TRAVEL THE

ELK CITY

WAGON ROAD

United States

Department of

Agriculture

Forest

Service NEZ PERCE NATIONAL FOREST

This painting of Corral Hill Station, by local artist

Robert Thomas, depicts life along the Elk City Wagon

Road 100 years ago.
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Let the Adventure Begin!

icture yourself on a wagon 100 years ago. The rough road

makes your ride bumpy, and you hang on as the wagon

moves forward.

In the winter you're atop a sleigh drawn by horses wearing

snowshoes. They plod their way through drifts as high as ten feet.

The air is cold. It's rough going.

Travel along the Elk City Wagon Road, and follow the same road

miners and freighters took to the gold fields of Elk City.

Traveling the Road Today

How to get there:

Welcome to the Elk City Wagon Road!

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The Elk City Wagon Road begins at Harpster, a small town on the

South Fork of the Clearwater River. Harpster is between Grangeville

and Kooskia at milepost 13 (about 13 miles from each town). It's

located along State Highway 13, part of the Northwest Passage Scenic

Byway.
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Overhanging branches and rocks

protruding from the roadway can

cause serious damage.

Snow at higher elevations

restricts travel to summer (late

June through September).

Check with the Clearwater or

Red River Ranger Districts for

current road conditions.

Facilities:

There are no gas stations

along the Elk City Wagon Road.

Gas is available at Kooskia,

Harpster, Grangeville or Elk

City.

 There are no campgrounds

along the route, but there are

places to pull off and set up a tent.

There are picnic and toilet

facilities near the Newsome

Creek Cabin.

When you reach Elk City,

you'll find a small, full-service

community with hotels, restaurants and gas stations.

Your return trip to Harpster

via State Highway 14, a 50-mile

drive, takes 1 1⁄2 hours.

If you're traveling from

Grangeville, go past the Harpster

store into the small community.

Turn right at the sign describing

the wagon road. If you're traveling from Kooskia, turn left at the

wagon road description sign

once you're in Harpster.

Tour length:

Starting at Harpster, you'll

wind your way 53 miles to Elk

City. The tour will take you 4-6

hours with travel of 10-15 mph.

The route is marked at each

mile and road junction with

brown and white “Elk City WR”

markers. Reset the mileage

counter in your vehicle at zero

when you begin your tour.

Road conditions:

Most of this single-lane road

is unpaved. (Drive slowly when

conditions are dry and dusty.)

There are few turnouts. Some

stretches of road are narrow, and

there are some tight switchbacks.

Vehicles with high clearance

travel the route well although

passenger cars can make the trip

if driven with caution.

Large recreational vehicles

and vehicles towing trailers are

not recommended for travel

along the Elk City Wagon Road.
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n a spring day in 1900, a

wagon made its way along

the Elk City Wagon Road.

Loaded with mining supplies

and mail, a team of several

horses pulled the wagon.

 The driver knew he’d have

to switch from wagon to sleigh

when he encountered snow, but

the road was well used and the

snow packed. If he could make it

to Mountain House Way Station

before nightfall, he could get a

good meal and a place to sleep.

With a little luck and no breakdowns, the freight would reach

Elk City in another three days.

So it was along the Elk City

Wagon Road from 1895 to

1932. The freight and stage

route was prominent in the

mining and homesteading

history of central Idaho.

Starting at Harpster on the

South Fork of the Clearwater

River 80 miles upstream from

Lewiston, the road stretched

about 50 miles to the mining

town of Elk City. A branch of the

road ran from Stites and joined

the main route at the town of

Clearwater. Beginning in the

South Fork River valley at an

elevation of about 1600 feet, the

road climbed as high as 6200 feet

in the Baldy Mountain vicinity

and then dropped into the Elk

City basin at around 4000 feet.

The first route in this area was

the Southern Nez Perce Trail.

Indian tribes used the trail to

travel from the Camas Prairie in

Idaho to the Bitterroot Valley in

Montana. The Southern Nez

Perce Trail remains significant to

the Nimiipuu, the Nez Perce

people.

The first gold miners from

Pierce used the trail on their way

to explore the Elk City area in

1861. The trail became a

thoroughfare and was modified

for pack strings and wagons in

the mining boom that followed.

Traveling the Road 100 Years Ago

A mail team with snowshoes

delivers the mail. Circa 1908.

O
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By 1890, several way stations

had been built along the trail:

Harpster, Newsome House and a

rest station for mail carriers called

Ten Mile.

