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History
Gibbonsville is located on the west side of the Bitterroot Mountain Range and was founded in 1877. This "Living Ghost Town" is just off Highway 93, which in this area of central Idaho follows the original route of Lewis and Clark on their journey to the Pacific Ocean.
George Kerns, a German immigrant, was one of the early owners of what is now known as the Broken Arrow. He decided that Gibbonsville was in need of a local brewery and applied for water rights on July 6, 1897, in order to begin his operation.
Kerns Brewery, at its peak, supplied 13 Gibbonsville and surrounding area taverns. Thirsty patrons came from all over Lemhi County and Montana to enjoy the brew.
Broken Arrow has had a variety of businesses as well as many name changes over the years. Kerns Brewery became a Texaco gas station in 1926. A store and cafe and cabins were built in 1926 and the RV park was added in the '50's.
In 1989 the "store," which had changed to giving out groceries and a handful of secondhand merchandise, gave way to an authentic Mexican food restaurant. Guests come from all over Lemhi, Custer and Ravalli counties to enjoy Rose Marie's fine cooking and welcoming smile. Family style meals are served in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere.
You will find the Broken Arrow on Highway 93 fourteen miles south of Lost Trail Pass on the Montana/Idaho border. It is 33 miles north of Salmon, Idaho. The business is family owned and operated, taking pride in offering a home away from home setting. In addition to the clean, yet primitive and rustic log cabins, there are 12 RV full service hookups (including three pull throughs). Other facilities include tent sites, cook out areas and picnic areas. We are ideal for weddings, dances, parties, family reunions and get togethers of all kinds.
Gibbonsville History
Lewis and Clark passed through what is now Gibbonsville in 1805 on their epic journey to the Pacific coast. Though the fabled mountain trappers surely passed through the area, it remained for gold and mining men to settle the area. Following the Alder Gulch, Montana rush of '62, prospectors discovered gold in Ruby Creek, north of Gibbonsville in Montana, in 1866. Reportedly some of these miners, particularly Morgan Jones, wintered in the Dahlonega BAsin. Morgan Jones Lake, in nearby Montana, remains in tribue to this early pioneer.
George Anderson located the first mining claim of record in the area on August 10, 1877. Various methods of placer mining were the principal mining method first used. Rich oxide lode deposits were milled by crude arrrastras and the gold recovered by amalgamation. Stamp mille sere soon put into use, and in 1896, the American Development and Mining Company erected a 30-stamp mill with a chlorinator to process sulphide ores.