Owyhee County, Idaho
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 13 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1972. Most listings are in or near Murphy, Silver City, Bruneau.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Idaho is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Owyhee titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP6 of 13 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
13 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Bernard's Ferry | Murphy | 1978 |
| Bruneau Episcopal Church | Bruneau | 1982 |
| Camas and Pole Creeks Archeological District | Wagon Box Basin | 1986 |
| Camp Lyon Site | Reynolds | 1972 |
| Camp Three Forks | Silver City | 1972 |
| Delamar Historic District | Silver City | 1976 |
| Gusman, James E., and Emma, Ranch | Jordan Valley | 1999 |
| Noble Horse Barn | Murphy | 1991 |
| Our Lady, Queen of Heaven Church | Oreana | 1980 |
| Owyhee County Courthouse | Murphy | 1982 |
| Poison Creek Stage Station | Homedale | 1978 |
| Silver City Historic District | Silver City | 1972 |
| Wickahoney Post Office and Stage Station | Wickahoney | 1982 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBOwyhee was formed in 1863 (1863-12-31) from Boise.
OWYHEE created by Idaho Territory from BOISE and Non-County Area 2; included parts of present Idaho and Wyoming.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusOwyhee County population from 1870 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1870 | 1880 | 1900 | 1920 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,713 | 1,426 | 3,804 | 4,694 | 5,652 | 6,307 | 6,375 | 8,272 | 10,644 | 11,913 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS10 cemeteries and 6 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 10 of 10 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Hot Springs Cemetery |
| Jacob Reuben Graves |
| Marsing - Homedale Cemetery |
| Miller Creek Cemetery |
| O X Cemetery |
| Pioneer Cemetery |
| Pleasant Valley Cemetery |
| Reynolds Creek Cemetery |
| Stone Cemetery |
| Wilson Cemetery |
Historical populated places — 6 of 6
| Name |
|---|
| Carothers Place |
| Cottonwood |
| Empire City |
| Sands |
| Sinker |
| Tindall |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
HMdb linkMarker text and photos from the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) are not embedded here. HMdb allows non-commercial reuse with attribution, but commercial/compensated use needs written permission; this is a commercial site, so we only link out.
Search HMdb for Owyhee County, Idaho
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