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Home > The Drives > Salmon River‐Sawtooth Scenic Byways > Key Landmarks & Attractions > City of Clayton
City of Clayton
The City of Clayton is a small community located in a narrow mountain canyon drained by Kinnikinic Creek. A paved pullout at Milepost 222.9 includes an overlook of the Salmon River and Historic Marker 416 (Clayton Smelter). Clayton Park, offering picnic tables, is located adjacent to the pullout. A café and a few other businesses are located along SH-75. Rich silver-ore deposits were discovered along Kinnikinic Creek in the 1860s and 1870s, and a smelter was built in 1880. A black-slag pile by the river is all that remains of the smelter. On July 4, Clayton features a parade, a fair in the park, and fireworks. The city features an intact, 19th-century mining town company store. The Idaho Mining and Smelter Company Store is a 29×96-foot wooden building with gable roof and historic storefront. The building faces south at the bottom of a steep grade, a picturesque setting. The word Clayton is visible on the roof and was painted in the 1950s to aid aerial navigation. The interior of the store retains its open space, with the wall supporting store shelving and bins. The Clayton Area Historical Association has received funding to begin restoring the store.
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