Episode 1 of 11
Orofino Gold Rush
Orofino, IdahoGold
Where it all begins: the pure-history opener in North Idaho’s original gold country.
The History
The rush started in 1860, when gold turned up on Orofino Creek in the Clearwater country. Camps like Pierce, Elk City, and Idaho City boomed almost overnight, and for a stretch in the 1860s the Boise Basin out-produced almost everything else in the West. The gold rush created Idaho Territory itself: the miners came first, and the state followed. Season 1 opens here, where Idaho began.
The Dream Tour List for This Leg
The stops and companies we want on camera as the convoy works this ground. Proposed, not confirmed bookings, and growing as the dream tour list fills in.
Orofino Historic District
The on-camera anchor: walking the ground where the 1860 strike set everything off.
Pierce gold camps
The first boomtown of the Clearwater rush, a short drive up the hill.
Clearwater River placer country
Hands-on panning segment on the water that started the state.
Want your operation on this leg of the route?
Hunting Hidden Treasures pairs every mine with the end users it powers. If your project belongs in this episode, let’s talk.
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