Posts Tagged With: Salmon River

Salmon, ID Sept.26′

Syringa Lodge

Salmon Idaho is a town of 3000 people without any major employer or large shopping store. Even the nearest Walmart is over 100 miles away. However, it has a beauty with the mountains, the Salmon River, and the valleys along the river. The town is a jumping off point for remote adventure trips in this part of Idaho.

Salmon River
The Salmon River starts down by Stanley, flows northwards, and north of Salmon the river will go west through the mountains, where it’s too narrow for any road to follow its path. That location is a big multi-day rafting trip experience. The Salmon is the only major undammed river left in Idaho, and according to some sources, the longest undammed river in the United States. It also has a canyon deeper than the Grand Canyon. That’s some river.

However our journey from Stanley to Salmon is generally along a quieter, early section of the river. That does not mean that the road has given up its curves. Of course, the road is called the Salmon River Scenic Byway. Leaving Stanley, we see a small herd of sheep, the first ones we have seen, despite the heavy connection of Idaho with the Basque sheepherders. It brought to mind two other thoughts regarding sheep. First, several days ago when we were at Hagerman Fossil Beds, we talked with a visitor who was an itinerant sheep shearer. He travels around the west doing the shearing as needed. In addition, we read an article in the local paper about the large herds of sheep starting to move down from the open ranges at the higher elevations to the lower valley area. We have not seen them ourselves yet.

When we finally arrive at Salmon, we go to the Sacajawea Interpretive Center – which was closed. Our earlier research indicated it should be open, but evidently it’s now being closed at Labor Day. This area of the Salmon River is where Sacajawea, traveling with the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery, met her brother. The Nez Perce were critically helpful to the explorers. All along the byway, there are signs for the Corps of Discovery Trail and the Nez Perce Trail. We are back in an area rich in history.

Lemhi county Historical Museum
The local historical museum in Salmon is called the Lemhi County Historical Museum. The Lemhi portion of the name comes from the role of the missionaries of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, exploring and settling this area. The museum has been promoted in numerous periodicals, but we were not impressed.

Our lodging for the two nights in Salmon is at the Syringa Lodge, a bed-and-breakfast. This building was built to be a bed-and-breakfast and home for the owner. The initial builder died, and a couple took it over. The husband of the couple died and it is now managed by the wife with help from her daughter and son-in-law. It is a large, custom built log building with a fantastic view towards the mountains to the east. It has six bedrooms plus living areas for the woman and the daughters individual families. We are the only guests for our two nights.

Driving along the Salmon River Scenic Byway

This morning, Tuesday, after breakfast, we drove to Big Hole National Battlefield, just over the border in Montana. Just over the border does mean an hour and a half drive through the usual mountainous terrain. Big Hole was the site of a major battle between the fleeing Nez Perce and US Army forces. The Nez Perce had camped at a valley they were acquainted with. The valley is at 6300 foot elevation but as we came down from the mountain pass at 7300 feet, the valley spreads out before you giving the impression of being at a much lower elevation.

Big Hole National Battlefield
The Nez Perce were trying to reach safety in Canada and had been doing a good job evading and/or defeating the US Army. They had 700 men, women, and children and 2000 horses but were caught by surprise by a second, unknown to them, Army unit coming from the east. 60-90 Nez Perce of all ages and sex were killed, 31 soldiers died. As the Nez Perce warriors held off the soldiers, the rest escaped. Less than two months later, just shy of the Canadian border, at the Battle of Bear Paw, the Nez Perce were finally defeated and forced to move to Oklahoma.

We returned to Salmon, after an ice cream break, rested, had dinner at a local brewery, and started packing up for our journey tomorrow to Mackay Idaho.

Ed and Chris, Salmon ID Sept. 26