John Hogge, U-of-I Extension Area Educator – Presenter at the Convention
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2332&context=extension_curall
About 15 miles north of Emmett is 25,806 acres of rolling hills, prominent buttes and ridgelines that make up the Bureau of Land Management’s Four-Mile Wild Horse Management Area (HMA). Elevations vary from 2,500 to about 5,400 feet.
The Four-Mile population census taken in February 2018 was 128 horses according to Boise District BLM Wild Horse and Burro Specialist Raul Trevino.
History of Gem’s wild horses
The Four-Mile horses originated from domestic stock owned by those living in the Big Willow Creek and Four-Mile Creek areas. Pinto horses were raised by Jack Macomb in the 1930s in the Four Mile Canyon. Others raised horses in the area including Nelson McCullough on Willow Creek, Tom Wilburn on South Crane Creek and Walter Knox on the Indian Jake Ranch. These horses were not considered wild according to the BLM until people came and tried to catch them or chase them. Being difficult to corral, they were considered wild. Sixty-five privately owned horses were rounded up and removed in 1965.
At the passage of the Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act in 1971, two HMAs were identified and BLM was given authority to manage wild horses and burros on public lands. There were 75 horses in the 4-Mile HMA and West Crane HMA. Decisions removed the horses permanently from West Crane and reduced the Four-Mile to the appropriate management level of 20 head for rangeland health.
An aerial survey in 1972 counted a total of 13 adult and two foals. Of those, one was a mule, one wore a halter and another horse wore hobbles.
During a 1986 wildfire in the Four-Mile HMA, 14,000 acres burned. The horses were removed January 1987 due to a lack of forage on their home range and to allow vegetation recovery. The area was aerially seeded with grasses and forbs. Then in the fall of 1991, nine horses from the Owyhee Resource Area were introduced back into the Four-Mile HMA. Three years later there were 12 head on 18,018 acres.
Currently there are 128 horses in the HMA. The Low Allowable Management level is 37 head for the area, so the BLM is in the process of gathering and removing horses to meet the allowable number. BLM manages a total of six wild horse herd management areas in Idaho on approximately 418,000 acres of private, public and state lands.
As of March 1, 2018, the wild horse and burro population on public lands was estimated at 82,000 animals, which is more than triple the number of animals the land can support in conjunction with other legally mandated land uses. Four-Mile HMA is also overpopulated.
March 17, 2019 turned out to be a great day to ride in the Owyhee Front, high 40’s temperatures, light breezes and a group of members and guest that were really glad to be out on their horses. 
BLM’s Wilson Creek Trail head is the perfect location for a day like this. Lots of great trail, good parking and pretty easy to get to.
Our group broke up in to three separate teams. One team went hiking, the second team wanted to make the 10 miles Hard Trigger Canyon Loop, and the third team wanted to ride up the Wilson Creek trail making a shorter loop.
After everyone returned from their respective rides and hikes we shared various treats and talked about the adventures we had!
Dear BCHI Members,
I have been asked by the Eagle Rock chapter to encourage you to attend the Saturday, March 23rd Convention.
I have been attending conventions since 2007, and I can tell you they are FUN, EDUCATIONAL and the food is always GREAT. But watch those auctions, with all the great donations you could home with less $green$ (all I can say is thank God for plastic!). And speaking of donations, chapters are asked to bring a high ticket item for the live auction and individuals, if they like, can bring new or used items (like the silver bit I got lats year) for the silent auction. And don’t forget the Photo Contest!!! The 2018 calendar full page photos for August and September were past winners.
Here is the agenda for the day. The morning is filled with business which includes four proposals to vote on. Each chapter gets 8 voting delegates (members in good standing-meaning they’ve paid their dues). The more delegates your chapter has, the more sway you’ll have in the voting. Sometimes it comes down to just that one vote.
Also attached is the registration form. The due date says the 4th, but call Winnie or Aline and they will be more than happy to take your RSVP.
