END OF THE WORLD - 10 MILES
ELK CITY- 12 MILES
I am often asked “What was your most interesting trip?” My answer is always “Concord, Idaho.”
The History of Concord, Idaho
There are only two Concords on the West Coast: Concord California, the largest Concord, and Concord, Idaho, arguably the smallest Concord. Concord, Idaho is the most isolated place I have been to. It’s a 10-hour flight from Boston to Lewiston, Oregon with a stop in Salt Lake City. In Lewiston, I rented the hardiest SUV I could find and set off for a glorious 3-hour drive past Slickpoo, Idaho through the Nez Perce Reservation, over Mt. Idaho, and Asbestos Point along a tributary to the Snake River. There was a great sign in town; it read:
END OF THE WORLD - 10 MILES
ELK CITY- 12 MILES.
Another sign pegged the population at 210, but I was told the true number is closer to 150.
I had an Air B+B outside Elk City. Todd was relatively new to Idaho, I think I was his first guest in many months, and previous guests had all been game hunters, looking, of course, for elk. We shared a few beers, and I told Todd of my quest to visit Concord, Idaho. That sent him scrabbling for a map. When we pinpointed it, Todd was stumped on how to get there. He had a poker buddy in Elk City who was an avid hunter and had lived in town for many years. He gave Robert a call.
The next day I pulled into Robert's driveway. He said there was an abandoned airfield in Concord. That was the only way he knew to get there. The nearest jumping-off spot was the town of Orogrande about 15 miles to the south. The 45-minute drive followed a dirt road alongside a sparkling river. Much of the river had been recently bulldozed as miners processed river stones looking to extract flakes of gold. 15-foot-high piles of waste rock lay spaced out along the river bank.
Orogrande consisted of trailer homes, long-term tent sites, and cabins built into the sides of the ravine. It had a summertime population of 34, and a winter population of one, a caretaker who looked after everyone’s properties. At the ranger station in Elk City, I had been given the name “Tom” and was told to ask for him at “Bob’s house.” I stopped off at a liquor store and bought the most expensive beer on the shelf.
It took a while to find Bob’s house, but that gave me the chance to talk to some of the campers.
Bob’s home was built into the side of the hill. The front was cantilevered on stilts. I walked slowly up the driveway with my six-pack in hand. I had the distinct feeling that there could be guns scoping me as I trespassed and approached a home where people moved to be away from other people.
I offered up my six pack of IPAs and that resulted in growl: “What is this crap? We only drink Pabst.” I was off to a rough start. I told them of my quest to visit all the Concords in America, and specifically my hope to reach Concord Idaho. Somehow that tickled their imagination, and I was invited to join them for dinner. I was the fifth seat at the table. Each man had served in a different branch of the military. Bob had been a chaplain in the Army, Steve had served in Korea with the Marines, Dan was a Navy vet and Tom served in The Coast Guard. They all had a love of history and the conversation
END OF THE WORLD - 10 MILES
ELK CITY- 12 MILES.
Another sign pegged the population at 210, but I was told the true number is closer to 150.
I had an Air B+B outside Elk City. Todd was relatively new to Idaho, I think I was his first guest in many months, and previous guests had all been game hunters, looking, of course, for elk. We shared a few beers, and I told Todd of my quest to visit Concord, Idaho. That sent him scrabbling for a map. When we pinpointed it, Todd was stumped on how to get there. He had a poker buddy in Elk City who was an avid hunter and had lived in town for many years. He gave Robert a call.
The next day I pulled into Robert's driveway. He said there was an abandoned airfield in Concord. That was the only way he knew to get there. The nearest jumping-off spot was the town of Orogrande about 15 miles to the south. The 45-minute drive followed a dirt road alongside a sparkling river. Much of the river had been recently bulldozed as miners processed river stones looking to extract flakes of gold. 15-foot-high piles of waste rock lay spaced out along the river bank.
Orogrande consisted of trailer homes, long-term tent sites, and cabins built into the sides of the ravine. It had a summertime population of 34, and a winter population of one, a caretaker who looked after everyone’s properties. At the ranger station in Elk City, I had been given the name “Tom” and was told to ask for him at “Bob’s house.” I stopped off at a liquor store and bought the most expensive beer on the shelf.
