The Land of the Yankee Fork State Park brings to life Idaho’s frontier mining history. This state park is part of the larger Land of the Yankee Fork Historic Area located in scenic central Idaho. Managed by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, the Salmon-Challis National Forest and Bureau of Land Management this historic area provides unique historical interpretation and numerous recreational opportunities. At the Interpretive Center in Challis there are museum exhibits, a gold panning station, audiovisual programs, and friendly personnel to provide information on local mining history and area attractions. Also of interest are the ghost towns of Bonanza and Custer, the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge, the Custer Motorway and the Challis Bison Jump.
The Park Today
July 12 Centennial Celebration at the Land of the Yankee Fork: 10am-5pm
• ACTIVITIES IN THE PARK: At the Custer Town Site, the Annual Custer Days event has lots going on: gold panning, shoot outs, children’s old time games, cross-cut saw demos, blacksmith demos, pack horse demo, old-time fiddlers, staff and guest presenters dressed in costumes as historical characters to give talks and answer questions, melodramas, music, weavers and spinners, treadle sewing machine demonstration, hand-made ice cream, and butter churning. There will be a special musical tribute to Clarence Eddy, The Prospector Poet and discoverer of Lost Packer Mine.
• REFRESHMENTS IN THE PARK: Birthday Cake, hand made ice cream are free. But a lunch of Sloppy Joes, chips and fruit cobbler will be available to buy.
• CONDITIONS IN THE PARK TODAY
The Land of the Yankee Fork Interpretive Center is open 7 Days a week 9 am to 5 pm. Custer and the Yankee Fork Dredge are open 7 Days a week, 10 am – 4:30 pm.
Custer Day is July 12 with many fun activities planned including: old west shoot-outs, melodramas, living history demonstrations, old time fiddlers, children’s games of the 1880’s, and many others. Larry’s Lunch counter will be available again at nominal cost, so bring your appetite. We will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of Idaho State Parks so be sure to stay around for the Dutch oven baked Bread Pudding! It’s a full day of family fun.
The Yankee Fork Visitor Center is a mere ¼ mile walk from the Challis Bison Jump Archeological Dig which will continue through July 3rd. Tours of the dig site can be arranged the Center.
The Custer Motorway is closed for major construction from Mill Creek Summit on the east and the Custer Townsite on the west. Closure dates are June 30 through August 15th. This road work will result in much smoother road conditions in the future. Thank you for your patience.
Current conditions are awesome with low fire danger, good fishing, great camping opportunities, and beautiful scenery.
Challis Bison Kill Site
Early inhabitants of the Round Valley acquired bison at the nearby Challis Bison Kill Site. Archaeological excavations in 1970 provided a glimpse into the early use of bison. Several glass beads, many stone tools and points dating to a wide variety of time frames, and the bones of about 30 bison were located during the excavation. Learn more about the history and use of the Challis Bison Kill Site along the .25 mile paved pathway at the Land of the Yankee Fork Interpretive Center. More information about the site is found inside the center.
Custer/Bonanza
These two sister cities were once booming with people set on finding their futures in gold. Beginning in 1870, the area attracted gold seekers searching its streams and mountains. Within six years, the mining communities of Custer and Bonanza sprang to life. The 1880s brought rapid growth to the region as the Lucky Boy, General Custer and Montana mines produced abundant ore and the town of Custer reached a population of 600. But the gold eventually played out leaving Custer and Bonanza ghost towns by 1911. Today, restored buildings, the tales of the miners and secluded cemeteries are all that remain. Take a guided or self-guided tour through the remains of this once thriving community and get a unique glimpse of turn-of-the-century gold mining. Try your luck at the gold panning station. Here you will learn about some of the colorful characters of the Yankee Fork such as Sammy Holman and Lizzie King. Plan to join us in July as we celebrate Custer Day.
Camping within and nearby the historic area can be found at National Forest, BLM and private campgrounds. Camping opportunities range from primitive to RV hookups and B&B’s. The elevation at Custer is 6500’.
Challis Ranger District Challis BLM Field Office
Yankee Fork Gold Dredge/Sunbeam Dam
Near Custer and Bonanza is the Yankee Fork Gold Dredge, a 988-ton monster barge that searched the gravels of the Yankee Fork for gold as recently as 1952. During its operation it “mined” 6,330,000 cubic yards of stream gravel, leaving behind 5 ½ miles of dredge tailings and recovering an estimated $1,037,322 in gold and silver at a cost of $1,076,100. Guided and self-guided tours are available during the summer. At Sunbeam, interpretive signs describe the beautiful Salmon River and the remnants of the Sunbeam Dam, the only dam ever constructed on the Salmon. The dam was built in 1910 to generate electricity for nearby mines. The operation went bankrupt in 1911 and the dam was breached in 1934.
Custer Motorway
Traveling the Custer Motorway from Challis to Custer is part of a very interesting 90-mile interpretive loop. Begin your adventure at the Interpretive Center near Challis, where displays tell the Yankee Fork mining story in a building styled after the old mining mills. Then, travel the Custer Motorway where fees were once collected along the old toll road from freighters and stages on their way to Custer and Bonanza from Challis. Work completed by the CCC in 1933 changed the old toll road to the Custer Motorway. This backcountry road features historic sites, panoramic views and interpretive signs. Note: Travel on the gravel Custer Motorway portion of the loop is not recommended for trailers or low-clearance vehicles. The motorway is open seasonally; please check locally for current conditions. The highest elevation along the motorway is 8800’ at Mill Creek Summit.
Recreation
In addition to fishing, hunting and cross-country skiing, try whitewater rafting on the world-famous Salmon River or backpacking in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area.