Florence
Ghost town · United States
- Abandoned
- unknown
- Founded
- —
- Population
- —
- Coordinates
- 45.501, -116.028
Why it was abandoned
⛏️ Gold rush
Detected automatically from the text: Almost concurrent with its settlement, Washington Territory established Idaho County on December 20, 1861, in anticipation of a gold rush that brought over 9,000 residents within the first year.
History
Florence is a ghost town in Idaho County, Idaho, United States. About 14 air miles (22 km) east-northeast of present-day Riggins in remote north central Idaho at an elevation of 6,080 feet (1,850 m). It was settled as a mining camp in the winter of 1861. Almost concurrent with its settlement, Washington Territory established Idaho County on December 20, 1861, in anticipation of a gold rush that brought over 9,000 residents within the first year., The town quickly became the seat with the first district court taking place at Florence on 22 September 1862. While the rich placer gold fields in the Florence Basin brought thousands of prospectors and contributed to the establishment of Idaho Territory in 1863, the rush to Florence was short-lived as intensive mining depleted the richest ground. At the first census of Idaho Territory, only 575 residents remained.