In 1894 construction started

on the Elk City Wagon Road.

The road was finished in 1895. It

closely followed the original trail,

overlaying it in a few places.

By 1896, there were way

stations at Switchback, Mountain

House, Corral Hill and Mud

Springs, providing room and

food for travelers. These stations

were some of the first homesteads in the area.

A stage trip from Stites to

Elk City took two days in the

summer. Leaving Stites at 6 a.m.,

the stage arrived at Mountain

House by noon and at Newsome

by nightfall. There, travelers

spent the night.

In the winter, the trip to Elk

City took five days, with

overnight stops at Switchback,

Mountain House, Newsome and

Mud Springs. The stage fare

from Stites to Elk City was $6 in

1910.

The Journey Begins

(Mile locator in parentheses.)

1 Harpster (0.0)

Prospectors came through

here from the Camas Prairie on

their way to the gold fields of

central Idaho in the 1860s. (It's

reported that Abraham Harpster

camped here in 1861.)

Pioneers began settling in the

valley by 1864. The settlement

was called Jackson Bridge,

Clearwater Station, Brownsville,

Riverside and Bridgeport. Finally, in 1893 it was named

Harpster.

Harpster's claim to "dill

pickle fame" was the sale of

homemade pickles to places as

far away as Spokane, Washington. Pickles were delivered to the

Davenport Hotel there in the

1920s.

From mile 1.0-1.6,

remnants of the original Wagon

Road are visible on the left side

The Mountain House way station nestled in an of the road.

alpine meadow. Today a sign marks the site.
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2 Wall Creek Bridge (3.2)

The original Wagon Road

continued up Wall Creek, but

today the road is impassable

beyond two miles. Follow the

Elk City WR markers to the left.

Jacob and Fronia Riebold

operated Riebold Station, a 14-

room overnight and livery station

one mile up Wall Creek. The house

was constructed of boards milled

on the property. Jacob died in

1911.

In 1916, Fronia married

Reverend Knox, who preached

the gospel to miners on a peak

near Florence above the Salmon

River, known today as Gospel

Peak.

Follow the Elk City Wagon

Road markers to the left.

3 Clearwater (6.6)

This town is located on the

original Nez Perce Trail and a

branch of the Wagon Road.

The railroad reached Stites in

1902, and Clearwater became a

town with a sawmill, livery

stable, blacksmith shop and

general store. Caulder’s

sawmill was at the foot of

the hill 1⁄2 mile north.

At mile 7.5 the road

forks. Follow the Elk City

WR markers to the left. (Take

the other fork only in good

weather.)

At mile 8.7 on a flat covered

with small trees you'll come to

the site of the Folden Sawmill,

which operated in the 1940s.

4 Four Ways Went Junction (9.5)

The original Wagon Road

crosses here. The unmaintained

fork to the left is the original

route – not passable by highway

vehicles. Downhill, to the west,

is Nolen Way Station, the only

remaining original building along

the Wagon Road.

To see the site, turn right.

Proceed 0.3 mile. The old

wooden house sits below the

road to the left. Nolen Station

provided comfort and shelter to

travelers and teams.

Staging between Stites and Elk City: A branch of

the Wagon Road ran from Stites and joined the

main route at the town of Clearwater.

– collection, Friends of the Elk City Wagon Road
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5 Limestone Rock Outcrop (10.5)

 The Ulmer family operated

a kiln and sold lime to freighters. They quarried this vein of

limestone, and their kiln was on

the original road 600 feet uphill.

You can walk to the site (it's a

steep climb).

Lime was available selfservice. Customers left payment

in an unlocked box. (Lime was

used to bond rock for concrete

foundations.)

Junction with Sears Creek

Road #1106 (mile 12.4). Turn left.

6 The Initial Tree (12.8)

The road joins the route of

the original Wagon Road. Onehalf mile west is a living

monument of the Elk City

Wagon Road. Follow the trail to

the left to reach a ponderosa

pine several hundred years old.

Travelers carved their

initials, dates and brands in the

tree. Some marks, barely visible,

may have been made by Indian

tribes en route to Montana. The

tree is 5 1⁄2 feet in diameter and

has survived many lightning

strikes. Remnants of the original

road are also visible to the right

one-tenth of a mile above.

Junction with Road #284

(mile 13.2). Turn right.