The convention will be held at Shilo Inn and Convention Center
780 Lindsay Blvd. Idaho Falls, Id. 83402, (208) 523-0088 shiloinns.com
Special Discounted Room Rate: $83 nightly (reserve under BCHI name) some times you can’t get the special discount if you use an 800 number.
https://www.shiloinns.com/shilo-inns-idaho-falls?pi=iifid
For the 10th year the south western Idaho chapters of Back Country Horsemen of Idaho, Boise, Squaw Butte and Treasure Valley have manned a BCHI information booth at the Idaho Sportsman show at the Expo Idaho grounds. As in years past our booth was next to Public Land Agencies, the US Forest Service and BLM. Our display generated a lot of interest, with lots of questions about the various pictures and the trail safety posters. We handed out lots of information about BCHI, and the ITA (Idaho Trails Association) who partners with our chapters on wilderness projects. Thank you to the members of the Boise and Treasure Valley chapters who stood booth shifts, and to the Squaw Butte Members, David Benson, Charles & Lorraine Chick, Shannon Schantz, Nancy Smith, Arlynn Hacker, Phil Ryan, Carmen Tyack, Bill Holt, Rob Adams and Bill & Marybeth Conger.
ttacks to Idaho’s public lands in the Idaho legislature have been on the rise. This year, IWF has worked hard to shed light on legislation moving through the State House that negatively impact Idaho’s public lands and your public land rights. HJM5, HJM8 and HB162 all have negative consequences for Idaho’s lands and wildlife and all four passed through the House, now bound for the Senate. You can find out more about each bill on our website.
IDAHO HORSE COUNCIL report Respectfully submitted by Marybeth Conger- IHC Director for BCHI – one of seven
After IHC President Dixie Christensen called meeting to order, roll call was taken and motions carried to approve the November 17,2018 minutes as amended and the special director meeting of December 27, 2018.
The following guests and IHC membership representatives were introduced and welcomed: Randi McCallan- AQHA, Ann Martin- 2019 IHC Organizational member SCGH, Rhonda Gundert (Kimberly Kvamme’s friend), DeEtte Lindberg- IHB Executive Director, Dan Tackett, and Sabina Amidon- 2019 IHC Individual Member.
1. Treasurer’s Report & Financial Summary presented.
Unfinished Business:
2. Hiring of Executive Director- A committee was formed. Director input on what an Executive Director should do for the IHC. Please respond to committee email requests. IHC has temporarily hired a temporary secretary.
3. Please welcome and congratulate Cheryl Keshian as the IHC 2019 2nd Vice President.
4. Janine Townsend discussed Horse Statue. Cost could be $2,500- $3,500. Sabrina Amidon has one for the IHC to borrow temporarily. Janine will handle getting this horse to the 2019 Expo.
5. DeEtte Lindberg, Idaho Horse Board Executive Director, gave update. Senator Patti Anne Lodge working to present draft bill to increase equine fees.
Read complete report
IHC January 26 2019 report for BCHI 2019-02-07 Meeting Minutes
Marybeth Conger
BCHI Education chair
208-236-0769
education-chair@bchi.org
PAYETTE TRAILS! Introducing the Payette National Forest Trail Status Map! This is a great map that allows you to see the current status of every trail on the Forest. Plan your next trip with this map. Click this link – its easy to remember! http:/bit.ly/PayetteTrails
Posted by Arlynn Hacker
Link to website
Subject: Fwd: Sawyer Certification Program
Dear Directors and Presidents,
Attached to this email you will find a file containing a completed application to establish a Sawyer Certification Program for Back Country Horsemen of Idaho according to the Forest Service Saw Policy, Forest Service Manual 2358.
Rob Adams of the Squaw Butte Chapter presented this application process at the September Board Meeting based on application information he had received from Oregon and California BCH.
Since the Board meeting, I have spoken with Pete Duncan who is the National Saw Program Manager. Mr. Duncan stated that BCH of California, Oregon and Washington all have approved programs under this policy. He would like to see Back Country Horsemen of Idaho have a Certification Program in place as well. Mr. Duncan said Back Country Horsemen of Idaho must have an approved Sawyer Certification Program in place in order to train and certify ourselves under the USFS Saw Policy.
The short version of the Sawyer Certification Program is as follows:
1. The Forest Service (USFS) will certify “C” Sawyer/evaluators.
2. Then BCHI “C” Sawyer/BCHI-Sawyer Package 12-31-2018 will train and certify other BCHI members as either
A or B Sawyers depending on experience and abilities.
