Roseberry, Idaho

The Church and the Valley County Museum of Roseberry

Let me introduce you to Roseberry, Idaho. This is a ghost town about 11 miles outside of McCall near Donnelly, Idaho. It has been re-created to look just like it was way back when. My husband and I decided to visit it Saturday and found it to be a really fantastic place! Talk about a blast from the past! It was the 1880's and early 1900's all over again. The Long Valley Preservation Society restored this town and recreated it. Some of the buildings on the walking tour were part of the original town and others have been brought in from other locations in the Valley.

I have posted a photo of two of the buildings in Roseberry, the Church and the Valley County Museum, which use to be a school house. My favorite building was the general store. It was stocked with items exactly like what you would see during the late 19th and early 20th century. There was a potbellied stove and some chairs, just like you would imagine in an old fashion general store. My grandfather would feel right at home here. It use to be called the McDougal Store and was originally built in 1905. The owner of this building, Frank Eld, collected all kinds of artifacts and goods from this time period and put them into this store. Frank and some volunteers have restored this building complete with period wallpaper, tins or canned goods and dry goods to look like it use to. This is not just a replica--this is the real deal from history. The closest thing I have seen to this was Knott's Berry Farm, where I grew up. At Knott's you walk into a general store that is made to look like it existed in 1890, but was actually made in the 1950's.

I think you could consider this general store a type of art museum that recreates the look of the 1880's, 90's and early 1900's. Even the architectural design of the buildings are unique and have their own artistic merit. Even the dry goods in the general store have their own artistic merit. I think there is something really wonderful about re-creating an atmosphere from a time where life was different and slower, and there were no high-tech toys around.

Has anyone seen the Twilight Zone movie about the guy who kept dreaming about a place called Willowby that he wanted to live in because his life was too stressful? Well, Roseberry is just like that town. I felt like the guy in that movie and I just stepped out of my fast-paced, high pressured world and stepped into an old fashioned paradise! Cool!