Highway 11 from Greer Grade where it meets Highway 12 to Headquarters is called the Gold Rush Historic Byway. We are putting out a series of caches honoring our past Gold Rush History. Some are out with others planned in the near future to create a circle drive: Take Highway 12 to Greer Bridge going up Highway 11. Past Pierce take Grangemont Road back to Orofino and Highway 12.
This route passes through land where Lewis and Clark met the Nez Perce Indians, where gold was discovered in Orofino Creek, where once bustling towns of Weippe and Pierce exist and finally to where a logging industry was started.
Pierce started when gold was discovered near where these signs are in Canal Gulch. Captain Elias D. Pierce came to the Washington Territory on the Nez Perce Reservation with a party of 12 miners looking for gold. By the following year, the city of Pierce had about 6000 people. What is interesting, is the fact that Idaho is one of only two states that was settled from west to east. Many of the prospector came from cities in California and from Vancouver following the Columbia, Snake and Clearwater rivers up to the gold strikes.
According to the Idaho Historic Society, about 3.2 million dollars of gold was taken out of Pierce City between the years 1860 to 1866. Gold can still be found in this area but I've only seen flakes and dust. It takes a lot of work and man hours to get any today.