Welcome to Idaho's River of No Return!!

I created this site to allow purchase of my 20 volume work of history entitled This Wonderful Country - Along Idaho's River of No Return from North Fork to Horse Creek

The focus of this work is the 50 mile stretch of the Salmon river between North Fork and Horse creek located within Lemhi and Idaho counties.

This area of the Salmon - a river often known by its cognomen the River of No Return - flows within the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness and bears the distinction of being a Wild & Scenic river.

It is a largely forgotten place and too little has been written about its rich history and particularly about its people whose experiences and fates deserve a place in the imaginations of today. Each and every person who lived, worked, invested and died in this area will, as far as possible, be provided with a biography.

Many famous and formerly rich gold mines are located in this area, such as the Kentuck, the Grunter and the Monolith near the settlement, or camp, of Shoup and the Ulysses and Kittie Burton on Indian creek at Camp Ulysses; mines whose operation provided sustaining economic benefit to all of Lemhi county. Significant mining operations also occurred on Pine creek, Big creek (today called Panther creek) and Big Owl creek.

With no roads to this area until later days, flat-boats were utilized to transport people, supplies and machinery from 1883 until the 1940's. The utilization of this type of transportation provides a fascinating aspect to the area's history and via the celebrity of pilot Harry Guleke, the River of No Return became famous world wide.

Beginning in 1970 a staggering amount of erroneous and imagined information has been put into print by unthoughtful and careless "historians" concerning this specific area and its residents. These egregious works have done a great deal of damage to the historical record of northern Lemhi county and my efforts are hoped to mitigate that damage.

This Wonderful Country is not only the first accurate work - one based on meticulous research - that has ever been written about this stretch of Salmon river, but it is also the first comprehensive work covering this area's fascinating past. As the august historian Robert G. Bailey wrote in his 1947 River of No Return: "Idaho is proud of those who have helped make her history, and so far as it is possible to do so should give a truthful portrayal of their exploits."

Volumes 1, 2 and 3 of This Wonderful Country were published 20 March 2023. Further sales have been halted until more volumes are completed. Those sales will begin in 2027.

This Wonderful Country once finished will comprise 20 volumes in its entirety:

VOLUME 01: INTRODUCTION AND FIRST PEOPLES

Chapter 1 - The Tukudüka

Chapter 2 - The Lemhi Agency

VOLUME 02: DESCRIPTIVE GAZETEER COVERING NORTH FORK TO HORSE CREEK

Chapter 1: Maps

Chapter 2: Descriptive Gazeteer: North Fork to Horse Creek

VOLUME 03: TRANSPORTATION: TRAILS, BOATS AND ROADS

Chapter 1 - Trails to the Lower Country

Chapter 2 - Freighting and Travel on the Salmon

Chapter 3 - The Indianola to Ulysses Wagon Road 1899 and Other Area Roads

Chapter 4 - The Noble to Indianola Wagon Road 1902

Chapter 5 - The Indianola to Shoup Wagon Road 1902-1917

Chapter 6 - The Shoup to Corn Creek Road

Chapter 7 - Railroad Surveys of the Salmon

VOLUME 04: MOOSE CREEK

Chapter 1 - The McNutt Placers, The Pacific Gold Dredging Company, The Mullen Dredge, The Rocky Mountain Placer and the McNutt Post Office

Chapter 2 - Mining on Shoo Fly Mountain

Chapter 3 - Other Placers of Moose Creek

Chapter 4 - The DeWulf Homestead

VOLUME 05: INDIAN CREEK

Chapter 1 - Indianola

Chapter 2 - Camp Ulysses and the Mines of Indian Creek

Chapter 3 - The Kittie Burton Gold Mines Company 1901-1938

Chapter 4 - The Camp Ulysses Post Office

Chapter 5 - The District 13 School at Camp Ulysses

Chapter 6 - The Murder of William H. Verges

Chapter 7 - Settlers and Residents of Indian Creek

VOLUME 06: CAMP SHOUP

Chapter 1 - Camp Shoup

Chapter 2 - Images of Camp Shoup

Chapter 3 - The Grunter Group

Chapter 4 - The Kentuck Group

Chapter 5 - The Monolith Group

Chapter 6 - The Lesser Mines of Boulder Creek

Chapter 7 - The Clipper-Bullion Group

Chapter 8 - The Speculation Group

Chapter 9 - The Lesser Mines of Camp Shoup

Chapter 10 - The Camp Shoup Post Office

Chapter 11 - The District 35 School at Camp Shoup

Chapter 12 - The Residents of Camp Shoup

Chapter 13 - Camp Shoup Miscellaney

VOLUME 07: BIG PINE CREEK AND CAMP MINTZERVILLE

Chapter 1 - Camp Mintzerville and Camp Pine Creek

Chapter 2 - The True Fissure Group

Chapter 3 - The Big Lead Group

Chapter 4 - The Virginia Group

Chapter 5 - The Panata Group

Chapter 6 - The Lesser Mines of Big Pine Creek

Chapter 7 - The Homesteads of Big Pine Creek

Chapter 8 - The Residents of Big Pine Creek

Chapter 9 - Big Pine Creek Miscellaney

VOLUME 08: BIG CREEK (PANTHER CREEK)

