TRAVEL THEELK CITY

WAGON ROAD

United StatesDepartment of

Agriculture

ForestService NEZ PERCE NATIONAL FOREST

This painting of Corral Hill Station, by local artistRobert Thomas, depicts life along the Elk City WagonRoad 100 years ago.

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Let the Adventure Begin!

icture yourself on a wagon 100 years ago. The rough roadmakes your ride bumpy, and you hang on as the wagonmoves forward.

In the winter you're atop a sleigh drawn by horses wearingsnowshoes. They plod their way through drifts as high as ten feet.The air is cold. It's rough going.

Travel along the Elk City Wagon Road, and follow the same roadminers and freighters took to the gold fields of Elk City.

Traveling the Road TodayHow to get there:

Welcome to the Elk City Wagon Road!

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The Elk City Wagon Road begins at Harpster, a small town on theSouth Fork of the Clearwater River. Harpster is between Grangevilleand Kooskia at milepost 13 (about 13 miles from each town). It'slocated along State Highway 13, part of the Northwest Passage ScenicByway.

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Overhanging branches and rocksprotruding from the roadway cancause serious damage.

Snow at higher elevationsrestricts travel to summer (lateJune through September).Check with the Clearwater orRed River Ranger Districts forcurrent road conditions.

Facilities:

There are no gas stationsalong the Elk City Wagon Road.Gas is available at Kooskia,Harpster, Grangeville or ElkCity.

There are no campgroundsalong the route, but there areplaces to pull off and set up a tent.

There are picnic and toiletfacilities near the NewsomeCreek Cabin.

When you reach Elk City,you'll find a small, full-servicecommunity with hotels, restau-rants and gas stations.

Your return trip to Harpstervia State Highway 14, a 50-miledrive, takes 1 ½ hours.

If you're traveling fromGrangeville, go past the Harpsterstore into the small community.Turn right at the sign describingthe wagon road. If you're travel-ing from Kooskia, turn left at thewagon road description signonce you're in Harpster.

Tour length:

Starting at Harpster, you'llwind your way 53 miles to ElkCity. The tour will take you 4-6hours with travel of 10-15 mph.

The route is marked at eachmile and road junction withbrown and white “Elk City WR”markers. Reset the mileagecounter in your vehicle at zerowhen you begin your tour.

Road conditions:

Most of this single-lane roadis unpaved. (Drive slowly whenconditions are dry and dusty.)There are few turnouts. Somestretches of road are narrow, andthere are some tight switchbacks.

Vehicles with high clearancetravel the route well althoughpassenger cars can make the tripif driven with caution.

Large recreational vehiclesand vehicles towing trailers arenot recommended for travelalong the Elk City Wagon Road.

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n a spring day in 1900, awagon made its way along

the Elk City Wagon Road.Loaded with mining suppliesand mail, a team of severalhorses pulled the wagon.

The driver knew he’d haveto switch from wagon to sleighwhen he encountered snow, butthe road was well used and thesnow packed. If he could make itto Mountain House Way Stationbefore nightfall, he could get agood meal and a place to sleep.With a little luck and no break-downs, the freight would reachElk City in another three days.

So it was along the Elk CityWagon Road from 1895 to1932. The freight and stageroute was prominent in themining and homesteadinghistory of central Idaho.

Starting at Harpster on theSouth Fork of the ClearwaterRiver 80 miles upstream fromLewiston, the road stretchedabout 50 miles to the miningtown of Elk City. A branch of theroad ran from Stites and joinedthe main route at the town ofClearwater. Beginning in theSouth Fork River valley at anelevation of about 1600 feet, the

road climbed as high as 6200 feetin the Baldy Mountain vicinityand then dropped into the ElkCity basin at around 4000 feet.

The first route in this area wasthe Southern Nez Perce Trail.Indian tribes used the trail totravel from the Camas Prairie inIdaho to the Bitterroot Valley inMontana. The Southern NezPerce Trail remains significant tothe Nimiipuu, the Nez Percepeople.

The first gold miners fromPierce used the trail on their wayto explore the Elk City area in1861. The trail became athoroughfare and was modifiedfor pack strings and wagons inthe mining boom that followed.

Traveling the Road 100 Years Ago

A mail team with snowshoesdelivers the mail. Circa 1908.

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By 1890, several way stationshad been built along the trail:Harpster, Newsome House and arest station for mail carriers calledTen Mile.

