Assay Office
National Historic Landmark

Assay Office

Boise, Ada County, Idaho
Listed
October 14, 1966
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
66000305

About this property

The Assay Office is a historic building at 210 Main Street in Boise, Idaho. It is significant for its role in the history of mining in Idaho, and was the first major federal government building in the Idaho Territory. During the first half of the 1860s, Idaho's gold production was the third highest in the nation. Due to the difficulty of transporting ores, which can be heavy, the long distance to the nearest U.S. Mint in San Francisco, there was great demand for an assaying office in Idaho that would be able to separate precious metals from impurities in them, helping to place a value on ores that went through the office.

Location

210 Main St.
Boise, Ada County, Idaho
43.61286, -116.19655

Categories

COMMERCEEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENTPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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The Civil War
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Nearby Historic Sites

West Warm Springs Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Burnett, H. C., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Cavanah, C. C., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Reclamation Service Boise Project Office
Industrial
0.2 mi
State Street Historic District
Listed
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Assay Office listed on the National Register?

Assay Office was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 14, 1966.

What type of historic resource is Assay Office?

Assay Office is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Assay Office a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Assay Office has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Assay Office?

The period of significance for Assay Office is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Assay Office?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Assay Office will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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