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 On June 25, 1879, a fire erupted that destroyed the main building of the smelter. A new smelter was quickly constructed to replace the damaged one, but within a month, the reduction facility caught fire as well, leaving only the roaster and the sheds that housed them. According to legend, the fire began with an explosion, and the smelter building was soon engulfed in flames. The fire was eventually brought under control the following day. While the exact cause of the fire was initially unclear, some smelter workers coming off shift reported seeing two men in the area. The sheriff apprehended the men, and after questioning, they confessed to arson. They revealed that they had soaked a pile of wood with kerosene and set off a stick of dynamite. The two men had been fired for missing work. Before the sheriff could take further action, a local vigilante group took matters into their own hands. They dragged the two men down the road and placed them on the bed of a wagon, positioned beneath a large tree. The men pleaded for mercy, but their pleas were ignored. The foreman, declaring that the men had put others out of work, stated that they would be hanged for their actions. He then slapped the rear of the horse, causing the wagon to shift and sealing the men's fate. Following this event, attendance at the smelter was never an issue again. There was much debate in the town about whether the hangings were justified, with most agreeing that they were. Although Noah Armstrong, who was not present at the hangings, later wrote a memo declaring that no further executions would take place on company property and that law and order would prevail, I have yet to find a newspaper article confirming this version of events. If the story is untrue, it nonetheless contributes to a compelling piece of local lore. The plant was rebuilt and expanded at a cost of approximately $20,000, requiring 400,000 feet of lumber for its reconstruction. By 1885, the facility had grown to include three blast furnaces, two crushers, a large roaster, a blacksmith shop, a sack house, warehouses, an iron house, a stable, two powder houses, three coal sheds, an office, an assay office, a flume ditch, a sawmill, a tramway with cars, and five private homes. Armstrong and Dahler Sampling works 1874 (top) Original smelter built in 1875. It burned in 1879. (bottom) Photo Courtesy of glendalemontana.com Photo Courtesy of glendalemontana.com
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