Pierce in Clearwater County, Idaho — The American West (Mountains)

Pierce Courthouse

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 6, 2018

1. Pierce Courthouse Marker

Captions: (background) Pierce, Idaho, around 1893; (top right) Pierce Courthouse was the first courthouse in Idaho. After the county seat move to Murray in 1885, a series of private owners use this building as a residence.

Inscription. When the courthouse was built in 1862, Pierce was a boomtown. Gold discovered in the nearby hills was attracting thousands of miners. There was one catch: they were all trespassing on Nez Perce land.
The government solution was to draw up a new treaty, reducing in size the Nez Perce reservation by 90 percent, placing Pierce and the gold veins outside reservation boundaries. The gold was exhausted in a few years, but the Treaty of 1863 had a catastrophic and lasting impact on the Nez Perce people. The courthouse is significant not for what occurred within its walls but for what it symbolizes.

Erected by Nez Perce National Historical Park.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.

Location. 46° 29.406′ N, 115° 47.886′ W. Marker is in Pierce, Idaho, in Clearwater County. Marker is at the intersection of Court Street and 1st Avenue South, on the left when traveling east on Court Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Pierce ID 83546, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. A different marker also named Pierce Courthouse (approx. 0.2 miles away); Canal Gulch (approx. 0.2 miles away); Chinese Cemetery

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(approx. ¼ mile away); Oro Fino City (approx. 0.9 miles away); Murder & Vigilantes (approx. 1.6 miles away); Boom & Chinese of Pierce (approx. 1.6 miles away); Pierce Gold Rush (approx. 1.6 miles away); Gold Discovered (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pierce.

Pierce Courthouse and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 6, 2018

2. Pierce Courthouse and Marker

Pierce Courthouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, May 6, 2018

3. Pierce Courthouse

Credits. This page was last revised on August 12, 2018. It was originally submitted on August 12, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 190 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 12, 2018, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.