Burke, Idaho
Encyclopedia
Burke is a ghost town
in Burke-Canyon
in Shoshone County
, Idaho
, United States
. Once a thriving silver
and lead
town, it is now far smaller than at its height. In 2002, about 300 people lived in or nearby Burke Canyon. It was situated in a canyon only about 300 feet (91.4 m) wide, located on Burke-Canyon Creek Road in the northernmost part of the county.
It was the home of the Hercules silver mine, the owners of which were implicated in the Idaho mining wars of 1899.
1 mile south of Burke, operated with replacement workers during the strike. Several lost their lives in a shooting war
provoked by the discovery of a company spy
named Charles A. Siringo The U.S. army forced an end to the strike.
Hostilities erupted once again
in 1899. In response to the Bunker Hill company firing seventeen men for joining the union
, the miners dynamited the Bunker Hill & Sullivan mill
. Lives were lost once again, and the army intervened.
One of Idaho's most famous pictures was taken in Burke, a photograph showing the train tracks running through the main road .
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Burke-Canyon
Burke-Canyon
Burke-Canyon is the canyon of the Burke-Canyon Creek, in the northernmost part of Shoshone County, Idaho. There are several ghost towns and/or remnants of former communities along the Burke-Canyon Road, which runs through the canyon....
in Shoshone County
Shoshone County, Idaho
Shoshone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. The county was established in 1864, named for the Native American Shoshone tribe. The population was 12,765 at the 2010 census. Shoshone County is commonly referred to as the Silver Valley, due to its century-old mining history...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Once a thriving silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
town, it is now far smaller than at its height. In 2002, about 300 people lived in or nearby Burke Canyon. It was situated in a canyon only about 300 feet (91.4 m) wide, located on Burke-Canyon Creek Road in the northernmost part of the county.
It was the home of the Hercules silver mine, the owners of which were implicated in the Idaho mining wars of 1899.
History
Hard rock miners in Shoshone County protested wage cuts with a strike in 1892. Two large mines, the Gem mine and the Frisco mine in Burke-CanyonBurke-Canyon
Burke-Canyon is the canyon of the Burke-Canyon Creek, in the northernmost part of Shoshone County, Idaho. There are several ghost towns and/or remnants of former communities along the Burke-Canyon Road, which runs through the canyon....
1 mile south of Burke, operated with replacement workers during the strike. Several lost their lives in a shooting war
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor strike of 1892
There were two related incidents between miners and mine owners in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho: the labor strike of 1892, and the labor confrontation of 1899....
provoked by the discovery of a company spy
Labor spies
Labor spies are persons recruited or employed for the purpose of gathering intelligence, committing sabotage, sowing dissent, or engaging in other similar activities, typically within the context of an employer/labor organization relationship....
named Charles A. Siringo The U.S. army forced an end to the strike.
Hostilities erupted once again
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor confrontation of 1899
There were two related incidents between miners and mine owners in Coeur d'Alene: the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor strike of 1892, and the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor confrontation of 1899....
in 1899. In response to the Bunker Hill company firing seventeen men for joining the union
Western Federation of Miners
The Western Federation of Miners was a radical labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and smelter workers brought it into sharp conflicts – and often pitched battles...
, the miners dynamited the Bunker Hill & Sullivan mill
Bunker Hill Mining Company
The Bunker Hill Mining Company was a mining company with facilities in Wardner, Idaho and surrounding areas.-History:When the mining boom began in the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho mining district, the area was lightly inhabited...
. Lives were lost once again, and the army intervened.
One of Idaho's most famous pictures was taken in Burke, a photograph showing the train tracks running through the main road .