In 1894 construction startedon the Elk City Wagon Road.The road was finished in 1895. Itclosely followed the original trail,overlaying it in a few places.

By 1896, there were waystations at Switchback, MountainHouse, Corral Hill and MudSprings, providing room andfood for travelers. These stationswere some of the first home-steads in the area.

A stage trip from Stites toElk City took two days in thesummer. Leaving Stites at 6 a.m.,the stage arrived at MountainHouse by noon and at Newsomeby nightfall. There, travelersspent the night.

In the winter, the trip to ElkCity took five days, withovernight stops at Switchback,Mountain House, Newsome andMud Springs. The stage farefrom Stites to Elk City was $6 in1910.

The Journey Begins(Mile locator in parentheses.)

1 Harpster (0.0)

Prospectors came throughhere from the Camas Prairie ontheir way to the gold fields ofcentral Idaho in the 1860s. (It'sreported that Abraham Harpstercamped here in 1861.)

Pioneers began settling in thevalley by 1864. The settlementwas called Jackson Bridge,Clearwater Station, Brownsville,Riverside and Bridgeport. Fi-nally, in 1893 it was namedHarpster.

Harpster's claim to "dillpickle fame" was the sale ofhomemade pickles to places asfar away as Spokane, Washing-ton. Pickles were delivered to theDavenport Hotel there in the1920s.

From mile 1.0-1.6,remnants of the original WagonRoad are visible on the left sideof the road.The Mountain House way station nestled in an

alpine meadow. Today a sign marks the site.

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2 Wall Creek Bridge (3.2)

The original Wagon Roadcontinued up Wall Creek, buttoday the road is impassablebeyond two miles. Follow theElk City WR markers to the left.

Jacob and Fronia Rieboldoperated Riebold Station, a 14-room overnight and livery stationone mile up Wall Creek. The housewas constructed of boards milledon the property. Jacob died in1911.

In 1916, Fronia marriedReverend Knox, who preachedthe gospel to miners on a peaknear Florence above the SalmonRiver, known today as GospelPeak.

Follow the Elk City WagonRoad markers to the left.

3 Clearwater (6.6)

This town is located on theoriginal Nez Perce Trail and abranch of the Wagon Road.

The railroad reached Stites in1902, and Clearwater became atown with a sawmill, liverystable, blacksmith shop andgeneral store. Caulder’ssawmill was at the foot ofthe hill ½ mile north.

At mile 7.5 the roadforks. Follow the Elk City

WR markers to the left. (Takethe other fork only in goodweather.)

At mile 8.7 on a flat coveredwith small trees you'll come tothe site of the Folden Sawmill,which operated in the 1940s.

4 Four Ways Went Junction (9.5)

The original Wagon Roadcrosses here. The unmaintainedfork to the left is the originalroute – not passable by highwayvehicles. Downhill, to the west,is Nolen Way Station, the onlyremaining original building alongthe Wagon Road.

To see the site, turn right.Proceed 0.3 mile. The oldwooden house sits below theroad to the left. Nolen Stationprovided comfort and shelter totravelers and teams.

Staging between Stites and Elk City: A branch ofthe Wagon Road ran from Stites and joined themain route at the town of Clearwater.– collection, Friends of the Elk City Wagon Road

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5 Limestone Rock Outcrop (10.5)

The Ulmer family operateda kiln and sold lime to freight-ers. They quarried this vein oflimestone, and their kiln was onthe original road 600 feet uphill.You can walk to the site (it's asteep climb).

Lime was available self-service. Customers left paymentin an unlocked box. (Lime wasused to bond rock for concretefoundations.)

Junction with Sears CreekRoad #1106 (mile 12.4). Turn left.6 The Initial Tree (12.8)

The road joins the route ofthe original Wagon Road. One-half mile west is a livingmonument of the Elk CityWagon Road. Follow the trail tothe left to reach a ponderosapine several hundred years old.

Travelers carved theirinitials, dates and brands in thetree. Some marks, barely visible,may have been made by Indiantribes en route to Montana. Thetree is 5 ½ feet in diameter andhas survived many lightningstrikes. Remnants of the originalroad are also visible to the rightone-tenth of a mile above.

Junction with Road #284(mile 13.2). Turn right.

"CO" and "M" are among 55 visible dates,brands and initials carved in the bark of thegiant ponderosa pine tree by packers andfreighters, prospectors and cattlemen.