It took a while to find Bob’s house, but that gave me the chance to talk to some of the campers.
Bob’s home was built into the side of the hill. The front was cantilevered on stilts. I walked slowly up the driveway with my six-pack in hand. I had the distinct feeling that there could be guns scoping me as I trespassed and approached a home where people moved to be away from other people.
I offered up my six pack of IPAs and that resulted in growl: “What is this crap? We only drink Pabst.” I was off to a rough start. I told them of my quest to visit all the Concords in America, and specifically my hope to reach Concord Idaho. Somehow that tickled their imagination, and I was invited to join them for dinner. I was the fifth seat at the table. Each man had served in a different branch of the military. Bob had been a chaplain in the Army, Steve had served in Korea with the Marines, Dan was a Navy vet and Tom served in The Coast Guard. They all had a love of history and the conversation
Gold was discovered west of Concord in 1861, but it was the discovery of a rich vein of quartz in 1898, that brought in around 5000 eager prospectors. Prospectors were an optimistic bunch; maybe they thought they were. Concord may well have been settled by someone from the northeast. The original strike was made by a gentleman with the last name of Robbins which was a common surname in Concord, MA.
Prospectors would start by panning for avulival gold in the river bed. If evidence of gold was found in a stream or river, the prospector would work his way back upstream looking for the quartz vein that contains the heavy metals of lead, silver, and gold. These thin veins had once been the bed of prehistoric rivers that had been pushed up and exposed during the creation of mountain ranges. Concord, Idaho was once the center of a Gold Rush in the hills of Idaho. Around 1900, there were dozens of productive gold mines, along with the taverns, inns, shops, and other infrastructure needed to support or exploit those who lusted after gold.The road I'd be traveling was carved out in 1900 to bring in supplies. By 1903, most of the miners had left, discouraged by the fierce weather (snow blocked the road this June), the difficulty in extracting the low-grade ore, and the poor transportation. The larger mining operations closed, and the surrounding towns of Humptown, Big Buffalo, and Frogtown were abandoned, but operations continued on a small scale, off and on, in Concord until 1948, when a Presidential decree closed the last mine. It is estimated that $995,500 worth of gold was extracted from Concord over the years.
Prospectors would start by panning for avulival gold in the river bed. If evidence of gold was found in a stream or river, the prospector would work his way back upstream looking for the quartz vein that contains the heavy metals of lead, silver, and gold. These thin veins had once been the bed of prehistoric rivers that had been pushed up and exposed during the creation of mountain ranges. Concord, Idaho was once the center of a Gold Rush in the hills of Idaho. Around 1900, there were dozens of productive gold mines, along with the taverns, inns, shops, and other infrastructure needed to support or exploit those who lusted after gold.The road I'd be traveling was carved out in 1900 to bring in supplies. By 1903, most of the miners had left, discouraged by the fierce weather (snow blocked the road this June), the difficulty in extracting the low-grade ore, and the poor transportation. The larger mining operations closed, and the surrounding towns of Humptown, Big Buffalo, and Frogtown were abandoned, but operations continued on a small scale, off and on, in Concord until 1948, when a Presidential decree closed the last mine. It is estimated that $995,500 worth of gold was extracted from Concord over the years.
There is no proper road up to Concord, but I was going to try to take the old "Jeep Trail" in my rental car. Deep in the Nez Perce National Forest, the road climbs over 3000 feet to a height of 7600 feet over an abandoning mule path miners used to use.
The road I'll be traveling was carved out in 1900 to bring in supplies. I enquired about hiring a guide, , but none were available with such short notice.
The road I'll be traveling was carved out in 1900 to bring in supplies. I enquired about hiring a guide, , but none were available with such short notice.
After I couldn't find a guide to help me. I went to Plan B. Concord had an old airstrip, and if I could just find a pilot to take out there. I enquired at the Elk City office of the National Forest Service and was told that the Concord airstrip was no longer operational because deer grazed on the landing strip.
Plan C was to do it myself.