"CO" and "M" are among 55 visible dates,

brands and initials carved in the bark of the

giant ponderosa pine tree by packers and

freighters, prospectors and cattlemen.
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9 Water Spout (14.8) – Wall Creek

Freighters filled water containers from a spout eight feet above

the road. (Play it safe. Don't drink

the water!) Many of these sites

were reference points rather than

significant landmarks.

Storm Creek Saddle (mile

15.2). Junction with Road #1851;

follow Elk City WR markers to the

left.

7 Switchback Station (13.4)

Built in 1895, Switchback

provided a full-service overnight

facility and the first major stopover en route to Elk City. The

large barns could accommodate

100 head of stock. Patches of

nettles grow over the manurerich soil where the barns were

located.

The original switchback

of the Elk City Wagon

Road is a few yards beyond

these nettle patches to the

north. (Stay clear of these

patches. Nettles sting!)

Switchback Station –

circa 1920.

8 Haysheds (13.7)

Freighters switched loads

from wagons to sleighs in

winter. A pole structure was

used to store hay and supplies

at a commonly used transfer

site near here.

Replica of watering trough at

the Water Spout site takes you

back in time.
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10 Corral Hill (17.0)

Built in 1896, Corral Hill

Station provided lodging and a

livery stable. The house was

north above the road; the barn

and stock facilities were on the

ridge to the south. A spring and a

house platform remain.

The mountains to the south

are (left to right) Pilot Rock,

Buffalo Hump, the Gospels and

the Seven Devils.

11 Southern Nez Perce Trail (17.5)

Here the Elk City Wagon

Road intersects the original

Southern Nez Perce Trail. Used

for centuries by Nez Perce

Indians to journey between the

Camas Prairie and Montana, the

trail was the main route east

before the wagon road was

built. The road intersects the

trail in several places ahead.

Lloyd Magruder, Elk City

merchant well-known and

respected in the Idaho Territory,

followed the Indian Trail to

transport goods from Lewiston to

his store in Elk City. In 1863

robbers murdered him and his

traveling companions, taking the

gold dust miners had paid them

for goods purchased in

Magruder's Elk City store. (Ask

for your copy of the Magruder

Road Corridor brochure at local

Forest Service offices.)

12 Ten Mile Cabin (18.9)

You are at the junction with

Road #1852. Here, ten miles

from Riebold Station, a small log

cabin was used by mail carriers in

winter. It provided a bunk,

fireplace and bare essentials for

preparing meals.

 The road for the next half

mile was reconstructed in 1987

to harvest timber in Clear Creek

to the north. Follow the signs as

you continue on your journey.

 Junction with Clear Creek

Road #1855 (mile 19.6). Stay

right.

Driver Steve Burtis stood before a

loaded wagon at Corral Hill Station

circa 1900.

– collection, Friends of the Elk

City Wagon Road
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13 Grangeville Tree (19.8)

A large fir tree once marked

the spot where stage drivers

stopped to give passengers their

first view of Grangeville and the

Camas Prairie.

14 China Point (20.2)

This landmark was named for

three Chinese who lived nearby.

Legend claims the men were

evicted from the Newsome area

and later murdered. The site

bears no trace of historic debris.

Near this site the Forest

Service built the Jackpot Ranger

Station early in the 1900s.

15 Log Corduroy (21.0)

The next two miles traverse

the highest elevations on the

route (6000-6280 feet). Snowdrifts are common until late June.

The road may be muddy.

Freighters placed logs in the

worst mud holes all along the

Wagon Road. Remnants of this

original "log corduroy" are still

visible in a couple of spots.

16 Mountain House (23.0)

The three-story log structure

that sat here was especially

important in winter. Freighters

were often stopped here by

heavy snows. Passengers on

snowshoes sometimes broke trail

for the horses. The building sites

and a few timbers are all that

remain.

Junction with Pilot Knob

Road #466 (23.4). Stay left.

17 Pilot Rock (23.5)

Pilot Rock, seen one-half

mile to the south (elevation 6952

feet), is important to Nez Perce

Indian tradition and culture.

Modern-day

travelers slow

down to recreate

the trip across

the Wagon Road.
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18 Big Switchback (24.3)

This was a tight turn for

wagons pulled by many teams.

From here the Wagon Road

descends six miles to Newsome

Creek.

This road is steep. Drive with

caution on this stretch. Gear

down!

19 Toothacher Springs (25.2)

Named for a nearby spring

with cold water, this area was a

rest stop for freighters coming

out of Elk City hauling heavy

loads.

20 Newsome Townsite (30.4)

The main stop at Newsome

was a hotel with excellent food

operated by the Shissler family.

