The Delamar Nugget Archive

Owyhee County was the center of mining activity in southern Idaho in the 19^th century. In 1864, silver deposits were discovered at War Eagle Mountain in the Owyhee Mountains. A mining boom followed and the town of Silver City was established nearby. In 1888, the DeLamar mine opened six miles from the Silver City. The town of DeLamar grew with the mine. However, its growth was short-lived, as the mine and town began to decline as early as 1890.

In 1891, John Lamb and Lemuel A. York established the De Lamar Nugget. The Nugget was a weekly paper published with four pages and five columns per page. Originally published on Tuesdays, on November 2, 1891, the publication day was changed to Monday. Starting February 20, 1892, the Nugget published on Saturdays. Finally, on June 5, 1896 the paper's day of publication changed to Friday. The paper published on Fridays for the remainder of its run.

The Nugget targeted the miners of the Owyhee Mountains. A recurring column, "Mining Nuggets," relayed the news from all of the area's mines. The newspaper covered significant mining developments throughout the state, including the Coeur d'Alene Mining Wars. In 1892 and 1899 violence broke out during labor strikes, resulting in several deaths, extensive property damage, and the military being dispatched to end the violence.

Lamb took sole control of the Nugget in 1901. As the De Lamar mine dried up and the town's population dropped, Lamb looked for a new headquarters for his newspaper. He moved the paper to nearby Silver City and changed its name to the Silver City Nugget. In 1905 the paper's name changed again to the Owyhee Nugget.

In 1912, the papermoved to the town of Bruneau. In 1940, it moved again to the town of Marsing. The Nugget was purchased in 1984 and combined with the Owyhee Chronicle to form a new paper, the Owyhee Avalanche, which publishes to this day.