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9 Water Spout (14.8) – Wall Creek

Freighters filled water contain-ers from a spout eight feet abovethe road. (Play it safe. Don't drinkthe water!) Many of these siteswere reference points rather thansignificant landmarks.

Storm Creek Saddle (mile15.2). Junction with Road #1851;follow Elk City WR markers to theleft.

7 Switchback Station (13.4)

Built in 1895, Switchbackprovided a full-service overnightfacility and the first major stop-over en route to Elk City. Thelarge barns could accommodate100 head of stock. Patches ofnettles grow over the manure-rich soil where the barns werelocated.

The original switchbackof the Elk City WagonRoad is a few yards beyondthese nettle patches to thenorth. (Stay clear of thesepatches. Nettles sting!)

Switchback Station –circa 1920.

8 Haysheds (13.7)

Freighters switched loadsfrom wagons to sleighs inwinter. A pole structure wasused to store hay and suppliesat a commonly used transfersite near here.

Replica of watering trough atthe Water Spout site takes youback in time.

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10 Corral Hill (17.0)

Built in 1896, Corral HillStation provided lodging and alivery stable. The house wasnorth above the road; the barnand stock facilities were on theridge to the south. A spring and ahouse platform remain.

The mountains to the southare (left to right) Pilot Rock,Buffalo Hump, the Gospels andthe Seven Devils.

11 Southern Nez Perce Trail (17.5)

Here the Elk City WagonRoad intersects the originalSouthern Nez Perce Trail. Usedfor centuries by Nez PerceIndians to journey between theCamas Prairie and Montana, thetrail was the main route eastbefore the wagon road wasbuilt. The road intersects thetrail in several places ahead.

Lloyd Magruder, Elk Citymerchant well-known andrespected in the Idaho Territory,followed the Indian Trail to

transport goods from Lewiston tohis store in Elk City. In 1863robbers murdered him and histraveling companions, taking thegold dust miners had paid themfor goods purchased inMagruder's Elk City store. (Askfor your copy of the MagruderRoad Corridor brochure at localForest Service offices.)

12 Ten Mile Cabin (18.9)

You are at the junction withRoad #1852. Here, ten milesfrom Riebold Station, a small logcabin was used by mail carriers inwinter. It provided a bunk,fireplace and bare essentials forpreparing meals.

The road for the next halfmile was reconstructed in 1987to harvest timber in Clear Creekto the north. Follow the signs asyou continue on your journey.

Junction with Clear CreekRoad #1855 (mile 19.6). Stayright.

Driver Steve Burtis stood before aloaded wagon at Corral Hill Stationcirca 1900.

– collection, Friends of the ElkCity Wagon Road

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13 Grangeville Tree (19.8)

A large fir tree once markedthe spot where stage driversstopped to give passengers theirfirst view of Grangeville and theCamas Prairie.

14 China Point (20.2)

This landmark was named forthree Chinese who lived nearby.Legend claims the men wereevicted from the Newsome areaand later murdered. The sitebears no trace of historic debris.

Near this site the ForestService built the Jackpot RangerStation early in the 1900s.

15 Log Corduroy (21.0)

The next two miles traversethe highest elevations on theroute (6000-6280 feet). Snow-drifts are common until late June.The road may be muddy.

Freighters placed logs in theworst mud holes all along theWagon Road. Remnants of thisoriginal "log corduroy" are stillvisible in a couple of spots.

16 Mountain House (23.0)

The three-story log structurethat sat here was especiallyimportant in winter. Freighterswere often stopped here byheavy snows. Passengers onsnowshoes sometimes broke trailfor the horses. The building sitesand a few timbers are all thatremain.

Junction with Pilot KnobRoad #466 (23.4). Stay left.

17 Pilot Rock (23.5)

Pilot Rock, seen one-halfmile to the south (elevation 6952feet), is important to Nez PerceIndian tradition and culture.

Modern-daytravelers slowdown to recreatethe trip acrossthe Wagon Road.

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18 Big Switchback (24.3)

This was a tight turn forwagons pulled by many teams.From here the Wagon Roaddescends six miles to NewsomeCreek.

This road is steep. Drive withcaution on this stretch. Geardown!

19 Toothacher Springs (25.2)

Named for a nearby springwith cold water, this area was arest stop for freighters comingout of Elk City hauling heavyloads.

20 Newsome Townsite (30.4)

The main stop at Newsomewas a hotel with excellent foodoperated by the Shissler family.

