P a g e 2 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 Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz The Wells Hotel would see its first wedding in the fall of 1898. John and Winifred’s oldest daughter, Winnie Josephina married Andrew Ryan, a local miner. This would serve as Garnet’s first wedding as well. The hotel would also host its share of dances including the Grand Masquerade and the Hard Times Ball. One popular event was known as The Calico Ball. Each lady who would like to attend (The Calico) would make a calico necktie that matched the dress she would be wearing to the ball that evening. The neckties were placed in sealed envelopes. When the gentlemen arrived, each would choose an envelope and put the tie on, then he would search for his sweetheart with the matching dress. They would dance the night away and enjoy a supper following the ball. Women would gather in the ladies’ parlor to share secrets. Two stoves kept the downstairs toasty while the heat would rise to warm the rooms above. For those miners who couldn’t afford accommodations, the third floor was available to lay out a bed roll with dividers on the floor to separate sleeping spaces. Sky lights allowed the men to wish upon a star for the next big strike. Guests would come and go but after a couple years the Wells would lease the building to Thomas Kilpatrick who was a former conductor for the Northern Pacific Railway. He would move his family in and make a home. Due to ill health the Wells would later sell to Charles Blaisdell and Charles Judson who in turn would sell it to Frank Davey who had also purchased their general store. John would move on to Deer Lodge where he bought a house and worked as a guard at the state prison. He suffered from Bright’s Disease and passed away in 1907. Winifred would hold out a bit longer in Garnet staying until 1910 when she moved to Drummond to live with her daughter Edna. She passed away in 1916. Meanwhile, Davey would rename the hotel after himself. When the hotel closed in the 1930s, Davey took up residence in the kitchen and still offered a room or two to an occasional guest but, the hotel lost its elaborate charm as mushrooms grew out of the still-made beds in unkept rooms. When Davey passed on in 1947, the hotel would now be host to an auction to sell her wares. The famed hotel then sat empty with only memories of finer days. Weather and vandals both took their toll on the old gal, but her dignity would be saved when Garnet became a state park, and she is once again able to open her doors to visitors from all around. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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