Ghost Towns and History November 8, 2019 Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter B a r k e r & H u g h e s v i l l e , M o n t a n a From the Melstone Messenger Newspaper Nov. 21, 1929 These two camps located along Galena Creek in the Little Belt Mountains once held as many as 500 people. Two men who discovered silver in the area each had camps named after them; E.A. "Buck" Barker and Patrick Hughes. Numerous mines were producing when the railroad expanded a branch line to Barker. But, both towns would take a near fatal hit from the Silver Panic of 1893. Mining would continue sporadically for several years. The Block P Mine was worked until 1943 and considered Montana's greatest lead mine after 1929. A couple of residents still remain among the scattered remnants of the past... Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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 Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Vananda, Montana got its start in the early 1900s as a stop on the Milwaukee Railroad. The town boasted 300 people by 1910. The arid terrain and drought conditions of the 1920s made it difficult to successfully farm. As people moved on, the town would begin to dwindle. The bank closed in 1923 while the post office held on until 1959. The railroad through the area was abandoned in 1980. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz The Broadway, a gold-bearing vein located in the Silver Star District, was discovered in the late 1860s. By 1881 the mine had produced half a million dollars while mining down less than 200 feet. The Broadway Gold Mining Company, Ltd. of London bought the property and built a forty stamp mill on the banks of the Jefferson River. A two mile tramway delivered the ore to the mill from the mine. This extraction process would prove to be a failure and the mill shut down. The mine would open up again under the watchful eye of one of its original owners, F.R. Merk. During its run the mine was credited with production of over a million dollars. Subscribe to our Magazine for just $12 a year! Do you enjoy ghost town stories and photos? Grab yourself a print subscription to our magazine, Ghost Towns of Montana and Beyond! We publish quarterly and feature not just Montana but several other states as well! Also makes a great gift! Visit the following link to order via PayPal: https:// www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_sxclick&hosted_button_id=GHCYS7MES5K9S Or, send check or money order in the amount of $12 to Ghost Towns and History of Montana, LLC, P.O. Box 126, Warm Springs, MT 59756 Be sure to write MAGAZINE on your check. Thank you! The Ekalaka Eagle, Nov. 21, 1913
G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y P a g e 3 Victory Mining Camp Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz The Victory mine, located two miles above Ophir on the west side of Ophir Creek, was discovered in 1900 and developed beginning in 1906. The mine was active until 1912 when work was halted due to excessive ground water. The gold-silver ore, quartz with pyrite and chalcopyrite, was valued as high as $40 to $100 per ton. Some of the ore was shipped, but some was worked at the mill at the site. The waste dump of the mine and the mill tailings were later reworked using the cyanide process. All told, the mine is reported to have produced $40,000 by 1912. Garnet, Montana- Tragedy marked the early years of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Adams in one of Garnet's more comfortable family homes built in the late 1800s. First, a newborn son died Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz in a Missoula hospital. Mrs. Adams then delivered a baby girl at home in 1909 and saved her from a living room fire a few months later, only to lose her to illness at the age of 3. In an era before antibiotics and the polio vaccine, many children died. Mary Jane, born in 1917, lived here until 1927 when her family moved to Missoula. Mary Jane's memories of Garnet have helped to bring this ghost town alive for everyone who visits today. - Courtesy of Garnet Ghost Town. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Please be sure to share this newsletter with a friend!
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 The Pantry Shelf PORK ROAST WITH SWEET POTATOES Score in squares a 6 -pound pork roast, baste frequently until nearly done. Then place sweet potatoes around the roast. The potatoes should be boiled until nearly done before placing in the roasting pan. Sprinkle over them a small handful of brown sugar and salt to taste. Brown nicely and baste frequently while cooking. Mrs. Nina Black, Jefferson Island. HEALTH SALAD Dissolve a package of lemon jello in 1 cup boiling water and add 1 cup of juice from a can of crushed pineapple. Then add 1 cup crushed pineapple, 1 cup raw grated carrot, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon vinegar. Mold and serve on lettuce with salad dressing. Mrs. Cleve Hotz, Malta. CRANBERRY SHERBET 1 pint cranberries 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon gelatin 4 cups water 2 egg whites 1 teaspoon lemon juice Cook cranberries in 2 cups water, put through sieve, add sugar while hot, then gelatin which has been dissolved in a cup water, then put in the rest of the water. Let freeze until mushy. Beat the whites of eggs and beat up together; then freeze again. Mrs. C. B. Bull, Wolf Point. - The Sanders County Independent Newspaper (Thompson Falls), April 30, 1941 Accessed at: montananewspapers.org Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz The Elliston mining district is about 20 miles west of Helena and south of the Little Blackfoot River. It includes the town of Elliston which is the first town on the Northern Pacific Railroad west of the Continental Divide. The mining district includes the town of Elliston but is generally south of the river in mountainous, heavily-forested terrain. Early reports on the district described about 15 productive mines, most of which were from five to 11 miles south of the town. The Elliston district began as a placer operation along the Little Blackfoot River during the 1860s, but the gold deposits were poor and little production occurred. It was not until the 1890s, when lode mining was developed south of town, that the district began to produce significant amounts of ore. Most of the production from the lode mining occurred between 1890 and 1908, at which point the total production was estimated at $2,750,000. Other important industries of the district included woodcutting and mining limestone. - Montana DEQ Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz The Madisonian, Jan. 1, 1886
1 Publizr