Surprise at Boulder City

Yesterday seemed like a good time for our annual visit to Boulder City. 

For the past several years, we've visited the spot where in the early Twentieth Century a small town in the mountains east of Bonners Ferry served as home to workers involved in a rather unscrupulous and failed mining venture.

Our first visit to Boulder City, up Katka Road, occurred early in our marriage.  At the time, one of the structures was still standing, and I remember taking a photo of a bouquet of daisies in one of its windows.

Bill recalls sleeping in the same building in the '80s or early '90s when he took his Boy Scout Troop 111 for an overnighter.  

The boys slept in the meadow by the former residence, while he slept inside on what was then a sturdy floor and no mice, he told me yesterday. 

Boulder City always seemed to be a fun destination over the years, not only to wander through the remnants of old structures but also to simply enjoy the beauty of Boulder Creek. 

A few years ago, however, after reading about a friend's visit to the ghost town which noted that it had been a setting for a rather famous book, we began to look at Boulder City in a much different light----especially after that day when we purchased The Boys in the Boat and read it in a couple of days. 

The book is THAT good.

As an aside, I must note that the Bonners Ferry area is quite fortunate to have connections with two New York Times bestsellers.  

Where the Crawdads Sing author Delia Owens lived near Bonners Ferry for a number of years. 

Must be something in the water!

Anyway, shortly after reading The Boys in the Boat, Bill and I made another visit to Boulder City, eyeing those remnants and surmising what part of the town they must be. 

Well, yesterday, on what was supposed to be a quick visit along with some fishing and sight seeing, we walked in to THE MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE!

Since our visit last year, the U.S. Forest Service (with help from the Bonners Ferry Museum, I'm sure) has been engaged in a preservation project of the townsite.

And, we learned a whole lot about the actual Boulder City remnants than we ever could have guessed.

The story has been pieced together, thanks to newspaper articles, the book and other written material. 

Now, a stroll through the area brings history alive in a pleasant and interesting way. 

And, efforts are being made to preserve what's left of the city.  

For anyone who loved The Boys in the Boat as passionately as we did, a visit to this area arouses a sense of historical adrenalin unlike anything we've experienced in some time.

The best part:  it's in our area and it's a place that we've visited and appreciated for more than 40 years. 

As noted in the first photo, thanks so much to the entities who have conceived and followed through on this project. 

And, if you haven't read The Boys in the Boat, do!  It's a phenomenal read. 

Though the Boulder City visit highlighted our day, Bill and I did enjoy a little fishing on a beautiful afternoon. 

We also did some visiting with a family who came to the area for some swimming, eating and sitting around their campfire.  

Very nice folks!

Happy Monday. 

Remnants of a house frame along main street of Boulder City. Who knows?   It could have been Joe's home. 

Annie's Camino Update . . . .

She's down to her final two days of walking toward Santiago, and is leaving her universal message on the walls of albergues.  

Check her blog in a while for today's update. 

https://adventuregirlannie.com/