3. Eventually, BCHI “C” Sawyer/evaluators will be able to certify new “C” sawyer/evaluators.
4. BCHI Education Chair or his/her designee will enter training records directly into the USFS
data base.
The only change for current “C” sawyer/evaluators that have been conducting classes is their completed evaluation forms would now be submitted to the BCHI Saw Program Coordinator rather than their local FS Districts.
Once approved, this Sawyer Certification Program will cover the entire state of Idaho. Also, since the training records are entered in the national USFS data base, our sawyers can volunteer in any state or USFS Region.
I will be seeking Board approval at the March Board meeting. Please review this with your Chapter members as soon as possible, and contact me with any questions and/or concerns.
Thank you,
Bill Conger, Chairman
A People’s History of Wilderness Paperback – September 2004
by Matt Jenkins (Editor)
Published on the 40th anniversary of America’s most important public lands protection movement
·Highlights the citizen activists who made and continue to make wilderness real
·Features new and archival stories from High Country News
With the signing of the Wilderness Act by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964, the National Wilderness Preservation System was established to secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness. High Country News brings to life the people and events who shaped this unprecedented citizen’s movement. Drawn from the pages of this award-winning newspaper whose coverage has been solely focused on environmental and cultural issues affecting the American West for over three decades, A People’s History of Wilderness presents the competing philosophies, complexities, and passions, as they happened, that has resulted in the protection of over 104 million acres of wilderness.
This is an excellent compilation of articles, essays and editorials from the top magazine about the western United States, High Country News, specifically dealing with wilderness.
Major national environmental groups as well as local organizations all get their due, as well as insight onto their different angles in wilderness legislation attempts, lobbying, etc.
So, too, do questions about compromise vs. hardball tactics, local vs. national perspectives, state-by-state vs. interstate wilderness bills and more.
But, this is also about the enjoyment of wilderness on the ground, along with related issues such as its overenjoyment in some cases, compromises with rancher grazing rights, and even more so with old mining claims and such.
You can’t do better than this book as an intro to wilderness issues.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Deeds Reveal Billionaire Brothers Illegally Gated Public Road
Contact: Brian Brooks, Idaho Wildlife Federation, (208) 870-7967
BOISE – The Idaho Wildlife Federation has found deeds from past landowners granting easements for sections of Forest Road 374, the Boise Ridge Road, for public use in perpetuity. The easements apply to the sections of road the Wilks’ brothers company, DF Development, has recently installed gates on, making the installations a violation of Idaho law.
Earlier this fall the Texas billionaire Wilks brothers made waves by installing gates on the very popular Boise Ridge Road located just north of Boise, which is frequently used by Idahoans for hunting and recreation access on the Boise National Forest. But Brian Brooks, executive director of the Idaho Wildlife Federation says, “this is about more than just gates. This is about wealthy individuals flaunting Idaho’s laws and illegally claiming public resources as their own without repercussions. And it spurs the question- how many more public roads have they illegally claimed as their own?”
IWF’s investigation into the construction of the Boise Ridge Road revealed the road was built with public dollars, and has been maintained using taxpayer dollars. The road was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s using public funds for the purpose of public use and fire management. Through a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by The Wilderness Society and shared with the Idaho Wildlife Federation, it was found that taxpayers have been footing the bill for maintaining the road for nearly 90 years, fulfilling prescriptive road easement requirements.
“DF Development has never had the right to close or install gates on the Boise Ridge Road, because it belongs to the public. These out-of-state folks have a lot of nerve coming into Idaho and gating a road that was built and paid for by the public,” says Brooks.
Current Idaho law prohibits marking public lands and roads as private. However, as a criminal violation only, a government entity must initiate the lawsuit for its enforcement. “The law lacks a civil remedy common in property disputes, which would give Idaho citizens the power to resolve the issue peer to peer in court,” according to Brooks.
“Counties are strapped for resources, especially rural counties where these violations are happening. Choosing to derail county budgets to prosecute billionaires over access issues, while burdened with more heinous crimes, is not financially practical. It’s time we give citizens legal recourse to enforce public access. By adding a civil remedy to the existing law we can save taxpayer dollars and mobilize enforcement procedures faster.”
