Gem County, Idaho

39 topographic sheets cover 16 settlements here, and 10 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

10 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Idaho within the United States

Gem County within Idaho

What the record shows

212 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
10 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 10 buildings.
The Geographic Names Information System records 16 populated places in this county; 16 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Property	Type	Listed	Reference
F. T. Bliss House	building	1982	82000345
Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart	building	1980	80001323
Emmett Presbyterian Church	building	1980	80001324
First Baptist Church of Emmett	building	1980	80001325
Gem County Courthouse	building	1982	82000347
Methodist Episcopal Church	building	1980	80001326
Ola School	building	1992	92000415
Oregon Short Line Railway Depot	building	1995	95000506
St. Mary's Episcopal Church	building	1980	80001327
Sweet Methodist Episcopal Church	building	1997	97000766

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

304 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 304 of them, burning about 110,527 acres. 155 started naturally and 11 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause	Fires
Natural	155
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	47
Equipment and vehicle use	26
Recreation and ceremony	17
Firearms and explosives use	13
Fireworks	12
Arson/incendiarism	11
Railroad operations and maintenance	6
Debris and open burning	6
Power generation/transmission/distribution	5
Smoking	5
Other causes	1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
10 August 2006	Natural	54,350 acres	Boise District	CHERRY
25 June 2015	Power generation/transmission/distribution	10,845 acres	Boise District	MM 43 HWY 52
8 July 2002	Natural	6,786 acres	Boise District	JACKKNIFE
10 August 2006	Natural	4,408 acres	Idaho Department of Lands	OLA COMPLEX
18 July 2007	Equipment and vehicle use	3,962 acres	Boise District	GEM COUNTY
8 July 2002	Natural	2,583 acres	Boise District	WEB
13 August 1996	Natural	2,552 acres	Boise District	PROSPECT
15 August 2001	Natural	2,465 acres	Boise District	CHAPPEDWLL

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1964 to 2024

45 of 45 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 45 reports for this county, causing no deaths, no injuries and about $1,008,500 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event	Reports
Thunderstorm Wind	18
Hail	12
Flood	5
Tornado	4
Wildfire	3
Heavy Rain	2
Funnel Cloud	1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
June 2010	Flood	Emmett	$1,000,000	Moderate flooding occured in and around Emmett along the Payette River.
May 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Emmett	$5,000	no account filed
June 1991	Tornado (F1)	not stated	$2,500	no account filed
February 2017	Flood	Plaza	$1,000	The emergency manager reported high water and debris along Big Willow Creek and water running over Big Willow Road northeast of Dry Creek.
July 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Emmett	-	A large tree was down, blocking northbound traffic in a residential area in Emmett.
July 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Emmett Muni Arpt	-	A large tree fell down and blocked southbound traffic a residential area in Emmett until it was removed.
July 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Emmett	-	A roof on a home was damaged from a down tree.
November 2024	Heavy Rain	Sweet	-	The mesonet station, OLSI1, at NRAWS 17, measured 1 inch of rain.
March 2023	Heavy Rain	Emmett	-	The mesonet station AS061 near Minden, ID measured 0.68 inches of rain.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Letha	-	Branches knocked down with photo. Personal Weather Station read 58 MPH gust.
June 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweet	-	Davis weather station at Jacobus Ranch.
March 2017	Flood	Plaza	-	Flooding occurred along the Payette River around the Emmett, Idaho area and surrounding fields and roads.
May 2017	Flood	Emmett	-	The Payette River at Emmett reached minor food stage due to snow melt.
August 2016	Hail	Emmett	-	A follower on social media posted a picture of observed three quarter of an inch hail that dropped out of a thunderstorm near Emmett, Idaho.
April 2012	Flood	Plaza	-	A National Weather Service employee surveyed the Payette River near Emmett and observed the river was out of bank and flooding areas on the north side of the city.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Sweet	-	A trained spotter near Ola reported a wind gust of 66 MPH.
June 2010	Hail	Sweet	-	A trained spotter near Ola reported 1 inch hail.
August 2004	Tornado (F0)	Emmett	-	Near Sand Hollow, Payette, Gem county line. No damaged reported.
September 2002	Tornado (F0)	Emmett	-	A tornado touched down at Tom's Cabin Road, west of Emmett, in Gem County. It tracked eastward on the ground for a mile, ripping limbs off trees, destroying an outbuilding and damaging houses and a vehicle.
February 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Emmett	-	Thunderstorms rolled across Gem County producing winds gusting to 53 knots (61 mph) and dropping hail up to 1.0 inches in diameter along a path from 2 miles northwest of Emmett to 2 miles east of Emmett. Numerous trees and power lines were brought down by the storm.
February 2002	Tornado (F0)	Emmett	-	A tornado briefly touched down in the northern part of Emmett. The path of the tornado crossed the Emett cemetery knocking several headstones off of grave sites and twisting limbs off nearby trees.
May 1994	Hail	not stated	-	For the third consecutive day, thunderstorms forming in the flow around a cut-off low pressure system, moved east to west across southwest Idaho. The hardest hit areas were in Gem and Boise Counties, both of which are just north of the Boise metropolitan area. At 1443 MST, a thunderstorm produced dime-size hail in Idaho City, 25 miles northeast of Boise. Fifty minutes later, this same storm produced dime-size hail in Horseshoe Bend, 20 miles north of Boise. As the storm moved into Gem County, surface observations and radar indicated that it had intensified. Just north of Sweet, 25 miles north of Boise, a Gem County Sheriff reported quarter-size hail accumulating to a depth of two to three inches. The thunderstorm also began producing heavy rains near Sweet. A spotter at Black Canyon Dam, 25 miles northwest of Boise, received an inch of rain in less than an hour. These rains produced a rock slide across State Highway 52 south of Sweet. The rock slide blocked off the highway until midday the following day.
June 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Emmett	-	no account filed
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Countywide	-	no account filed
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Emmett	-	no account filed
July 2002	Funnel Cloud	Emmett	-	no account filed
April 1998	Hail	Sweet	-	no account filed
June 1998	Hail	Emmett	-	no account filed
August 1997	Wildfire	Emmett	-	no account filed
June 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Emmett	-	no account filed
October 1997	Wildfire	Emmett	-	no account filed
August 1996	Wildfire	Ese Emmett	-	no account filed
May 1990	Hail	not stated	-	no account filed
June 1987	Thunderstorm Wind	not stated	-	no account filed
June 1987	Thunderstorm Wind	not stated	-	no account filed
June 1987	Thunderstorm Wind	not stated	-	no account filed
April 1987	Thunderstorm Wind	not stated	-	no account filed
April 1986	Hail	not stated	-	no account filed
March 1984	Thunderstorm Wind	not stated	-	no account filed
June 1984	Hail	not stated	-	no account filed
June 1981	Hail	not stated	-	no account filed
May 1973	Hail	not stated	-	no account filed
May 1973	Thunderstorm Wind	not stated	-	no account filed
May 1966	Hail	not stated	-	no account filed
May 1964	Hail	not stated	-	no account filed

