I lived and worked in the Idaho Primitive Area near Corn Creek (now the Frank Church Wilderness) in the late 1960s. I was a young man building/maintaining pack trails in the primitive area and that's where I met Elmer Kieth, Buckskin Bill, and Dugout Dick. Dugout Dick was introduced to me as Dick Zimmerman and I don't recall that he was called "Dugout Dick" back then, but he could sure talk yer ears off LOL. In those days there were many self-reliant people like him who lived off the land near the Salmon River. They lived on old patented mining claims, homesteads, or like Dugout Dick just squatted on gov't land and they were collectively referred to as "River People, or River Folks." I performed odd jobs requiring a strong back for many of the elderly river folks in exchange for meals, learning the old ways, and stories. I'm 74 years old now and those were exciting and wonderful times for me... 😊
Charlie, sounds to me like you have your own book to write - thanks for adding to the Dugout Dick story! Also sounds like you and SamRock might be old acquaintances? Nice.
Richard is my great-uncle. I appreciate this video, and the kind comments from all of the people who called him a friend. Thank you, again, for the video.
Good-bye ol' friend. I stayed with Dugout Dick in 2007 as I was backpacking my 3-year journey across America twice all on foot; over 8,000 miles. Dick offered me a place to stay, and I shared many a conversation over my week plus stay of growing winter. I even stayed in the 'haunted' room. There was a bed there then. I didn't see any hauntings, but there were a few different people that welcomed me in. They were all kind, and even took me to copper cave where the floor was a huge slab of copper, beautiful. Winter got worse and I had the Sawtooth Mountains ahead of me, so eventually I hiked on, but it was an honor to share memories, food and conversation. I do recall how extremely soot covered were the walls and complete cave Dick lived in, to the point of all being a deep black like a coal miner. The front windows were windows from old vehicles and Dick was nearly always hungry for sharing conversation. I am Jesse WhiteCrow of WhiteCrow Walking and that's how I came to know the cabins and caves of Dugout Dick. I do remember that he was kind, and that is a great memory to have about someone. I finished my epic walk in 2008 on Neah Bay. It was the journey of my lifetime, and a blessing every day I lived it.
I met him once when I lived up in the mountains by Stanley . I got to see all the caves when they were being occupied . He was very interesting. Very kind . God bless his soul
@@LogCabinChronicles Start at 7:48 /8:00 , keep your eye on the roof just left of the window . See the black shape move into and out of view . I think you might have stirred up a big cat .
It makes me sad that this man's life works were simply thoughtlessly destroyed by Government burocracy. He sounds like quite the character. They could have made this into a museum. You are doing a service by sharing this. Thank you.
My Mom grew up in the Pahsimeroi Valley and we stopped by and visited Dick back in the early 70's. He was the nicest man, played us a song with his guitar and harmonica and let my brother and I ride his goats. He had all kinds of stories and told us how he built his cabins and where all the materials came from. He kept his food in one of the caves he dug and it was so cold that even in July there was ice on the floor. I'll never forget that visit and I'm pretty sure my mom has pictures of my brother and I sitting on his goats...lol! Thanks for the trip down memory land.
Wow…. Thanks for sharing your experience. I thought the only thing missing from the video was that “personal” feeling. Reading your story made it all hit home. Thank you.
Hi Scott, I was also raised in Pahsimeroi Our place was on Deuton Lane . My Grandfather Had a place on Iron creek and he would stop and visit Dick in the 1960, Best Regards Melvin Powers
i was saying it looks like polygonal masonary architecture from an ancient civilization!!!! not to take away from Dicks work he did! but that’s also intriguing how you say he had a room that would stay cold!! this is unreal it has to be an old site!! check out mystery history channel and look at the examples of polygonal masonary!!! i’m sure of it!
My grandparents built their own house near Bailey Colorado during the depression. They grew up in a time were people did most things for themselves. I hope we can get back to those days. When people talk about American ingenuity and grit it was from floks like Dick and my grandparents. Thank you very much for sharing this.
My uncle served in the Pacific during ww2. He survived it's terrors came home and never spoke of the horrors he witnessed. Years later I served on one of those islands from WW2. Great program thank you.