Adding a civil suit clause will require action by the state legislature and could be passed as an amendment to the recently updated trespass law, the same law the Wilks brothers lobbied for. During the 2018 legislative session, IWF attempted to include a civil remedy provision to the legislation, but the idea was rebuffed and Idaho’s citizens were kept from enforcing their right to access public property. IWF is vetting potential legislation to lawmakers and interest groups for the 2019 session.
“It’s a small change. A civil remedy exists to protect private property rights. Now it’s time to protect public property rights.”
Matthew interviewed by Becca Aceto
Worn leather boots lined the wall and a dusty wood stove sat in the corner of the room, ready for the inevitable chill to return to the mountains. “What we really need right now is a whiskey.” I smiled at this remark.
Matthew’s small cabin was dimly lit and a faint smell of game meat lingered in the air, the only trace of meals past. Out the front door and across the airstrip mules and horses snoozed in the midday sun. A few miles to our north and less to the east was the massive Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.
We talked for over an hour, laughing about ornery mules in the backcountry and reminiscing of trips past. Some of the wildest places in the lower 48 have shaped Matthew, both professionally and personally. I’d also like to point out that Matthew never mentioned a specific animal he’d harvested or shot he’d taken. His words were of experience and place – he puts great value on the intrinsic worth of things. I was glad to sit down and have this conversation. Enjoy!
B: Tell me a bit about your background. Did you grow up outdoors and hunting?
M: I sure did. My father is a lifetime hunter who had me out in the woods of Missouri with him from a young age. We’d hunt deer, turkeys and squirrels on both private and public land. I also ran my own traplines beginning in middle school, water trapping for beavers, muskrat, mink and otters predominantly. Paddling a canoe down the river checking traps really builds up an appreciation of the natural world in someone. I don’t trap anymore. Now my dad comes out to Montana every fall and we take the mules into the Scapegoat and Bob Marshall wilderness to hunt elk and deer.
B: So how’d you get into packing?
M: I got into packing when I was 18 as a trail crew member in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and learned from a fellow who’s the lead packer there to this day. Our trail crew would take stock out to self-support us during 10-day hitches. I went to Glacier National Park a couple years later as a backcountry ranger. I used stock and learned a lot more about packing from a guy who was the lead packer there for over 30 years.
I really learned a lot when I started working with an outfitter out of Augusta, Montana packing and guiding elk and deer hunts in the Bob Marshall and Scapegoat. We had one camp that was a 24-mile ride one way over the highest pass in the Bob. That’s some wild country back there. I like having grizzlies on the landscape. You get an elk down, snow is falling and you see fresh griz tracks bigger than your head, all the while thinking “I wonder if it’s on the elk.” It’s great.
B: Do you see yourself fitting into the realm of conservation through this work?
M: Absolutely. I support public access for fishermen, hunters, hikers, backpackers – really anyone using the country I work in. I also support trail crews and rangers to get trails opened up and to make sure regulations are followed in the backcountry. I pack out a lot of trash, too. Last year during the solar eclipse I spent a week in the White Clouds. We had a lot of people in the mountains so I made sure everyone was following fire restrictions and wilderness regulations over the span of that week. Fortunately people were pretty knowledgeable so I didn’t have much work to do. In 2016 I packed the chief of the Forest Service as well as Mike Simpson and a few others into the newly-designated White Clouds Wilderness which was a really good time. That trip left a big impression on everyone.
B: Have you had any wildlife encounters while packing that could have been a bit hairy?
M: Oh, once I was leading a pack string through Glacier National Park and we came across a grizzly chowing down on glacier lilies. I started yelling at it, “Hey, bear! Hey, bear!” It didn’t even look up so I just rode right on by. The stock did great, didn’t make a fuss at all.
B: And the bear?
M: That damn bear never even looked up. Just kept on eating as we passed by at about 20 yards.
B: Do you have any conservation idols who come to mind?
M: It’s hard for me to just pick one, but I really like the Montana writer and conservationist Joseph Kinsey Howard. I also like Wallace Stegner and Jack Turner. And Fred Bear is probably my favorite hunter/conservationist.