When I told people I was planning on trying to get to Concord and back in one day, the folks in Oregrande looked either amused or concerned about my sanity. On a map, it didn't look too bad. It was 14.6 miles. If I could drive down the road to Wild Horse Lake, I'd be about halfway there. The day before my attempt, I scouted out the Crooked River Road. It was an old stagecoach road that the miners used to get up to Concord. I proceeded about a 1/2 mile down the road before the rocks threatened my muffler. So it would be a 14-mile hike in and another 14 miles out. I was feeling fit. Doable, maybe? The 4000 ft. change of elevation would be another challenge.
After hearing all day about the danger of wolves, I googled “things that can kill me in Idaho.” Here are the top 10 animals:
Then, I compiled a list of non-living things that could kill me:
Plan C was to do it myself.
When I told people I was planning on trying to get to Concord and back in one day, the folks in Oregrande looked either amused or concerned about my sanity. On a map, it didn't look too bad. It was 14.6 miles. If I could drive down the road to Wild Horse Lake, I'd be about halfway there. The day before my attempt, I scouted out the Crooked River Road. It was an old stagecoach road that the miners used to get up to Concord. I proceeded about a 1/2 mile down the road before the rocks threatened my muffler. So it would be a 14-mile hike in and another 14 miles out. I was feeling fit. Doable, maybe? The 4000 ft. change of elevation would be another challenge.
After hearing all day about the danger of wolves, I googled “things that can kill me in Idaho.” Here are the top 10 animals:
- Grizzly Bears.Their population has exploded alongside the wolves.
- Great Basin Rattlesnake.
- Northern Pacific Rattlesnake.
- Prairie Rattlesnake.
- Bison.
- Gopher Snake.
- Black Widow Spider.
- Brown Recluse Spider.
- Yellow Jacket Wasps
- Paper wasps
Then, I compiled a list of non-living things that could kill me:
- Avalanche - A real danger on the unmaintained roads
- Dehydration - I could only carry a limited amount of water
- Exposure- If I couldn’t get in and out and had to spend a night at elevation, it could get dangerously cold.
- Wildfire - The area was prone to devastating fires. Much of old Concord had burned down from repeated fires over the years.
- Injury - there was a good chance for twisting, spraining, or breaking an ankle on the scramble up the old road.
- Getting lost - I had a compass, and I would buy a good map, but, heck, I can get lost in my hometown Concord, and I would definitely struggle to find my way to Concord, Idaho.
Yes indeed, I did make it to Concord Idaho. After a bone-rattling ride on the tandem Kubota 4x4 over Orograde Summit, and up The Devil's Staircase, over The Hump, past Frog Town, we made it down to Concord. According to Tom, the last fire had wiped out all the homes that he remembered. A couple of new cabins had sprung up in the intervening years. The airstrip was about a 1/2 mile up the hill, and there I was greeted by a half dozen old homes in various states of decay.
Just after we started heading back, we blew out a tire. Fortunately, Tom had brought a spare. Unfortunately, we didn't have a jack. Tom drove the 4x4 over the edge of the road to tilt the weight forward. We wedged a rock under the rear hitch, dug a hole under the tire, and managed to replace the wheel.
As we returned to Orograde Summit, we were met by another 4x4 Kubota driven by Bob McGuire and Benny York (two of the older gentlemen we met the day before). Since we were delayed getting back, they had come out looking for us.
Halfway back down to Orograde, we met Tom Ringer. Tom had been heading home to Granville after a weekend up at his place in Orograde. Tom had swung by Bob and Tom's place to say “Goodbye,” and had seen the 4x4s were gone, so he figured there was some trouble, and headed up to the Summit to see if he could help. The three 4x4s convoyed our way home. It was a remarkable display of neighborliness. They all had each others backs.
We celebrated our conquering of Concord with a few beers and later a delicious steak dinner up in Bob and Tom's man cave. The beers continued to flow, and so did the conversation. Bob, Tom, and their neighbor, Dan were intellectual giants! I had a hard time keeping up with their witty banter about the finer points of American and world history, and I teach that stuff! It was a memorable
end to a memorable day.
