In 1879, copper was discovered in the White Knob Mountains near current day Mackay, Idaho.

[2] The electric railway of the White Knob Copper Co. and subsequently an aerial cable tramway were used to transport the ore from White Knob to the smelter at the railway station in Mackay.

The mine closed in 1928 prompting the decline of the town as more residents were living in Mackay.

[3] White Knob is listed as a ghost town on the National Historical Register.

[4] The extensive site is currently owned by the Bureau of Land Management, private individuals, mining interests, and the Salmon-Challis National Forest.