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About Owyhee County

Owyhee County occupies 7,697 square miles in the southwest corner of Idaho and is one of Idaho's least populated counties. In its early days, mining was the major industry here, and the ghost towns of Silver City and Ruby City in the Owyhee Mountains are a remnant of that period. Today agriculture is the major industry.

The Snake River forms most of Owyhee County's northern border, flowing northwest. An extensive irrigation system along the river has turned nearby parts of the desert into productive farmland. The river lies in a gorge lined by steep slopes that on the north side are capped by a layer of lava. The flat land that lies to the north of the river gorge is called the Snake River Plain. In the northwest corner of the county the river emerges from this gorge into a wide grassland where most of the population of the county lives.

The Owyhee Mountains lie near the western border of the county, reaching as high as 8,403 feet in elevation at Hayden Peak. The alpine scenery in the mountains contrasts the arid Owyhee Desert that covers most of the county.

Owyhee County was organized on December 31, 1864, being the first county organized by the Idaho Territorial Legislature. It originally included Twin Falls and Cassia Counties. The county seat was originally at Silver City, but was moved to Murphy in 1934, as Silver City dwindled to a ghost town. It is named after Hawaiian fur trappers who explored the area in 1819 and 1820, Owyhee being a misspelling of Hawaii. It is pronounced ‘O-Y-he’.

Idaho Highway 78 is the major route through Owyhee County, following the Snake River nearly its whole length ending at Marsing. Idaho Highway 51 also crosses the county southward, passing through the Owhyee Desert. U.S. Highway 95 heads north and south along the western edge of the county, passing by Marsing and Homedale. State Highway 55 and 19 connect from those two towns to points outside the county.

Visitors to the county are drawn in by recreational sites along the Snake River, especially the C.J. Strike Reservoir. Other tourist attractions include the Bruneau Dunes and the ghost towns of the Owyhee Mountains.


Street Index


a dirt road
a road
a street
a turnout
Airpark Loop
Antelope Lane
Bachman Grade Road
Bailey Road
Bates Creek Road
Beet Dump Road
Bernard Landing Turnout
Birmingham Road
Black Sands Road
Blue Skies Road
Browns Lane
Bruneau Arm Narrows Access
Bruneau Duck Ponds Road
Bruneau Highway
Bruneau River
Buntrock Road
Bybee Lane
Cemetery Road
China Ditch Road
Cinnibar Way
Clark Road
Claytonia Pond
Collett Road
Conshea Road
Cottonwood Campground Access
Cove Rec Road
Coyler Road
Coyote Run Lane
Crane Falls Road
Dines Lane
Dobbin Road
Dunlap Road
Edison Road
Field Road
Fossil Creek Trail
Gem Road
Graveyard Point Road
Guffey Lane
Gulley Drive
Hardtrigger Road
Hogg Road
Hot Springs Road
Howard Road
Indian Cove Road
Indian Hills Road
Industrial Road
Jaca Lane
Jacks Creek Access
Jacks Creek Road
Jacks Creek West Access
Joe Black Road
Johnstone Road
Joy Lane
Jump Creek Road
Kings Way Drive
Landfill Road
Lemley Road
Lootens Road
Loveridge Bridge Road
Market Road
Mecham Lane
Meininger Road
Millet Road
Missile Base Road
Mormon Boulevard Road
Mud Flat Road
Munro Road
Murphy Flat Road
North Side Road
Opaline Road
Oreana Loop Road
Oreana Shortcut Road
Outback Lane
Ox Haven Trail
Pascoe Road
Percifield Road
Pershall Road
Pioneer Road
Poison Creek Cutoff
Poison Creek Road
Poplar Drive
Purdon Lane
Rabbit Creek Trailhead
Ranch Road
Rats Nest Road
Ridge View Drive
River Road
Riverside Avenue
Robinson Road
Rye Patch Road
Sand Dunes Road
Shari Hill Road
Sheep Camp Road
Silver City Road
Simpkin Lane
Snake River
Sommer Camp Road
South Side Road
Springer Lane
Stacy's Landing Lane
State Highway 19
State Highway 45
State Highway 51
State Highway 51 & 78
State Highway 55
State Highway 78
Taxidermy Lane
Thompson Road
Trail Drive Road
U.S. Highway 95
Vista Road
Walking Plow Lane
Wees Road
White Eagle Road
Whitted Lane
Wild Horse Road
Williams Lane
Wilson Cemetery Road
Wilson Creek Road
Wolfe Lane
Wright Road
Y Road
Young Road

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