Atlanta, Idaho

Atlanta, Idaho

Atlanta

Atlanta's location in central Idaho

Atlanta is an unincorporated town in Elmore County, Idaho, United States. It was founded in 1864 during the Civil War as a gold and silver mining community and named by Southerners after a rumored Confederate victory over General Sherman in the Battle of Atlanta, which turned to be wholly false, but the name stuck. While the official website for the town indicates it was settled in 1863 , the town was not settled until 1864. Mining activity near Atlanta preceded its establishment as a mining community. The John Stanley party discovered gold on the nearby Yuba River on July 20, 1864, just two days prior to the battle back in Georgia. That November, John Simmons made the discovery of the Atlanta lode which contained both gold and silver.

Atlanta is at an elevation of 5383 feet (1640 m) above sea level surrounded by the Boise National Forest, located near the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Boise River, approximately 2 miles east of the mouth of the Yuba River. The Sawtooth Mountains are directly north, and Idaho City is approximately 35 miles (56 km) due west, as the crow flies.

Atlanta is about 40 miles (64 km) from two paved highways. It is east of State Highway 21, accessed on unimproved U.S. Forest Service roads. Atlanta is north of U.S. Highway 20, which is accessed by heading south on USFS roads through Rocky Bar, Featherville, and Pine. The junction with US-20 is just east of the Anderson Ranch Reservoir on the South Fork of the Boise River Atlanta can also be accessed by following the unimproved road from Arrowrock Dam which climbs with the Middle Fork of the Boise River.

Though founded as a mining community, and a number of private claims remain in the area, no significant commercial mining has occurred in the area for over 50 years, though more recently inquiries into opening a new plant have seen some headway. In place of mining, Atlanta has diversified into areas such as tourism, back-country activities, and preservation of the town's lengthy historic legacy.

References

• "Atlanta, Idaho". Town website. Archived from the original on 2006-11-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20061128113749/http://www.atlantaidaho.org/index.html. Retrieved 2007-01-24. 
• "History and Current Facts of Elmore County". County website. http://www.elmorecounty.org/history.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-11. 
• "Atlanta" (pdf). Idaho State Historical Society Series. August 1964. http://history.idaho.gov/sites/default/files/uploads/reference-series/0202.pdf. Retrieved 2011-10-11.