 In its early years, Burke was home to the Hercules silver mine, the owners of which were implicated in the Idaho mining wars of 1899.Both the Hecla and Star mines also operated out of Burke, and the town was a significant site during the 1892 Coeur d'Alene labor strike.Burke's location within the narrow Burke Canyon resulted in unique architectural features, such as a hotel built above the railway and Canyon Creek, with the train track running through a portion of the hotel lobby.