Burke Idaho
“The Lost mining Town”
Burke was a place full of life, hard workers, and mines. Now it’s a barren shell of what the town used to be. Burke played a key role in the growth of the Coeur d’Alene Mining District, one of the richest deposits of silver, lead and zinc in North America.
Historic Locations of Burke Canyon
Burke
mace
blackbear
frisco
gem
History of the Lost Mining Town
Life in Burke canyon
Despite being a mining focused valley, there was still an emphasis on the families living here.
Mining affairs
During the lifespan of Burke, many strikes, wage cuts, mineral prices and more all led to the downfall of Burke and the surrounding towns.
economic issues
Throughout the 1980’s, the entire Silver Valley, including Burke, faced many challenging issues pertaining to the mining industry.
Environmental setbacks
The geography and narrow hilsades of Burke Canyon posed a challenge in the face of fire and snowslides.
A Brief History of Burke
Discovered in 1884, Burke was a mining town that thrived during the mining fever in the Silver Valley. Due to its limited space in the valley, the town’s footprint proved very thin, with only a 300 ft. wide livable space to work with. Shops, homes, mines, and train stations were all squeezed together to form an intriguing architecture along the whole length of the canyon.
The Tiger Hotel was built in 1896 and connected to the main street. Canyon creek ran right through the hotel! However, a bigger challenge arose as the town grew in mineral production. As the population’s economic needs grew, more train tracks were added to reach the town, which forced the train system to also run through the hotel in 1906.
Sadly, since the town was a mining-focused community, the decline of Burke began in the 20th century when most of the mines shut down. By 1990, only 15 residents were recorded as living in Burke.
By 1991, the last mine was shut down, which solidified the final downfall of Burke Town.
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