After gold deposits played out by the late-1870s, fertile land drew ranchers and farmers to the area. William Brown and his grown children began ranching alongside seasoned families like the Gehrings and Sanfords. During the 1880s, prominent area families such as the McWetheys, Synnesses, and Wilborns claimed homestead lands and supplied Helena and distant markets with fresh meat and produce. Their community spanned Silver Creek, Little Prickly Pear Creek, and the Hilger Valley, and although Silver City itself faded away, the area's history and the legacies of these families endured.