Just after we started heading back, we blew out a tire. Fortunately, Tom had brought a spare. Unfortunately, we didn't have a jack. Tom drove the 4x4 over the edge of the road to tilt the weight forward. We wedged a rock under the rear hitch, dug a hole under the tire, and managed to replace the wheel.
As we returned to Orograde Summit, we were met by another 4x4 Kubota driven by Bob McGuire and Benny York (two of the older gentlemen we met the day before). Since we were delayed getting back, they had come out looking for us.
Halfway back down to Orograde, we met Tom Ringer. Tom had been heading home to Granville after a weekend up at his place in Orograde. Tom had swung by Bob and Tom's place to say “Goodbye,” and had seen the 4x4s were gone, so he figured there was some trouble, and headed up to the Summit to see if he could help. The three 4x4s convoyed our way home. It was a remarkable display of neighborliness. They all had each others backs.
We celebrated our conquering of Concord with a few beers and later a delicious steak dinner up in Bob and Tom's man cave. The beers continued to flow, and so did the conversation. Bob, Tom, and their neighbor, Dan were intellectual giants! I had a hard time keeping up with their witty banter about the finer points of American and world history, and I teach that stuff! It was a memorable
end to a memorable day.
Wolves, forestry, hunting, guns, and mining
These are five nouns that rarely enter my mind. Ok I think wolves are cool. Forest should not be cut down. Hunting is bad. Guns are worse and mining, well, I like dwarves.
In Elk City Idaho, wolves, forestry, hunting, guns and mining are all burning issues that impact the residents day-to-day life. It is t he wolves that everyone brought up first. Ten breeding pairs of Gray wolves from Canada were introduced into the vast wilderness of the Frank B. Church Conservation Area back in 1995 and 1996. The reintroduction of an apex predator was applauded by environmentalists and while hunters and ranchers in Idaho and Montana had their doubts, a compromise was worked out with the National Forest Service. Wolf numbers would be capped at 300 and carefully monitored. The wolves were spectacularly successful, much to the chagrin of local farmers, hunters and guides. Wolves quickly moved off federal land and killed livestock. The ranchers were compensated for their loses, but some wolves were shot by cattlemen protecting their herd. For this, they were fined and jailed. It didn't take long for the number of wolves to soar. Hunters and guides in Idaho were furious that environmentalists backed out of their agreement to cap the wolf population. The wolves remained protected despite their explosive population growth. Many local people need to hunt elk and deer for meat in order to get through the winter. Stories abounded about how wolves had wiped out the elk and deer populations.
"These wolves kill for fun."
"I saw a wolf on a trail - it was as big as a Harley."
"They introduced the wrong breed; the Canadian variety is much more powerful than our timber wolves."
"They don't just kill the young and the weak, they can take down any healthy elk."
"They will kill a pregnant doe and just eat the unborn fawns."
No elk and no deer meant no tourists and no income from guiding.
In 2017 grey wolves were removed from the endangered species list and a limited hunting season was introduced. However, the wolves refused to be accept the plan to reduce their numbers. Today there are estimated to be over 1300 grey wolves in Idaho and more than 3000 ranging from Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
These are five nouns that rarely enter my mind. Ok I think wolves are cool. Forest should not be cut down. Hunting is bad. Guns are worse and mining, well, I like dwarves.
In Elk City Idaho, wolves, forestry, hunting, guns and mining are all burning issues that impact the residents day-to-day life. It is t he wolves that everyone brought up first. Ten breeding pairs of Gray wolves from Canada were introduced into the vast wilderness of the Frank B. Church Conservation Area back in 1995 and 1996. The reintroduction of an apex predator was applauded by environmentalists and while hunters and ranchers in Idaho and Montana had their doubts, a compromise was worked out with the National Forest Service. Wolf numbers would be capped at 300 and carefully monitored. The wolves were spectacularly successful, much to the chagrin of local farmers, hunters and guides. Wolves quickly moved off federal land and killed livestock. The ranchers were compensated for their loses, but some wolves were shot by cattlemen protecting their herd. For this, they were fined and jailed. It didn't take long for the number of wolves to soar. Hunters and guides in Idaho were furious that environmentalists backed out of their agreement to cap the wolf population. The wolves remained protected despite their explosive population growth. Many local people need to hunt elk and deer for meat in order to get through the winter. Stories abounded about how wolves had wiped out the elk and deer populations.