B: Any hunting stories that have stuck with you over the years?
M: Oh, well there was this one time… A few years back I was hunting deer at the edge of a meadow near a clear cut. Suddenly this mountain lion walks out into the meadow not 40 yards from me, lays down and takes a nap. It was there for three hours and the whole time I just sat there watching. Every now and then it would lift its head up, look around and yawn, then lay back down. Finally, it got up and stretched with lazy kitten eyes that I was watching through my binoculars. I turned around for just a second to look for deer on the hill behind me and when I turned back around the cat was gone. Just like that. It was amazing.
B: Any final thoughts?
M: The best thing I can say is that I am poor in the sense that I own no house and no property but living between Idaho and Montana I am so land rich as a citizen of the United States. I can head out my door and do an array of activities on millions and millions of acres. It’s unparalleled. Let’s hope lots of folks step up to keep it that way.
Matthew Chappell is a wilderness packer for the Payette National Forest. He spends half his year packing in Idaho’s wilderness areas and the other half at his home on the edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana.
The goals of the SBFC Wilderness Ranger Intern (WRI) program are to train, educate, mentor and provide employment development opportunities for the next generations of wilderness professionals and provide skilled support to the Forest Service for accomplishing priority wilderness work.
This is a 14-week internship for military veterans and college students doing under-graduate or graduate work in conservation, resource management, wilderness, recreation or related fields. The internship offers wilderness skills training including the basics of trail maintenance, Wilderness First Responder, and Wilderness Act history and policy, followed by 12 weeks working in the Selway-Bitterroot and Frank Church Wilderness areas, with trained wilderness professionals, US Forest Service managers and volunteers. LEARN MORE
** The 2019 WRI application will be open until January 4, 2019. ** APPLY
The efforts of the SBFC community protect and preserve the natural, pristine character of wilderness.
The Middle Fork Ranger District (MFRD) office is located in Challis, Idaho, and is one of six districts on the Salmon-Challis National Forest. The Middle Fork District administers and oversees over one million acres of land, including over 900,000 acres of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness (FC-RONRW) area, one of the last intact wild places in the lower 48 states.
A land of steep mountains, deep canyons, and wild rivers, the Frank Church – River of No Return Wilderness is the second largest Wilderness in the lower 48 states at 2.4 million acres. The FC-RONRW provides outstanding opportunities for primitive recreation experiences, with over 2600 miles of trails linking the various airfields, rivers, trailheads and perimeter access roads. The condition of these access roads varies significantly; some are not suitable for trailers, others are passable only to high-clearance, 4-wheel-drive vehicles or ATVs. The best opportunities for solitude are in the trailless areas, which total 1.5 million acres in the Wilderness. Maintenance of this large, remote wilderness trail system is challenging. Large fires, short field seasons, limited access, and Mother Nature (wind, rain, slides, etc.) all contribute to the difficulties of keeping these trails open. Most of the trails were built before 1930; many are steep, rocky, eroded, poorly located and poorly drained. Numerous trails are in primitive condition.
The Middle Fork also manages the newly designated Jim McClure-Jerry Peak Wilderness.
Visit the Special Places section for more information about these two Wilderness areas. READ MORE
Link to District Information
Our Annual Meeting Idaho Horse Council Meeting Saturday, November 17, 2018Les Schwab Corral, (Ford Idaho Horse Park Restaurant)
16260 Idaho Center Blvd, Nampa, ID 83687
November 17, 2018
7:30 AM Breakfast
8:00 Registration Desk Opens
8:30 Welcome Charlene Cooper – Idaho Horse Council
9:00 Cody Burlile –Idaho State Brand Inspector
9:30 Bill Conger President – Back Country Horsemen of Idaho
10:00 Q & A for Trails in Idaho
10:30 Open Discussion on Trails
10:45 Break
11:15 Dixie Christensen – Idaho Horse Council Youth Fund
11:30 Lunch
1:00 Steve Taylor Board of Directors Responsibilities – Presentation
1:30 Committee Report
Committee Reports:
Finance–Audit Report Diana Wadsworth
Animal Welfare-
Idaho Horse Census – No Report
Idaho Horse Expo
Legislation
Promotion & Membership
Racing
Scholarship Program
Trails & Urban Land Use
Wild Horse
Youth Activities
Historic Racing Youth
Call to Order Annual Business Meeting and Election of Officers
Roll Call Directors – Approval of Minutes- Report of Treasurer
Unfinished Business – New Business – Election of Board Members
Closing of Business Meeting
6:30 – 7:00 No Host Bar and Banquet Dinner
After Dinner Speaker Miss Teen Rodeo Idaho Kylee Whitting 2019
After Dinner Speaker Pete Ritter Ridges to River
IHC 11-17-2018 report Posted by Marybeth Conger
Love them! We discovered HandsOn Grooming Gloves in the winter of 2016 and have been using them continuously ever since. Learn more about HandsOn Grooming Gloves and get yours at https://handsongloves.com/
Being flexible the HandsOn glove make scrubbing difficult areas such as joints and ears easy and enjoyable.
