Bernard's Ferry

Bernard's Ferry is a historic site located on the Snake River north of Murphy off State Highway 78 in Owyhee County, Idaho.

Bernard's Ferry
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Bernard's Ferry barn
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Location	North of Murphy, Idaho off State Highway 78
Coordinates	43°23′5″N 116°39′49″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1884
NRHP reference No.	78001090[1]
Added to NRHP	May 22, 1978

J.C. Bernard began operating a ferry at the site in 1884. He opened a road, utilizing the ferry, between mining town of Silver City and the Oregon Short Line railhead at Caldwell. A hotel and horse barn at this site were built to serve the stagecoach and freight lines which used the road and ferry. Bernard's ventures were successful until a bridge was built at Walter's Ferry in 1920.[2]

The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The listing includes three contributing buildings, one contributing structure, and one contributing site.[1] The buildings are a horse barn, an octagonal silo, and two outbuildings which are simple gabled stone and frame structures. The barn, a "good late nineteenth century horse barn" was deemed to be "one of the finer stylistic examples of its period in Idaho with its octagonal cupola, gable returns, and diamond windows."[2]