Pierce, ID

A man named Pierce discovered gold here in 1860.  That started a mini gold rush that quickly attracted 6000 people and Pierce became the first town in what is now the State of Idaho.  The rush didn't last long and the rushers moved on after a couple years.  The current population is about 500.

I 'discovered' the place 104 years after Mr Pierce, spent the summers of '64 and '65 here, working for the Forest Service.  Back then, the Forest Service had lots of seasonal employees, mostly college students, from all over the country.  Most of the guys were housed in 4-man tent camps scattered around the forest.  Typical camp had 2 crews of 7-10 men each, a camp boss, a cook and a couple of cook's helpers - college girls.  Unfortunately, the coeds weren't selected for their looks.

This dorm-style building, which housed the Pierce crew, was where I lived in '64.  In '65, I was in a tent camp.   We were required to wear hobnail boots, aka calks, in the forest but had to remove them before entering any building or they'd rip the floor to shreds in short order.  NO CALKS signs were posted at every door; I liberated one of the signs and it's been hanging in my den ever since.

The building is still in use, mostly offices, a few bedrooms.  The office below was my bedroom.

I really enjoyed those 2 summers, made lots of friends, fell in love with the mountains.  No way could I ever again be happy living in the Midwest where I grew up: boring topography, high humidity, mosquitoes galore, frigid winters.  Go west, young man.