Aug 17th –22nd - There was always some interesting point to examine as we rafted down the river. This area of the Snake was once an area that was ranched and farmed, though that doesn’t seem possible when you look at the landscape. There were a number of homesteading cabins along the river though most have fallen down or burned. this cabin belonged to the Barrow family and was lived in until the 1950’s when the land was acquired by the forest service. Connie actually lived next to Mr. Barrow in Riggins until he passed away just a few years ago.
When an historic spot was not available to explore, there were a number of big boulders just perfect for leaping off into a deep pool of water.
By the time we reached this spot almost everyone was ready for a dip to cool off. You could jump off of the top (this is some of us climbing) or if nervous about that, just roll off of the raft.
That’s Fred taking his turn. Note- Sue is taking the picture from the raft!
There were a number of trails that we were able to hike. This trail went up to Suicide Point where legend has it that a distraught young man rode his horse off the ledge and fell 400 feet to his death after failing to win the hand of the rancher’s daughter. I’m not sure the horse thought this was a good idea, but he went too.
The view of the river was spectacular from this spot.
Sue doesn’t like heights but made the climb without a problem. : )
The Kirkwood ranch site was a beautifully maintained spot that is inhabited by a rotating caretaker. There was a small museum and cabin as well as blacksmith shop and irrigation canals that were really interesting.
As in any old West story, there is a tragedy.
We hiked up from the river to a memorial dedicated to 34 Chinese who were massacred at this spot.
The Chinese were mining a claim along the river and word got out that they had discovered gold. Sadly, a group of 7 men from a local town down river decided they needed the gold more than the Chinese did and snuck up on them in the middle of the night and killed all of them. None of this would have been known had not some of the bodies washed up down river. The white men were never brought to justice and no gold was ever found.
The canyon was inhabited by native Americans long before the Chinese or whites arrived. These pictographs and others like them are found throughout the canyon and some date back 7000 years.
Too much history? How about another jump from a cliff?
Gold fever came and went in this area and if it wasn’t gold then silver was good too.
This mine was between the Snake and Imnaha rivers and is still in reasonably good condition. No one got rich but a lot of money was spent to create this mine.
The Imnaha River looked especially beautiful in the morning light.
As we got further down river we reached the confluence of the Snake and Salmon Rivers. The Salmon is on the right and adds a significant amount of water to the Snake. The Salmon is also a great rafting river and several rafting groups entered the Snake as we were passing by.
This beautiful waterfall was the perfect place for lunch one day and we spent an hour on the beach and rocks just enjoying the cool of the water. There were so many scenic spots that it was hard to capture all of them!
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