This presentation explores the life of George Z. Blackmon (1854-1936), one of the first black settlers to central Idaho. Blackmon was born into slavery in Kentucky in 1854. He first experienced freedom as an orphan at age 10. His dreams of freedom and community eventually brought him to the East Fork mining district in the White Cloud Mountains just north of Ketchum. But before arriving in Idaho, Blackmon worked as a steamboat “fireman” on the Mississippi River, learned to read in a Quaker household in Minneapolis, and gained professional experience mining in Helena, Montana, and Deadwood, South Dakota. But it was in the mountains of central Idaho where he finally settled.

This presentation poses the question, why did he choose central Idaho as his home? Through in-depth research of recently acquired collections at the Community Library, I argue that Blackmon believed this region, more than any other, would realize his dream of creating a community and thriving financially. However, neither of these dreams was realized. Blackmon was never able to build a thriving black community in the region and never profited from his mining ventures, even when he located profitable ore. Overall, this is a story about the dashed dreams of one of central Idaho’s most interesting early settlers.

Registration recommended to join us in person. To watch live online (no registration needed): https://vimeo.com/event/5839460. The recording will be available to watch later on The Community Library’s Event Archive.

Dr. Erik J. Freeman is an assistant professor of history at Idaho State University with a focus on the American West. At Idaho State, he regularly teaches classes on the American West, Nineteenth-Century America, and Idaho History. His first book, A Radical Convergence: Latter-day Saints and their Utopian Socialist Origins, will be published with the University of Illinois Press in December 2026.