A brief History of Owyhee County Communities Owyhee County was populated with many boomtowns in its early days. Today only six remain: Homedale (the largest) Marsing, Murphy (the County Seat) Silver City (the oldest), Grand View, and Bruneau. Many others have fallen into disuse including Reynolds Creek, Wilson, Claytonia, Oreana, Riddle, Grasmere and many others.