Idaho is full of ghost towns that preserve the state's history and the nation's history and few are as storied as Custer, Idaho.WATCH: Custer, Idaho preserves gold rush history, including the legend of Lizzy King, a powerful wo man whose mysterious death still fascinates visitors. nside Custer, Idaho: Gold rush history and the legend of Lizzie KingTucked in a narrow valley near where the Challis and Sawtooth National Forests meet, Custer is one of Idaho's most significant ghost towns. For Custer Historical Site Manager Diane Davidson, the connection to this place is deeply personal."This right there is my great-great grandfather, John S. Ramey, and we now have seven generations visiting Custer," Davidson said.Museum Coordinator Teresa Durfee said it all began with a gold discovery in 1878."In 1878 there were three men who were coming along the top and they found a mother load. Benefactors bought the mine and they divided the ground so they could sell it up in plots and everything was ready for the people to come...and many people did come," Durfee said.From that point, Custer grew rapidly first as a tent city of around 300 people, then through major investment. By 1900, nearly 5,000 people crowded the mine."90% to 95% of those people were single young men that were here for the mine," Durfee said.But Davidson said one of the most famous and influential residents wasn't a man. She was a British-born woman named Lizzie King, who had left her first husband and two daughters behind to start a new life in America on her own."By the time she got here she was... madame material," Davidson said.After obtaining land following the death of her second husband, who was shot in a business deal gone bad, King opened a dance hall and that's where her legacy took off."She was involved with three different men when she was here... but you have to remember 100 men to one woman she was wealthy, she was beautiful, owned half the town... who wouldn't want to support your gold claim," Davidson said.King eventually chose one of those men to marry for a third time. But only 6 days after her wedding, Lizzie and her new husband were found dead a case that remains a mystery to this day."She was putting her bonnet on and he turned and shot her, then shot himself," Davidson said.At the time of her death, Lizzie was one of the most powerful people in the Idaho Territory."When she passed away, her probate was 163 pages long because of all the properties she owned and things in her house....and there are two prominent figures that signed that probate: and one is Mr. George Shoup and he was our very first governor," Davidson said.The Custer site is accessible year-round for self-guided exploration. Guided tours, museums, and restored buildings typically operate from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less