P a g e 4 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 The Green Campbell Mine -Silver Star, Montana Considered to be one of the first and most prosperous mines in Montana during its tenure, the Green Campbell Mine stands abandoned as a relic to the state’s rich mining history. In 1866, a prospector named Green Campbell discovered gold on a hillside just outside of what is today the town of Silver Star, Montana. Campbell would quickly patent his new mining claim, becoming the first entry in the Montana Book of Patent Records. The mine was the first in the area and became known as the “Green Campbell Mine.” Because he had no interest or experience as a mine developer, Campbell quickly sold his mining claim to two investors from Ohio, named Salisbury and Everett. They officially commenced operations a year later. Although the site was primarily used to mine gold, it also produced silver, copper, and quartz, as well. By 1870, in fact, the Green Campbell Mine was considered the most valuable quartz mine in the county and prompted the introduction of other mines in the immediate area, including the Broadway, Hudson, and Iron Rod Mines. Throughout its lifetime, the Green Campbell Mine would see many different owners with a lot of varying success. The mine exchanged hands so many times that nailing down every past owner is almost impossible. By 1877, the mine was struggling to stay open. A new company, the William Morris & Co. of Virginia City purchased the mine and immediately went about updating and removing the problem areas in the mine, to include outfitting it with a new mill and pumps to adequately keep water out of the mine’s underground sections. By 1903, the Photo by @exploringwithesch Photo by @exploringwithesch mine had produced over $250,000 in profit and was purchased by a new set of owners from Connecticut, known as the Green Campbell Consolidated Gold Mining Company. Unfortunately by 1907, things were not going well for the company. A June 1907 issue of Mining World was quoted as saying, “The Green Campbell Consolidated Gold Mining Company which has been struggling against adversity is about to go out of existence.” The company had apparently put a lot of money into building a new mill to process the ore from the mine, but the mill was receiving an inadequate amount of water to run properly. The cost of constructing the mill had already crippled the company, but with the mill seemingly inoperable, the company was completely sunk. Things remained quiet at the mine until 1937, when a man named Walter Giebel created the “Green Campbell Mining Company” and purchased the property. Unlike its predecessor, Giebel’s
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