I was blessed to meet Dick in 1975 when I was 22. Our family traveled every August from Fairchild AFB in Spokane, to Ketchum, Idaho to visit grandparents, friends and relatives starting about 1955 I best recall. The old highway hugged the beautiful Salmon River which was so thick with spawning salmon you could cross the river walking on their backs. My brothers and sisters and I would get all excited after passing the town of Salmon headed south as signs began to appear inviting us to visit the 'Ice Caves'. Of course that would never occur as the folks were on an express mission to get back to their old home and families. Long story short I grew up, married and continued the tradition except I did stop and met Dick. I paid a few dollars for a short tour and story, sampled his goat jerky and discovered he knew my great uncle and aunt Elmer and Lilly Fry who had a homestead downriver. Dick was very nice, kind and friendly. I'm 68 now but reminisce with my younger sister how we all longed to stop in and how happy I am that I took the time to do so. Thanks for bringing back to my mind happy memories from the past.
Dugout Dick was a friend of mine. We met him in 1991. We worked at Twin Peaks Guest Ranch just up the hill from him, and would take the "dudes" down to see his caves as he preferred to call them. He charged $1 per head for the tour, and $1 more if you wanted to take pictures of him. He was proud of being "The Salmon River Caveman". He was a gold prospector that never really found much, but when he gave up on a tunnel, (All hand dug) he would wall up the front, mainly with old car parts, and rent it out for $10 per month. As you can imagine, there was some very strange people living there at times....some were wanted by the law and more than once arrests were made. Dick was a great guy. Very friendly and easy going. I never heard him say anything against anyone. He just wanted to live out his life in peace. At times though the conversation would turn strange when he started talking about Bonnie. His dead girl friend who was murdered in a spud cellar in Southern Idaho. His guitar playing was always a hit. The "Crawdad song" was one of his favorites. I can still hear him now....."Whacha gunna do when the lake go's dry honey? Whatcha guuna do when the lake go's dry Baby" ....sit on the bank and watch the crawdads die, honey, baby of mine".....I had him write out the words for me, and I still have it. I wish now that he had signed it. It's a terrible shame that "Our Government" went in and destroyed his life's work. (He had been digging there since 1948) Back then there was a dozen or more "caves". One of the guests at the dude ranch asked him once, "What will they do with this after you die?" Dick replied " Tear it all down I suppose.......but I decided against it, I'm not going to die." If I recall, he was around 90 years old when he did, he almost kept his promise. I miss him. Thank you for doing this video. You did a good job, it brought back good memories.
At 6:22 that little structure you found, was his drying room. He had screens in there like shelves that he dried fruit on. Mostly apples and apricots. He had a car door built into the wall so he could roll down the window for ventilation. He had a big garden down there and used to sell asparagus in town......until Folks found out his secret fertilizer was what he dug out of his outhouse each Spring! That cave/house that is left, is not the one he lived in when we knew him. His was higher on the hill and was torn down. That stove in the one you showed, someone stole the stove lids off of it. He had frying pans on top of the holes. It took me awhile, but I found all of the right size lids at Ack's Auction House in Salmon and gave them to him. The refrigerator was a cupboard....he used them because they were mouse proof. He didn't want to be in that nursing home and said he was going to escape. I'm glad he made it! Man, I could tell you a lot of stories about Dick.......he was a good friend.
I stumbled across this back in the early 90's & spent the best part of the day hanging out with Dick, once you got him started he had more stories than you could poke a stick at. Two of the caves were occupied at that time & the deepest one went way back to an opening. Too bad they didn't burry him in his meadow, that was home to him.
He loved that place. I was upset when his family took him away from there. I thought it would have been more fitting to lay him on his bed and seal the entrance to his cave. He would have liked that.
There is no freedom like this anymore! I had friends in Colorado in the 80s that squatted in the mountains. Now everything is illegal. Great story! You told it well. Thank You.
@Gabe I did a quick google search. Nothing heavy. But google says the max you can stay is two weeks. I tend to believe that. The government is not going to let you squat on land that you haven’t paid for. For free !!!! I don’t think so. And pay no tax. I don’t think so. Now. Maybe someday the way things are going. Yea. Maybe. But not yet. If you want to live like that. You must do it secretly. Very secretly
This man was a legend, his passing along with some others, marks the end of an age now long gone. The government does not tolerate independent people nowadays, it's all about control.
