In the 1950s, trucks and highways became the dominant mode of transportation. The last train left Melba in 1994, and all rails were torn out in that same year. The Murphy portion of the line was abandoned in 1947. The Boise, Nampa & Owyhee Railroad was acquired by the Idaho Northern Railroad in 1907 the line was taken over by the Oregon Short Line Railroad in 1913 following their purchase of the Idaho Northern Railroad, after which it became known as the Murphy Branch line.ĭaily passenger service to Murphy was discontinued in 1942. By 1947, shipping animals out of Murphy was no longer profitable for the railroad. The first train into Murphy occurred in 1899. There were two railroad lines extending into Owyhee County, the first was the Boise Nampa & Owyhee Railroad which built starting in 1896 from Nampa, Idaho south towards Melba, Idaho and eventually across the Snake River into Owyhee County in 1897, whereupon it crossed Rabbit Creek before arriving in Murphy, Idaho. In the 20th century, the tribes combined and are federally recognized as a single government the majority of the people live on the Nevada side of the reservation. The reservation was expanded in 1886 to accommodate people of the Northern Paiute. Today it is among the least populous, at 1.4 persons per square mile (0.5 per km 2).īecause of pressure from miners and settlers, the federal government made a treaty in 1877 with the Western Shoshone to cede land, and established what is now known as the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in this county and across the border in Elko County, Nevada. At its height in the 1880s, Owyhee County was among the most populous places in Idaho. Silver City and Ruby City developed as boom towns.

Owyhee County's history is closely linked to the mining boom that dominated Idaho Territory in the second half of the 19th century. The formation of Cassia County in 1879 took further territory in the east. Less than a month after the creation of Owyhee County, Oneida County was formed in January 1864 from the eastern portion of the county. Owyhee County's original boundary was the portion of Idaho Territory south of the Snake River and west of the Rocky Mountains. The original county seat at Ruby City was moved to nearby Silver City in 1867.

While Boise, Idaho, Nez Perce, and Shoshone counties were organized under the laws of Washington Territory, they were not recognized by the Idaho Territory until February 1864. On December 31, 1863, Owyhee County became the first county organized by the Idaho Territory Legislature. Conflicts over land use and resources led to the indigenous peoples being pushed aside. This area was the territory of Western Shoshone, Northern Paiute, and Bannock peoples and their ancestors for thousands of years prior to the arrival of Americans.

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