I’d never been to Salmon until just a few weeks ago. The town was the meeting point for our rafting trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River — a short plane ride away. I had several hours to spare after I arrived, so I headed into town from our hotel on the banks of the Salmon River. Main Street is quite nice — a slice of Americana.
A Brief History of the town of Salmon
Salmon, Idaho is a small mountain town of roughly 3,300 people situated in Lemhi County in east-central Idaho. It sits just below 4,000 feet elevation on the Salmon River, where the Lemhi River joins it. The town is located in a wide valley between the Salmon River Mountains and the Bitterroots (Continental Divide).
The town’s name comes from the river and the historic abundant salmon runs that sustained its native people. The area is historically known as Sacagawea’s homeland, which Lewis and Clark visited in 1805 where they met her and she became their guide. The modern town was laid out in 1867 and supplied gold miners in nearby Leesburg
Today the town is a center of tourism and outdoor adventure. It’s the gateway to the Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness (the largest wilderness in the lower 48 states) and offers world-class whitewater on the Main Salmon River and its Middle Fork. Rafting, fishing, hunting, hiking, and hot springs drive much of the local economy.
During my stroll around Salmon my belief that the signage of a town tells its story as well as anything was reaffirmed. Here’s some of what I saw:
The people were friendly and helpful, food at restaurants was good, several local breweries to choose from if you’re so inclined, and one of the prettiest settings of a town anywhere in America. Hope I get back there someday.