Nope. The government does not tolerate people who decide independently to live on the governments land. Would you like it if you owned some property and squatters just decided that they wanted to live there so they built their homes off the side of your mountain? It doesn't matter Who owns the land...you don't take what's not yours.
@@masonstone4062 Even if you disagree with me, doesn't change the fact that the government owns that land, whether they paid money for it or not. If you don't like it you can leave the country. The government needs to protect a lot of the land that is not being used from people who will just destroy it and our landscapes and areas for us to recreate will be gone.
I do remember Dugout Dick. I can’t remember the exact year, but bit more than 40 years ago, my friend Chris and I were on a cross country trip when we aimlessly passed through Salmon, Idaho. I vaguely remember a sign with Dugout Dick’s handwritten scrawl inviting passers by come and visit. We were tired, but intrigued, so we stopped. There was a fee involved, but I can’t recall how much. $5.00 per head, maybe? If Dugout Dick was born in 1916, he would have been mid 60s then. To me he looked much older, but I was only in my mid 30s. I look much older now. I can’t imagine what I must look like to thirty something’s, sigh. I recall that this man was extremely engaging. I can’t speak for my friend, but I was truly fascinated. I don’t remember much about the cabins, but I do remember the dugouts, especially one that went quite a way into the hillside. At the end, the ground stayed frozen all year so he used this for cold storage. He had excavated a number of dugouts that he would rent out to down and out folks for $25/ month. When he noticed I had a camera with me, he informed me photographs would cost 50 cents. Not sure whether it was each or in total. I do remember he was really a nice old guy and he loved to talk - mostly about his dugouts and everything he had created. I also recall a structure built completely out of old car and truck windshields. He used this as a hothouse to dry fruit that he grew on the property. Rest In Peace, Dugout Dick.
Thank you for this video. I read about this man and have lived over in Western Idaho off and on since 78. I read that the BLM had blown up the dugouts after Dick's death and thought the cabin was gone too. Glad to see it still stands.
@@godddamnit5868 While you are exactly correct about that domestic terrorist group, I believe the BLM in this instance is the Bureau of Land Management.
This is one of the best videos I have seen in some time. What an amazing and unique man. He displayed a wide range of talents and was truly resourceful. Few like him these days for sure. Thanks very much and best wishes.
Anywhere else in the world and a man like Dugout Dick would be considered a holy man. Living free of constraints, walking the solitary path and taking what Mother Nature and the Universe gives and takes away. Not a penny to your name, and always kind and willing to help others, and a keeper of stories, songs and tales from the past and still talked about, loved and revered years after his passing. Yup. Sounds like a holy man to me too.
I worked on the Salmon National Forest, Cobalt District for several years in the late 80's. I never heard of this guy strangely enough. There were places like this up and down Panther creek all having some pretty interesting histories. I have fond memories of the Panther Creek Inn which was run by Mom and Joy. Wednesday was always fish fry night- all you can eat. I worked with a man named Bill Hickey. A great guy and a pleasure to be with. Anyway, those were good times.
Thank you for posting this. It is a wonderful story of a wonderland man. He really loves a great life n I wish I could have met him. He must have been very interesting to listen to n learn from. He must have been full of so many important stories about life in his past. Wow !!! May he rest in peace.
I grew up in Salmon, Id, just up the highway from here. And used to go up to the hot springs nearby at Goldbug as a child. Up in North Idaho now, but many good memories of this area!
Used to visit my dad in Salmon just up the road from Elk Bend in the late 80's early 90's and everyone in town then knew about this guy....They would all tell me stories about him....They say every now and then he would pop into town for some type of supplies ...As you travel along the river you can see the place on the other side...
Dick Zimmerman was a weirdo! And I truly admire a weirdo that everyone likes. He is actually one of my heroes. Destroying all of his work is a crime. God Bless You Dick Zimmerman!
In my time growing up in idaho I've heard a few storied about different hermits living in caves and burrows. There is (or was) a hermit in Idaho Falls who dug out a big burrow in a barrow ditch just outside of town.