There were several buildings here, including a post

office. There was a morgue for

temporary storage of bodies to

be transported to Grangeville.

Gold dredging in the 1940s

eliminated all remnants of the

buildings. A cemetery still

exists between the Wagon Road

and private roads. The dwellings here are privately owned.

Please respect private property.

Junction with Newsome

Creek Road #1858 (30.5).

Turn right.

21 Newsome Cabin (32.0)

The Forest Service now

maintains toilet and picnic

facilities at the site.

Across Newsome Creek is

the site where Sing Lee, a

Chinese miner, fed and sheltered

travelers in the late 1890s. The

site is now a campground with

toilets and picnic facilities.

22 Elk City Wagon Road (33.9)

The original Wagon Road to

the left follows Smith Gulch up

Vicory Creek. This 2.2-mile

segment is on the National

Register of Historic Places. It is

closed to vehicle traffic by slides.

Continue going straight.

Allison Creek Road #307

(36.6). Turn left.

23 Elk City Wagon Road (40.0)

The route rejoins the original

Wagon Road. Stay right.

24 Mud Springs (41.0)

This site included a roadhouse built in 1896. The old

roadbed is still evident. Several buildings and a pond were

built below the spring area in

recent years.
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27 Montgomery Cabin (45.0)

This is the site of one of the

earliest mines in the Elk City

Mining District. An old prospector stayed on for years without

much success. An ore crusher

can still be seen at the site.

28 Buffalo Gulch (46.9)

Here was another campsite

used by heavily loaded freighters.

The original road is to the left,

not passable by vehicles.

Continue going straight.

Junction with Elk Summit

Road #1199 (48.5). Continue

straight on the original Wagon

Road route.

29 Elk City (51.5)

You have reached the

junction with State Highway 14

and are almost to Elk City.

The town was established in

1861. It burned almost completely in 1930. Several old

cabins in the basin and a store on

Main Street remain from the

early mining days.

25 The Big Mailbox (43.5)

A log structure about five feet

square was anchored between

two trees here. It served as a

mailbox and supply drop for the

South Fork Mines located down

the ridge on the breaks of the

South Fork of the Clearwater

River. The box was placed high so

people could reach their mail even

when the snow was 6-7 feet deep.

26 Whiskey Creek Flat (44.7)

Some freighters, so heavily

laden they could not reach

established way stations within a

day, camped here.
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Friends of

the Elk City Wagon Road,

Thank you for your unselfish

and unstinting commitment to

the preservation of this route, and

for bringing its history to life.

For many of you, the route holds

a key to your personal history.

You've grown up here, and

you've heard the Wagon Road's

colorful history all your life. You

know the importance of keeping

it alive for all who follow.

Friends of the Elk City Wagon Road gather each summer for a tour of the historic

route followed by prospectors and packers.

We hope you have enjoyed your tour!

Keep this brochure as a souvenir,

or return it to the box at the Elk City site.

Be prepared for your trip!

Take with you:

• Food

• Water

• Insect repellent

• Nez Perce National Forest

map

• Camera and binoculars

Wear:

• Serviceable shoes

Be sure to have:

• A full tank of gas!
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R1-07-07

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Most illustrations provided by Valeria Yost.

Logo provided by Bryce B. McLean.

Photos provided by Esther Morrow unless otherwise noted.

The U. S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA) prohibits

discrimination in all its

programs and activities on

the basis of race, color,

national origin, sex, religion,

age, disability, political

beliefs, sexual orientation

and marital or family status.

(Not all prohibited bases

apply to all programs.)

Persons with disabilities

who require alternative

means for communication of

program information (Braille,

large print, audiotape, etc.)

should contact USDA’s

TARGET Center at 202-720-

2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of

discrimination, write USDA,

Director, Office of Civil

Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten

Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC 20250-9410,

or call 202-720-5964 (voice

and TDD). USDA is an equal

opportunity provider and

employer.

 NEZ PERCE NATIONAL FOREST

1005 Highway 13

Grangeville, ID 83530

208-983-1950

TDD 208-983-0696

CLEARWATER RANGER DISTRICT

1005 Highway 13

Grangeville, ID 83530

208-983-1963

TDD 208-983-0696

RED RIVER RANGER DISTRICT

Elk City Ranger Station

P.O. Box 416

Elk City, ID 83525

208-842-2245

TDD 208-842-2935

WEBSITE:

www.fs.fed.us/r1/nezperce