Mines and quarries

80 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 80 workings inside this county. 8 still produce and 72 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity	Workings
Gold	24
Sand and Gravel, Construction	18
Silver	9
Gold, Silver	9
Zinc	6
Pumice	6
Zinc, Lead	5
Zinc, Lead, Copper	4
Beryllium	3
Silica	3
Stone	3
Geothermal	3
Lead, Zinc	2
Zinc, Lead, Silver	2

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
Adanac Claim	Beryllium, Feldspar	Prospect	Beryl
B-Mine	Beryllium, Mica	Occurrence
Checkmate Mine	Silver, Gold, Zinc, Lead, Copper	Past Producer	Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite
Dewey Mine	Gold, Copper, Zinc, Silver, Lead	Past Producer
Double Eagle Mine	Gold, Silver, Lead, Copper	Past Producer	Underground
Emmett Mine	Gold, Zinc, Lead, Arsenic	Past Producer	Galena, Sphalerite
Florence Mine	Gold, Silver, Zinc, Lead, Copper	Past Producer	Vein
Friday Mine	Gold, Silver, Lead, Zinc, Copper	Past Producer	Galena, Sphalerite
Gem State Consolidated Mines Inc.	Lead, Zinc, Silver, Gold	Prospect	Sphalerite
I.X.L. Group	Gold, Lead, Zinc, Silver	Past Producer	Galena, Sphalerite
Irondollar Mine	Gold, Silver, Lead	Past Producer	Galena
Johnson Creek	REE, Gold, Thorium	Occurrence
Leviathan Mine	Gold, Silver, Copper, Zinc	Past Producer	Galena
Lucky Gem	Uranium	Unknown
Lucky Ridge Mine	Gold, Silver, Lead, Iron, Zinc	Past Producer	Galena, Sphalerite
McCarty Mine	Silver, Lead, Zinc, Gold	Past Producer	Galena, Sphalerite
Old Liberty Group	Silver, Copper, Gold	Past Producer
Payette River	Gold, Platinum	Producer	1865
Prospect	Zinc, Gold, Silver	Occurrence	Sphalerite
Rock Quarry Mine	Stone, Dimension, Stone, Crushed/Broken	Past Producer
Rock Quarry Mine	Stone, Crushed/Broken, Stone, Dimension	Past Producer
Smith Mine	Gold, Lead, Silver, Zinc	Past Producer	Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite
Wonder Prospect	Silver, Gold, Zinc, Lead, Copper	Past Producer	Chalcopyrite, Galena, Sphalerite
Birthday Mine	Gold, Zinc, Lead, Silver	Past Producer	Galena, Sphalerite
Blaine Mine	Gold, Lead, Zinc	Past Producer	Galena, Sphalerite
Diatomite Occurrence	Diatomite	Occurrence	Sedimentary
Lincoln Mine	Gold, Zinc, Lead, Silver	Past Producer	Galena, Pyrargyrite, Sphalerite
Silver Spray Mine	Gold, Lead, Zinc	Past Producer	Galena, Sphalerite
Unnamed Location	Diatomite	Unknown
Donald M Claim	Beryllium	Unknown
Emmett Plant	Silica	Producer
Gem Silica Company Deposit	Silica	Past Producer	1946
Gem Silica Sand Deposit	Silica, Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Geothermal Location	Geothermal	Occurrence
Geothermal Location	Geothermal	Occurrence
Longhair Mine No 1	Stone	Producer
Longhair Mine No 2	Stone	Producer
Pretty Patty	Stone	Producer
Roystone Hot Spring	Geothermal	Occurrence
Alexander Mine	Gold, Silver, Zinc, Lead, Copper	Past Producer	Argentite, Chalcopyrite, Galena, Lead, Pyrargyrite, Sphalerite, Tetrahedrite
Black Pearl Mine	Gold, Silver, Zinc, Lead, Copper	Past Producer	Galena, Sphalerite
Gold Digger Prospect	Gold, Silver, Zinc, Lead, Copper	Past Producer	Galena, Sphalerite
Dynamite Mine	Gold, Zinc, Lead	Occurrence	Galena, Sphalerite
Ida Mine	Gold, Zinc, Lead	Prospect	Galena, Sphalerite
Judas Mine	Gold, Silver, Zinc, Lead	Past Producer	Galena, Sphalerite
King Tut Group	Gold, Silver, Zinc, Lead	Past Producer	Galena, Sphalerite
Silver Wreath Mine	Gold, Zinc, Lead	Past Producer	Galena, Sphalerite
Basque Mine	Gold, Silver, Zinc	Past Producer	Galena, Owyheeite, Pyrargyrite, Sphalerite