Worked in Stanley and always made weekend trips over to the "dugouts" to hang out and have jam sessions with Dick on the guitar. Idaho born and bred, too bad the secret is out. Goodbye private Idaho.
@@moviemania1137 true about Wyoming, but the western edge next to Idaho is mild enough they have poured in there. My friend lives in Star Valley Ranch. It's sad!
Just to say I love these old stories and the people who lived it, back to nature he was aware of his surroundings, that he never abused to his advantage, only took what he needed, we had 2 similar guys living in around our area, in comeragh mountains county waterford IRELAND [EIRE], One was crotty the Robber, the other was lackendarra, both lived in cave, crotty the robber was hung in Waterford city, his wife would not surrender to the law, and committed suicide in the lake, now known as crotty lake, gold has been found at the lake area, coins also, interesting heritage ye have there, it is nice to hear about it thank you, michael IRELAND [EIRE]
This man was a friend of my grandparents. We visited several times throughout our years going to our ranch in the Frank Church. Thank you for highlighting this true gentleman. His memories will always be cherished. 🥰
I knew him growing up he used to say bank robbers lived with him up there. He drove to town once a week on the highway and he only drove 20 moles per hour and it was not good to get stuck behind him. You could see him wearing his hard hat driving in and he wore it everywhere he went in town. Ya he was really cool.
@@LogCabinChronicles true, he would drive about 20 miles per hour or less...haha I think he might have drove a little pickup for a while, like a chevy s-10 possibly. But I also remember he used to ride an old bicycle before he resorted to driving. Definitely a local legend of some sort back in the day.
Yes Sir! It was terrible to get stuck driving behind Dick....and I don't drive fast! I think he ran over every mile post marker along the way too! Ha! I do miss him!!
❤🇺🇸🫡Thank you! And Bobby…very interesting back story enjoyed hearing about it. Thank you for all you do for the Veterans. You are appreciated for your restoration of the graves and your service as a peace keeper too! 💙
They had to destroy them cause they were unsafe and built with scrap materials and stacked rocks. Local kids turned it into a party spot and they were worried it was a matter of time before someone got hurt .
Pretty cool story. As a teen in the country,down in PA. There were alot of old abandoned farm houses,with,weeds grown up all around,and,roofs caved in. My cousins and I would walk for miles in the summer,looking through them.
Very interesting story 😙. I wonder what his W.W. 11 buddies would have said about him when he served.🤔. I also wander how old he was leaving Michigan and when he took up guitar and harmonica 🤔. Thanks for his life's story✌️
Have you ever heard of Pete the Hermit in Sussex County, NJ? For many years, people found his name carved in tree trunks on Penny Rock Mountain. No one ever really saw him until a bunch of us kids, circa mid 1960s, caught sight of him sitting on a very smooth downed log, the odor of his cherry pipe tobacco drawing us to his location. He merely stood up and disappeared into the thickly treed area. His name was carved several times into the darkly smooth log. Yes, we were scared until my cousin suggested we carve our names on the log and we quickly got to that task. It wasn't until several years later that I found out who he was and why he ghosted the woods instead of embracing society. I think I was the only one of us kids who had the privilege to meet him in person once again before my family moved away. His name was Pete DeF****, lived in a house with a stream running thru it and a real live tree growing in the living room. He had a sad story to tell about how he had rather roam thru the woods with his deer pets as friends than accompany the social trappings in town.
Thanks for the history. That was interesting. I had an uncle that came home from WWII and did something very similar in Wyoming where I'm from. He lived up on the family homestead in a cabin that was miles away from the main ranch and when he got older they moved the cabin off the homestead down to the main ranch where he lived till he passed. Never married but didn't want to be around a bunch of people.
I can’t blame him for coming back after being in a nursing home. That place can definitely be upgraded, because it seems like it has decent bones. And I wonder if this is bear country, if so, it seems secure enough to live there.