The Gloves come in various sizes to fit hands on any size. If you have smaller hands, now you don’t have to worry about trying to grip awkward large grooming tools.
The curry combs, mitts, and scrubbers in your grooming kit may well start gathering dust once you try a pair of HandsOn Grooming gloves.
We’ve just about finished up our 2018 clinic season with the exception of one upcoming clinic next week in Australia. This will conclude our 6th year of teaching clinics! Time goes fast when you’re having fun! It has been wonderful helping people with their mule problems and mules with their people problems. We are so grateful for all of you who have supported us at these clinics, it has been a pleasure serving you and you’re mules. We have made so many friends, met so many amazing people, seen some incredible country, and made life long memories all because of the mule. I personally owe much to the mule. The mule is my life, my love, my hobby, my living, and my passion. I have learned that the best teacher out there is the mule. Especially the troubled and misunderstood mules. They, like so many of us, just need a little help, a little confidence, a little nudge in the right direction, a chance for their potential to blossom. I am thankful for the mule and especially for all of you who are reading this. My family and I are forever grateful for all of you!
New class descriptions for 2019 / Clinics Dates
Posted by David Benson
The EPA can’t wait to reopen the mine that poisoned North Idaho,
For a century, the mines of the Coeur d’Alene Mountains in North Idaho produced much of the heavy metals that made the U.S. a global superpower. Starting in the 1880s, through the rise of industrialization, the introduction of the automobile, and two world wars, a few narrow canyons in the Coeur d’Alenes yielded more than 11 million tons of zinc, lead, and silver, as much as a fifth of U.S. production.
Mining has left a mark on the culture of the Silver Valley and an indelible stain on the landscape, which remains heavily contaminated. To extract a pound of metal, mining companies had to process nearly 14 pounds of ore, and they dumped the crushed waste rock into mountain streams and along river banks. Over the course of a century, the tailings and mine drainage flowed down the 40-mile-long watershed, depositing some 75 million tons of highly toxic sludge into Lake Coeur d’Alene. House cats convulsed from drinking the water. Migratory tundra swans suffered slow deaths as their digestive tracts seized up from lead poisoning, causing both suffocation and starvation as undigested food backed up into their long necks. Children in the Silver Valley in the 1970s registered some of the highest levels of lead in their bloodstreams recorded anywhere. READ MORE & SEE PICTURES
By Kyle Johnson for Bloomberg News
TRAILS, FRIENDS & FOOD!
Please share with your Facebook Friends.
Marybeth Conger-Education Chair
End of Season Party, Tuesday Dec 11 , 2018
Time 18:00 – 22:00 (6-10 pm)
Pot-luck dinner for members and guests
Food Drive – We will be collecting monetary donations for the GEM County Food Bank
Pet Food Drive – We will be collecting $ or donations of pet food (PAL)
Gift Exchange
Pictures 2016 2017
Location: Rebecca Ignacio Party Venue 4131 West Central Road, Emmett
Contacts: Shannon Schantz & Party Committee 208-365-7691
Sign UP to tell us you are coming
Laurie Bryan – Trail Log: 10-25-2018 HERMIT CAMP
Notes: Sometimes I just need to get my hermit on. It’s been a whirl wind year of shooting, IMO, work and just every day life. It was time to make one last hermitage into the Owyhee’s before winter. Destination: Succor Creek Canyon.
