvet. Through the bravery and knowledge of fire fighting, a stagehand saved the building from destruction. The following night a benefit show was held for the fire victims.
In later years there were more fires.
The First National Bank of Idaho opened it’s doors March 11, 1867 and later the First Security Bank offered security for miner's gold.
It's estimated that the millions of dollars of gold mined in the Boise Basin surpassed the Alaskan and California gold rushes. It helped support the US Government during the Civil War. Mile per mile this was the richest gold field in North America. Idaho City, between 1862 and 1865 was the largest city in the Northwest with about 15,000 people in town and about 15,000 people living in tents and shacks in the nearby hills. There were hundreds of Chinese who became merchants and miners, many of whom were buried in the cemetery north of town.
Today the area is a huge tourist attraction. In the surrounding canyons and on the creeks many homes have been built and the residents commute daily to Boise. Roads are kept open during winter months and the snowmobiles and four-wheel-drive vehicles aid those in remote areas.