Idaho Hermits

The hermit was also a landlord. Richard Zimmerman crossed a wooden bridge over the Salmon in 1947 and spent the rest of his life digging a dozen or more dwellings into the hillside with pick and bar, fronting them with castoff doors, car windows and old tires. He rented some out, for as little as two dollars a night, and once evicted a tenant for falling behind. He lived on public land under an agreement with the Interior Department, and when he died the agreement ended. The BLM filled the caves with dirt and lava rock.

What the plaque says

Idaho Hermits Living for more than 60 years in hand-built "dugouts" across the Salmon River from this site, Richard "Dugout Dick" Zimmerman (1916-2010) 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 Dicks death, the BLM reclaimed the dugouts, citing safety concerns. A cabin built by Dick remains on the site, which includes interpretive signs. The site can be accessed by crossing the one-lane bridge a short drive north of here by following the directional signage. 507 Text prepared by the Idaho Historical Society Marker made & installed by Idaho Transportation Department

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Sacajawea Interpretive, Cultural and Educational Center — 19 mi
  In the valley where she was born, a center that spells her name the way many of her people say it.

More markers nearby

• Lewis and Clark — 16 mi
• Fort Lemhi — 16 mi
• MacDonald's Battle — 17 mi
• Lewis and Clark — 17 mi