Idaho City is a pretty fascinating place. Just under an hour outside of Boise, this is a real example of a living ghost town. Although the city is home to a handful of people, this historic Wild West town is noted for its remoteness. Containing enough historic buildings to fill an entire day with exploring, it’s also home to one of the creepiest graveyards in the state. This haunted cemetery has an extremely sad and scary history. Visit only if you dare!
Idaho City is one of the most historically rich places in the state. Considered an authentic Wild West town, many of its original structures remain...including the town's cemetery.
Pioneer Cemetery is also known as Boot Hill Cemetery. A Boot Hill was a common term for cemeteries during the days of the Old West for the fact that people who were buried there "died with their boots on". It's a pretty accurate nickname for this centuries-old cemetery.
The cemetery lies just outside of Idaho City and is home to over 3,000 graves. That's a lot of graves for such a remote part of Idaho but it makes sense considering Idaho City was a quintessential "rough and tumble" mining town.
You'll definitely notice that this cemetery contains an especially unsettling atmosphere. Only a small portion of these graves contain people who died from natural causes rather than the violence that was typical in prospering mining towns.
Violence was part of Idaho City since the very beginning. A man named George Grimes first discovered gold in the hills of present day Bogus Basin in 1862. Just days later, Grimes was murdered.
With so many graves of people who died violent deaths, it's probably safe to say this is a pretty creepy place to be at night. In fact, many visitors have reported seeing physical manifestations of men dressed in prospecting attire.
It's crazy to think that all of these graves date back all the way to the 19th century. Many of them even feature wooden or iron enclosures that are typical of graves from this era. The "fences" were meant to deter both vandals and wild animals from knocking over the grave's headstone.
Only a fraction of the cemetery's original headstones are presently in tact. Over the years the cemetery has fallen victim to fires and other natural weathering which has destroyed many of the original (often wooden) grave markers.
The cemetery is strangely beautiful, but this place is chilling nonetheless. The fact that so many people who rest here, young and old, perished so early in their lives is unsettling. However, if you love history (and the paranormal) a visit to this incredible cemetery is a must.
Have you been to this creepy haunted cemetery? This place is strangely beautiful. If you love creepy places, you should definitely check out the Ultimate Terrifying Idaho Road Trip through our state’s spookiest haunts.
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