"These wolves kill for fun."
"I saw a wolf on a trail - it was as big as a Harley."
"They introduced the wrong breed; the Canadian variety is much more powerful than our timber wolves."
"They don't just kill the young and the weak, they can take down any healthy elk."
"They will kill a pregnant doe and just eat the unborn fawns."
No elk and no deer meant no tourists and no income from guiding.
In 2017 grey wolves were removed from the endangered species list and a limited hunting season was introduced. However, the wolves refused to be accept the plan to reduce their numbers. Today there are estimated to be over 1300 grey wolves in Idaho and more than 3000 ranging from Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
Getting to Concord and all the ways I could die en route
|
|
The ride up The Devil's Staircase.
|
I wish I had more time to digest fully the jaw-dropping beauty of the landscape and remarkable kindness and generosity of the residents.
After a bone-rattling ride on the tandem 4x4 over Orograde summit, and up The Devil's Staircase, overThe Hump, past Frog Town, we made it down to Concord. According to Tom, the last fire had wiped out all the homes that he remembered. A couple of new cabins had sprung up in the
intervening years. The airstrip was about a 1/2 mile but up the hill, and there I was greeted by a half dozen old homes in various states of decay.
Just after we started heading back we blew out a tire. Fortunately, Tom had brought a spare. Unfortunately, we didn't have a jack. Tom drove the 4x4 over the edge of the road to tilt the weight forward. We wedged a rock under the rear hitch, dug a hole under the tire and managed to replace the wheel.
As we returned to Orograde Summit, we were met by Bob McGuire and Benny York ( two of the older gentlemen we made met the day before). Since we were delayed getting back, they had come out looking for us. Halfway back back down to Orograde we met Tom Ringer. Tom had been heading home to Granville after a weekend up at his place in Orograde. Tom had swung by Bob and Tom's place to say goodbye, had seen the 4x4 were gone, so he figured there was some trouble so he headed up to the Summit to see if he could help. It was a pretty remarkable display of neighborliness.
We celebrated our conquering of Concord with a few beers and later a delicious dinner up in Bob and Tom's man-cave. The beers continued to flow and so did the conversation. Bob, Tom, and their neighbor Dan were intellectual giants! I had a hard time keeping up with their witty banter about the finer points of American and world history and I teach that stuff! It was a memorable
end to a memorable day.
After a bone-rattling ride on the tandem 4x4 over Orograde summit, and up The Devil's Staircase, overThe Hump, past Frog Town, we made it down to Concord. According to Tom, the last fire had wiped out all the homes that he remembered. A couple of new cabins had sprung up in the
intervening years. The airstrip was about a 1/2 mile but up the hill, and there I was greeted by a half dozen old homes in various states of decay.
Just after we started heading back we blew out a tire. Fortunately, Tom had brought a spare. Unfortunately, we didn't have a jack. Tom drove the 4x4 over the edge of the road to tilt the weight forward. We wedged a rock under the rear hitch, dug a hole under the tire and managed to replace the wheel.
As we returned to Orograde Summit, we were met by Bob McGuire and Benny York ( two of the older gentlemen we made met the day before). Since we were delayed getting back, they had come out looking for us. Halfway back back down to Orograde we met Tom Ringer. Tom had been heading home to Granville after a weekend up at his place in Orograde. Tom had swung by Bob and Tom's place to say goodbye, had seen the 4x4 were gone, so he figured there was some trouble so he headed up to the Summit to see if he could help. It was a pretty remarkable display of neighborliness.
We celebrated our conquering of Concord with a few beers and later a delicious dinner up in Bob and Tom's man-cave. The beers continued to flow and so did the conversation. Bob, Tom, and their neighbor Dan were intellectual giants! I had a hard time keeping up with their witty banter about the finer points of American and world history and I teach that stuff! It was a memorable
end to a memorable day.