A relatively unknown mining district but nonetheless impressive, the Jarbidge Mining District, associated mainly with Nevada, also dips into the southern portion of Idaho. It’s a part of Idaho’s gold mining history often overlooked. Idaho Gold Mining’s claims along the Bruneau River fall into the Jarbidge Mining District area. For specific claims for sale on the Bruneau River, please look here.
While information about the region is hard to come by, there are some solid factoids about the gold mining history of the area. The epicenter of the region is Elko County in northern Nevada. The Jarbidge mountain range was spottily prospected from the late 1860s. In fact, the first gold and silver deposits were found near the Bruneau River. Several small towns and camps sprung up for a few years and quickly disappeared back into the desert when a vein dried up or deposits were found elsewhere and a new gold rush was started.
In 1908 or 1909, a man by the name of David Bourne found a very rich gold deposit near the Jarbidge River. Gold miners flooded the region, looking for a piece of the wealth. The town of Jarbidge was founded and by 1911 boasted a population of 1,200 people. The significant gold deposits keep the miners busy until the early 1930s when production finally halted. Parts of the town of Jarbidge still stand today, a proud reminder of the tenacity and ingenuity of the miners that worked the Jarbidge Mining District.
It’s estimated that over 200,000 ounces of gold were plucked, panned, and dug from the ground of Jarbidge Mining District during its heyday. That translates to a current value of $336,000,000 of yellow wealth. And who says the area is tapped out? Not us. The old-timer miners always found that the richest deposits in the area were always in veins running northeast to southwest. Could be that there are still some untapped deposits just waiting to be discovered!