Idaho Hermits

For more than 60 years, Richard "Dugout Dick" Zimmerman (1916-2010) lived in hand-built dugouts across the Salmon River from this site and came to symbolize the Idaho hermit. With colorful names like Buckskin Bill and Hank the Hermit, these men, and a few women, eked out lonely existences, many along the Salmon River. Dugout Dick built multiple dugout caves during his time on the Salmon and eventually died here at age 94. By the 1980s, Dick's dugouts had become a local landmark, easily visible across the Salmon River. After Dick's death, the BLM reclaimed the dugouts, citing safety concerns. A cabin built by Dick remains on the site.

Idaho · United States