Chapter 1 - Early Mining on Lower Big Creek and Camp Dynamo

Chapter 2 - The Dynamo Affair

Chapter 3 - The Beaver Creek Mines and Camp Rand

Chapter 4 - Settlers and Residents of Big Creek - Mouth to Trail Creek

Chapter 5 - Vermilion Hot Springs (Big Creek Hot Springs)

Chapter 6 - The Beaver Creek School

VOLUME 09: BIG OWL CREEK

Chapter 1 - Mining on Big Owl Creek

Chapter 2 - HES 368

Chapter 3 - Big Owl Creek Hot Springs

Chapter 4 - Big Owl Creek Miscellaney

VOLUME 10: THE MIDDLE FORK OF SALMON RIVER

Chapter 1 - Denizen and Homestead Histories

Chapter 2 - Wilson Creek

Chapter 3 - Big Loon Creek

Chapter 4 - The Sheepeater Campaign of 1879

Chapter 5 - Middle Fork Miscellaney: Maps, Images and Unknowns

VOLUME 11: DEATHS AND BURIALS - NORTH FORK TO HORSE CREEK AND TRIBUTARIES IN BETWEEN

Chapter 1 - Salmon River Corridor

Chapter 2 - Indianola

Chapter 3 - Spring Creek

Chapter 4 - Camp Shoup

Chapter 5 - Big Pine Creek

Chapter 6 - Big Creek

Chapter 7 - Cove Creek

Chapter 8 - Middle Fork

VOLUME 12: RESIDENT PROFILES A - E

VOLUME 13: RESIDENT PROFILES F - H

VOLUME 14: RESIDENT PROFILES I - M

VOLUME 15: RESIDENT PROFILES N - Q

VOLUME 16: RESIDENT PROFILES R - Z

VOLUME 17: CITATIONS 1805 - 1890

VOLUME 18: CITATIONS 1891 - 1920

VOLUME 19: CITATIONS 1921 - 2023

VOLUME 20: THE BEVAN FAMILY

Chapter 1 - The Johan Fritz Johanson Bevensen and Kristopha Marie Ingvaldsen (Fred sr. and Mary Bevan) Family and the Magnus and Hazel (Swett) Bevan Family

Chapter 2 - Bevan Photo Collections

Chapter 3 - The Magnus and Hazel Bevan Diaries 1921-1972

In addition to these 20 volumes one other work entitled Shut Up And Sit Down: Captain Harry Guleke - Celebrated River Of No Return Pilot was published 05 May 2023 and its description can be found by clicking that product above. A further work entitled Historical Vignettes From Idaho's Salmon River Country will also be forthcoming.

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About the author:

A native of Challis, Idaho, I am fortunate that I was able to spend a great number of my younger years absorbing and exploring the Salmon river country between North Fork and Horse creek - the place my mother always called down home - where five generations of my family have lived continuously since 1908. I majored in history at Boise State University and for the past thirty years have followed the craft of house painting. I began living off-grid in the landscapes of southern Utah and northern Arizona in 2021 and in July of that year began researching and gathering materials for This Wonderful Country. 

This body of work is the result of 12,555 hours of research and compiled using only a cell phone, solar power and a right thumb. In spite of many obstacles, including treachery and ill will, it has been a fascinating, compelling, and enriching journey. My core desire was to ensure that this area’s rich history, and particularly that of its participants, was accurately amassed, cataloged, and preserved. 

In compiling this body of work I judged it best to focus on presenting only the facts that are supported by historical documentation. Oral history in regard to this area has proven to be not only detrimental but an absolute failure when subjected to critical thinking. I don’t believe that it is the place of a historian to infuse their own imagination and biases into the historical record, nor to make value judgements in regard to the operation of the minds of historical figures - an ego trap many fall into. The information in this body of work is presented in a manner designed to allow the reader to participate in the unfolding of the story, rather than being fed a regurgitated narrative - an engagement which is hoped to add meaning and foster learning.