Panoramic Of Mackay
by Robert Bales
Title
Panoramic Of Mackay
Artist
Robert Bales
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
We spend a week camping in this area and enjoyed the wonderful beauty of the "Idahos Best Kept Secret.
Mackay is an old mining town, nestled at the Top of Idaho, as their motto goes. Tucked beneath the states highest point, Borah Peak (12,662 ft.), the town of Mackay (5,891 ft.) has a rich Western history as deep as the Lost River Valley it calls home.
Most of Mackays residents are as rugged as youll find in any Old West town, with good senses of humor, tough hides and deceptively soft hearts. And while the views of the surrounding mountains are as sweet as any youll ever find, Mackays future is as cloudy as a tailings pond.
Settlers began inhabiting the valley between the Lost River Range and the White Knob Mountains in the late 1800s. Soon thereafter, copper, lead, zinc and silver deposits were found just southwest of town in the White Knobs. By the turn of the century, the settlement along the Big Lost River was booming. People came in droves to make their fortunes in Copper City, as the community was being called. By 1901, a new town was founded and named Mackay (pronounced Mac-key) after the primary owner of the White Knob Mining Company.
Nowadays, the towns biggest employer is the U.S. Department of Energys Idaho National Laboratory (INL) outside of Arco, which produced the worlds first usable electricity from nuclear power in 1951. Ranching and farming for hay and barley have long been staples and continue to give the community a working-class Western feel.
Besides being a hub for fishermen and farmers, Mackay is a popular destination for big game hunters, hang gliders (launching off nearby King Mountain), ATV and snowmobile riders, mountaineers and mountain lovers. The town of around 600 now boasts the tagline: Idahos Best Kept Secret.
Uploaded
July 19th, 2014
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Viewed 1,010 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/24/2024 at 6:07 PM
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Comments (19)
Jeannie Rhode Photography
Robert, Beautiful panorama capture of this scene with the mountain ridge. L