Ella Prospect	Gold, Zinc	Prospect	Sphalerite
Golden Chest Prospect	Gold, Zinc	Occurrence	Sphalerite
Pinto Mine	Gold, Silver, Zinc	Past Producer	Sphalerite
Pumice Deposit	Pumice	Unknown
Pumicite Deposit	Pumice	Occurrence
Pumicite Deposit	Pumice	Occurrence
Pumicite Deposit	Pumice	Occurrence
Stella Prospect	Gold, Zinc	Occurrence	Sphalerite
Unnamed Location	Pumice	Unknown
Unnamed Location	Pumice	Unknown
Zena Prospect	Gold, Zinc	Occurrence	Sphalerite
El Paso Group	Gold, Silver	Past Producer	Underground
Lucky Strike Mine	Silver, Gold	Unknown
Pearl Silver Mine	Gold, Silver	Occurrence
Barnes Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Baynes Pit and Emmett Plant	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
City Transfer Pit and Plant	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Prospect
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Prospect
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Prospect
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Prospect
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Prospect
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Prospect
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Prospect
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Prospect
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Unknown
Gravel Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Prospect
Blue Bucket Prospect	Gold	Past Producer

Every populated place in the county

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

Aikman

Sweet census division · 83616 · On North Fork Willow Creek · Southeast Emmett quadrangle

15 sheets, 1892 to 1985

No longer a settlement
Black Canyon

Emmett Valley census division · 83617 · Near Cherry Gulch · Northeast Emmett quadrangle

15 sheets, 1892 to 1985
Bramwell

Emmett Valley census division · 83617 · Southwest Emmett quadrangle

11 sheets, 1898 to 1981
Cold House

Emmett Valley census division · 83617 · On Haw Creek · Southwest Emmett quadrangle

11 sheets, 1898 to 1981
Del Monte

Emmett Valley census division · 83617 · On Haw Creek · Southwest Emmett quadrangle

11 sheets, 1898 to 1981
Emmett

Emmett Valley census division · 83617 · Near Ross Island · Southeast Emmett quadrangle

15 sheets, 1892 to 1985
Gross

Sweet census division · 83657 · On Second Fork Chief Eagle Eye Creek · Dodson Pass quadrangle

13 sheets, 1894 to 1980
Jenness

Emmett Valley census division · 83607 · Southwest Emmett quadrangle

11 sheets, 1898 to 1981
Letha

Emmett Valley census division · 83617 · On Bissel Creek · Letha quadrangle

11 sheets, 1898 to 1981
Little Rock

Emmett Valley census division · 83617 · Near Emmett Valley · Letha quadrangle

11 sheets, 1898 to 1981
Marsh

Sweet census division · 83617 · Near Regan Butte · Montour quadrangle

15 sheets, 1892 to 1985

No longer a settlement
Montour

Sweet census division · 83617 · Near Regan Butte · Montour quadrangle

15 sheets, 1892 to 1985
Ola

Sweet census division · 83657 · Near Fir Tree Gulch · Ola quadrangle

13 sheets, 1894 to 1980
Pearl

Sweet census division · 83617 · Near Prospect Peak · Pearl quadrangle

15 sheets, 1892 to 1985
Plaza

Emmett Valley census division · 83617 · Near Spring Gulch · Northeast Emmett quadrangle

15 sheets, 1892 to 1985
Sweet

Sweet census division · 83670 · On Yergenson Creek · Montour quadrangle

15 sheets, 1892 to 1985

The vanished settlements of Gem County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

Provenance

Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.