Clayton is a minor ghost town that partially owes its existence to Bayhorse (see preceding entry, pages 156–159). The excitement on Bayhorse Creek, sixteen miles away, caused Joel E. Clayton to erect a smelter on the banks of the Salmon River in 1880. Even though his original smelter was of considerable size, the success of Bayhorse and other nearby mines led Clayton to double the size of his smelter in 1888. It finally closed down with the apparent depletion of the area’s ore in 1902.
The closing was premature. Discoveries of new ore bodies, along with more efficient milling methods, led to a resurgence of area mining. By 1935, Clayton had become Idaho’s greatest single producer of silver. A later discovery of scheelite (tungsten) brought further prosperity in the 1950s. In the 1980s, molybdenum deposits northwest of Clayton renewed area mining.
In Clayton today, a roadside sign provides historical information about the town. Walk behind the sign toward the riverbank to see the large slag pile of the old smelter. One block north stands the restored 1881 Idaho Mining and Smelter Company Store, now a museum open on summer weekends. The building also served as the post office from 1910 until 1921. The false front has “L. B. Worthington Dry Goods and Groceries” painted on it, reflecting new ownership in 1930. In 1933, it was sold again, and the large front windows of the store show that change: “Leuzinger General Merchandise.”
A paved road on the west end of the mercantile, Forest Service Road 530, passes a sturdy brick schoolhouse, now a residence, and heads north from town, paralleling Kinnikinic Creek. It takes you in 1.6 miles to the considerable remains of the Clayton Mine, which operated into the 1980s, when a cave-in ended production. One mile east of town, on a hill north of the highway, stands the Clayton Cemetery.
WHEN YOU GO
From the junction of Bayhorse Road and Idaho Highway 75, drive southwest 13.2 miles to Clayton.
Claytons’s Idaho Mining and Smelter Company Store has been beautifully restored and is open on summer weekends. Even if it is closed, be certain to gaze through the large windows.