P a g e 3 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r Marysville is located northwest of Helena, Montana’s capital. After gold was discovered in the silver creek valley, Marysville; a gold rush town was established at the slope of Mount Belmont. Marysville enjoyed being the principal mining center of Montana in the late 1800s. In its heyday, the city had about 4,000 inhabitants, and more than 14 gold mines were operational 24 hours a day. Like many Montana towns, Marysville has also become a semi-ghost town after the end of gold mining. We are going to look at Marysville, Montana’s gold mining history from its origin to the end of gold mining. Discovery of Gold in Marysville An Irish immigrant named Thomas Cruse is the founder of Marysville. Folklores remember him as a broke miner who stuck his luck and became the richest man in the town. The first discovery was in 1876 when he was searching for gold in Silver Creek Valley, north of the present town of Marysville. He followed the gold upstream and found a rich gold mine. Cruse gave it the name ‘Drumlummon Mine’ after his birth town in Ireland. Thousands of miners poured into the region after Tommy’s discovery, and a bustling town quickly formed. While the name’s origin is uncertain, it’s generally accepted that Tommy named it after Mary, the wife of a miner, and the first woman to arrive in town. By 1880, Tommy Cruse had amassed more than $140,000 from the gold venture. He made a substantial investment in the mine and developed various facilities to improve the mining experience. The first stamp mill was also constructed by him. In 1884, Cruse sold his claim to a British company for $150 million.
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