DECEMBER 2022 Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter From the Choteau Acantha, Dec. 25, 1924 Granite Walking Tour Granite has been known as the "Silver Queen," "Silver Queen of the West," "City Without Nights," and "City in the Sky." Whatever it is called, it is still a town that attracts visitors from all over the world and is a very special place for all the people living in Philipsburg. As an aside to the history of Granite, Philipsburg was named for Philip Deidesheimer, the first superintendent of the St. Louis Montana Gold and Silver Mining Company, later known as the Philipsburg Mining Company. The settlement was first called Camp Creek, for the stream that meandered through town and furnished water for residents. Philipsburg was not incorporated until 1890, but in 1887 it had a population of 1,500 and was the trade center for 8,000 people. The oldest school building still in use in the state is the imposing brick edifice constructed in 1895 to serve grades one through twelve. At Granite, you are 8,000 feet above sea level ‐ Philipsburg is 5,280 feet. Granite is perched on a mountain where only 3,000 people lived in 1890. Another 2,000 people probably lived in the area nearby. In 1878 a claim was located on GranPhoto by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Accessed via: https://montananewspapers.org ite Mountain and in 1881 tunneling was begun into the mountain itself. Granite Mountain became the greatest silver bonanza in the world at that time. Two mines, the Bi‐Metallic ‐ you can see the hoist on your right ‐ and
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