This Gentleman Was & is an Idaho & National Treasure! It sickens me that his life works we’re in part destroyed! He gave so very much in his most special way. Many years ago A Mountain of a Man would stop & visit & stay w/him. To this day I possess A Dixie Plug Cut Tobacco Can from one of his caves given to this well know man.Blessings to both of you taken to soon from us precious Hero’s of IDAHO 🦅
Cool Video 👍 wife and I stopped in the little tiny town of Clayton’ ID last summer. The little museum was open. We talked with a nice old man in his early 80s that was the volunteer helped run the museum. He grew up around Salmon/Challis’ area his whole life. His Dad was miner/Logger all over that region -And he remembered Dugout Dick well growing up. I asked him if his dad ever knew Earl Parrot’ the Hermit of impassable canyon that lived on remote ledge above the middle fork. He said his father had met him few times as he rarely came into the town/Salmon ID for supplies. Parrot’ died around 1943 and is buried in Salmon ID cemetery🇺🇸
Cabins and 50 years of a man's life to build a dream to help yourself and others live independently. Then the man dies and his legacy is dynomited. No respect. This could have been a legacy and a resource for the homeless. Instead a blown up relic of days passed when people realized war is not the answer to peace. Peace, serenity and self sufficiently in the wide open spaces is still perferred to those that know the difference to the projects in urban areas. Dug out had a good idea that worked for him and others for many years. Too bad we humans have to tear down and demolish anything we dont understand. Thanks for sharing this story while on your travels !
More like the government has to keep their cattle contained and deter them from getting any ideas. We need to pay taxes so we can support the parasites 😒
The story I read said that he finally walked away at 94 to go to the nursing home where he soon died. And whoever wrote the article I read had a whole different take on the girlfriend, too. Thank you so much for showing the small piece that still remains AND for the footage that I didn't know existed. 👍
I work at the local market, & remember Dick sittin on the bench by the door, or over in the deli eatin an ice cream cone… I’d smile watching him enjoy his ice cream..
If you’d have slid that old cabinet to the left you’d have found the other two rooms and a small storage room used for canned goods. Excellent video. Please leave the cabin in tact and better than you found it! Goodbye Zim
Enjoyed hearing about this veteran. I'm glad he got to live his life like he wanted to... free. Shame they didn't bury him on the property there, bc he connected with it so deeply. 🇺🇸
I love this story he's probably the last one to touch the letter and put it there and that's what's good about exploring. I also like exploring it's a lot more difficult with one leg but I still do it
Amazing he was a great ambitious man..that's so cool.. especially as he got older..I'm cripple but when I was younger I loved this stuff and still do.. I feel almost like church when I'm in a good old growth wood
Thank you for sharing this video. What a fascinating story and man. Have you found any people that stayed at Dick’s place back in the day? That sure would be an amazing part 2 to this video.
Dang, sorry to have missed this from my trips to ID...of course, absolutely interested in hermits. Recently read of the hermit of Maine lake, occasionally breaking into cabins to survive. Thanks for sharing!
I picked up an old man on my way to Salmon in the early 80s. It was mid winter and the roads were hard packed. He would sit in the road so you had to stop. Dropped him off in Salmon. I think he lived in an ice cave.
I lived in a log cabin just passed dugouts place walk by his house every day to go to school super nice guy got to go in all the caves he had a cave that was so deep it was like his freezer he had a sunroom where he’d make his own sun-dried tomatoes and banana chips is a great guy got a few goats from him
Anyone born in the 80ies wouldn't be able to live like dick did my father-in-law loved in the bank of a creek bed in north Dakota with a grass roof and would walk to town to sell chickens some 13 miles these where some tough ole people they mostly wore silk or wool clothing. Thanks for sharing dicks story.
The Federal Government didn't own that land (in truth they own nothing), the people own that land . Mr Zimmerman just used his share for a while. He was a free man.I wish I could have had the honor of meeting him.
great video thanks. I worked along the salmon river fighting fires 98-2015 and dugout dick was a famous personality in that area. neat to hear the story better and to see video...
im born and raised in utah which is really close to this and i can’t believe i have never heard of him or this property! I plan on driving up there to see it this summer! Thanks for the video.
I was taking the scenic river road on a trip in the late 80’s and saw this place. We decided to check it out and met Dick. According to him he was mining for silver in the mountain and each area that he dug would get turned into a cave cabin. It’s a natural ice mountain which is why he could use it for refrigeration with no electric. He had dirt filled tire cabins with sod roofs in the meadow and would rent those and the caves for around $25 a month. Dick definitely had quite the story and we loved visiting with him.
