When gold was discovered in Jordan Creek in 1863, people from all over the world came to seek their fortune, many traveling from the East along the Mormon Trail and then following the stage and freight trail from Kellon, Utah, to Idaho before remaining on the Dry Trail south of the Snake River. In the War Eagle and Florida Mountains, Ruby City grew from a mining camp into a roaring settlement and the Owyhee County seat, named for the red color of the silver ore compounds found there. Only half a mile away, Silver City became a booming mining town on the high slopes of War Eagle at the head of Jordan Creek, and within one year the county seat, along with many buildings and homes, moved there. Silver City grew to include six general stores, two hotels, a school, four restaurants, and numerous other businesses, with everything hauled in by wagon teams over rugged mountainous terrain. Settlers also made homes on many of the creeks, while Indians roamed freely in the area and fought fiercely to protect the land against white settlers. In the spring of 1869, settlers seeking to farm and ranch came to Bruneau, named for Canadian fur rapper Pierre Bruneau, who came to Idaho in 1815; many places in the area bear his name. Salmon came up the Bruneau River by the thousands, antelope and deer roamed the countryside, and the area became known to cattlemen and sheepmen as the Valley of the Tall Grass. In 1884, the Hughes Brothers, Frank and Jim, erected the first public building in Bruneau, which served as a saloon, store, and post office. Grand View was named for its broad green valley with the Snake River winding through it, bordered by flat desert with sage as tall as a man. At one time one hundred thousand cattle were in the valley, sheepmen followed with vast herds feeding in belly-deep grasses, and hundreds of tons of hay and many kinds of fruit and nuts were harvested and sold there. About two miles east stood the Dorsey Ranch, which became a favored ferry route and stopping place for settlers traveling to and from Boise for supplies. Grand View also had a large hotel and store, later destroyed by fire, as well as many other businesses and homes, some of which still stand, and its first post office opened in 1888. Farther west, Oreana was named by Harry Olsen when he opened a hotel in 1884; meaning an abandoned yearling, it became known nationwide for hay and productive orchards and had a general store, post office, blacksmith shop, school, and church. In 1899, Murphy, near the Owyhee Mountains, became the terminal when the railroad ended its track there instead of reaching Silver City, and later, as mining slowed at Silver City and Ruby City and accessibility was easier, the Owyhee County seat was moved to Murphy, where it remains.