There were several build-ings here, including a postoffice. There was a morgue fortemporary storage of bodies tobe transported to Grangeville.Gold dredging in the 1940seliminated all remnants of thebuildings. A cemetery stillexists between the Wagon Roadand private roads. The dwell-ings here are privately owned.Please respect private property.

Junction with NewsomeCreek Road #1858 (30.5).Turn right.

21 Newsome Cabin (32.0)

The Forest Service nowmaintains toilet and picnicfacilities at the site.

Across Newsome Creek isthe site where Sing Lee, aChinese miner, fed and shelteredtravelers in the late 1890s. Thesite is now a campground withtoilets and picnic facilities.

22 Elk City Wagon Road (33.9)

The original Wagon Road tothe left follows Smith Gulch upVicory Creek. This 2.2-milesegment is on the NationalRegister of Historic Places. It isclosed to vehicle traffic by slides.Continue going straight.

Allison Creek Road #307(36.6). Turn left.

23 Elk City Wagon Road (40.0)

The route rejoins the originalWagon Road. Stay right.

24 Mud Springs (41.0)

This site included a road-house built in 1896. The oldroadbed is still evident. Sev-eral buildings and a pond werebuilt below the spring area inrecent years.

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27 Montgomery Cabin (45.0)

This is the site of one of theearliest mines in the Elk CityMining District. An old prospec-tor stayed on for years withoutmuch success. An ore crushercan still be seen at the site.

28 Buffalo Gulch (46.9)

Here was another campsiteused by heavily loaded freighters.The original road is to the left,not passable by vehicles.Continue going straight.

Junction with Elk SummitRoad #1199 (48.5). Continuestraight on the original WagonRoad route.

29 Elk City (51.5)

You have reached thejunction with State Highway 14and are almost to Elk City.

The town was established in1861. It burned almost com-pletely in 1930. Several oldcabins in the basin and a store onMain Street remain from theearly mining days.

25 The Big Mailbox (43.5)

A log structure about five feetsquare was anchored betweentwo trees here. It served as amailbox and supply drop for theSouth Fork Mines located downthe ridge on the breaks of theSouth Fork of the ClearwaterRiver. The box was placed high sopeople could reach their mail evenwhen the snow was 6-7 feet deep.

26 Whiskey Creek Flat (44.7)

Some freighters, so heavilyladen they could not reachestablished way stations within aday, camped here.

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Friends ofthe Elk City Wagon Road,

Thank you for your unselfishand unstinting commitment tothe preservation of this route, andfor bringing its history to life.

For many of you, the route holdsa key to your personal history.You've grown up here, andyou've heard the Wagon Road'scolorful history all your life. Youknow the importance of keepingit alive for all who follow.

Friends of the Elk City Wagon Road gather each summer for a tour of the historicroute followed by prospectors and packers.

We hope you have enjoyed your tour!

Keep this brochure as a souvenir,or return it to the box at the Elk City site.

Be prepared for your trip!

Take with you:• Food• Water• Insect repellent• Nez Perce National Forestmap• Camera and binoculars

Wear:• Serviceable shoes

Be sure to have:• A full tank of gas!

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R1-07-07

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Most illustrations provided by Valeria Yost.

Logo provided by Bryce B. McLean.

Photos provided by Esther Morrow unless otherwise noted.

The U. S. Department ofAgriculture (USDA) prohibitsdiscrimination in all itsprograms and activities onthe basis of race, color,national origin, sex, religion,age, disability, politicalbeliefs, sexual orientationand marital or family status.(Not all prohibited basesapply to all programs.)Persons with disabilitieswho require alternativemeans for communication ofprogram information (Braille,large print, audiotape, etc.)should contact USDA’sTARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).To file a complaint ofdiscrimination, write USDA,Director, Office of CivilRights, Room 326-W, WhittenBuilding, 1400 Indepen-dence Avenue, SW,Washington, DC 20250-9410,or call 202-720-5964 (voiceand TDD). USDA is an equalopportunity provider andemployer.

NEZ PERCE NATIONAL FOREST

1005 Highway 13Grangeville, ID 83530208-983-1950TDD 208-983-0696

CLEARWATER RANGER DISTRICT

1005 Highway 13Grangeville, ID 83530208-983-1963TDD 208-983-0696

RED RIVER RANGER DISTRICT

Elk City Ranger StationP.O. Box 416Elk City, ID 83525208-842-2245TDD 208-842-2935

WEBSITE:www.fs.fed.us/r1/nezperce