Trail Log: 10-26-2018 – Fisherman Rd. To Owyhee Reservoir
Notes: Met Lee at the beginning of Fisherman Rd. bright and early. Needed an early start to make sure we were back before dark if possible. I’ve been wanting to do this ride for a long time. Lee has driven and hunted the route, but not ridden it. Fisherman Rd. goes all the way in and drops you down onto Owyhee reservoir.
Click here for full set of photos: Get’in my hermit on
Notes: Well, I thought the previous ride to the lake would have been the highlight of the weekend. I was pleasantly surprised to find today’s ride even better. I met Lee, Cindy and Becky at the head of Camp Hermit on Succor Creek Rd and followed them to a road above Lonesome Willow – previously known as the Bob Davis Ranch. The State purchased the old ranch and turned it into …pretty much nothing. Sure wish they would put it up for sale and let somebody bring it back to life. What an awesome place in it’s day.
Montour, Gem County, Idaho, USA sits at the base of Regan Butte on the Payette River. At an elevation of about 3300 feet, the peak of Regan Butte rises 800 feet above the small farming community below. Off not far in the distance a little east of north one can see the small town of Sweet, Idaho and off in the distance in the same direction just out of sight is Ola, Idaho. Looking just a little south of west one can see a portion of Emmett, Idaho. The Payette River wraps almost entirely around the butte, bordering about 3/4th of its base. 360 degree View
In the early 1860’s the first ranch was established at what is now Montour and it was used as a stage/mail stop along the road to the Boise Basin. Montour was officially platted after the railroad came through in 1911. Montour once vied for the Boise County seat but in 1915 it was incorporated into Gem County, Emmett being the County seat. In 1941 a new highway bypassed Montour which greatly slowed growth and shortly thereafter the school closed.
Montour
In the early 1860’s the Marsh-Ireton Ranch was established as a stage and mail stop along the freight road to the Boise Basin. After the railroad came through the Valley in 1911, the Montour business district and town were platted. They vied for the Boise County seat, but in 1915, the town was incorporated into Gem County with Emmett as the County seat. Dreams of prosperity faded, when in 1941, the new highway bypassed Montour, and shortly thereafter the school closed due to school reorganization.
The last store closed in 1968. In the 1970’s, ice jams along the backwaters of the dam flooded the Valley. The Bureau of Reclamation bought out the landowners and has since turned the area into a wildlife refuge and camping area. A natural landmark is the small butte, generally known as Regan Butte, named after the homesteader who ran cattle there in the late 1800’s.
Riders: Terry MacDonald, Mike & Karen Heilman, Carmen Tyack, Janelle Weeks
Sweet
During the gold rush to the Thunder Mountain Mines, Sweet served as an important freighter’s supply station. At the turn of the century, Sweet boasted of three hotels, three saloons, a bank, a newspaper, two lodge halls, and other business. It was named for the first postmaster Ezekiel Sweet. After the gold rush subsided and a series of fires in the business district, the town began to deteriorate, and was not rebuilt.
Potluck – Was held after the ride at the hobby ranch of Linda & Rob Adams located south east of Sweet. It was well attended by members and guest who enjoyed great food and interesting conversations. Stories were swapped of our summer adventures and plans started to form for 2019. No one went home hungry!
Trailer Doctor, 1577 N Plaza Rd, Emmett, ID 83617
Contact: Mike NYCE https://www.facebook.com/Trailer-Doctor-188801334530051/
I had Mike over to work on my two horse trailers. My goose-neck trailer was in need of new brakes after ten year of hauling it all over the back country including a number of trips to the Stanley Basin. My Green three horse trailer needed its bearing packed and to sort out an intermittent electrical problem.
Mike comes to your location and brings a complete shop with him!
The electrical problem with the green trailer was a broken ground wire. BUT, while confirming that everything was working we found out that the wire that enable the brakes had come loose so the trailer brakes were not helping the truck to stop. Lucky for me, I only carry one or two horses in that trailer and generally only on day rides. The fact I didn’t notice is on me!
I was pleased with the quality of Mikes work and I though he charged a reasonable price.
Click on Sheet to see larger View
