Ghost Towns and History April 12, 2020 Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter E M E R Y , M O N T A N A Placer gold in the Emery (Zosell) district was first discovered in Rocker Gulch in 1872 by H.L. Hoffman. Hoffman, George Boothroyd and a handful of others would continue to work the placers for the next 20 years. The yield was about $75,000 in gold. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz From The Benton Record Sept. 19, 1879 Accessed at www.chroniclingamerica.org Lode mining dates back to the late 1800s but discoveries may have been made even earlier than that. The story goes that Thomas Spring discovered a lode of very high-grade ore. He would mine just enough to take care of his daily living expenses. In 1872, a man named Sam Scott conned Thomas into revealing the hidden location of the goods. Others had also convinced Thomas that letting them develop the mine for half interest on the returns, would be a great deal. The secret stash would never be revealed though as Thomas died of a heart 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 attack out hunting grouse before he was able to give away the goose. The Hidden Hand would be the first lode mine to be claimed in the district. The chief producer of the district would end up being the Emery Mine named after W. C. Emery who relocated the score after John Renault’s initial discovery in 1888. The Bonanza Mine was first located by W.T. Zosell in 1895 and the camp of Zosell sprouted up soon afterward. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz The company town of Emery opened a post office in 1896. Local newspapers described Emery as keeping “well supported stores and an excellently appointed boarding house”. The production of lodes from 1891 to 1928 was valued at approximately $675,000 with 45% of that representing gold. To Get There: From Deer Lodge, turn east on Milwaukee Ave. Follow to Boulder Road and take a left. Turn right on Emery Road and stay on Emery Road for approx. 8 miles until you reach the town. Warren Park– Garnet, MT. Picnic and Play Among the Pines- Children once hopped on the wooden swings you can still see suspended from the tree limbs. Women in long dresses unpacked picnic dinners on tables shaded by fresh cut pine boughs. It's easy to imagine the park's founder, Edward Warren, taking in the festivities with an appreciative grin. The park proved more successful than his solitary mine a mile from Garnet. He missed company, but loved the natural beauty surrounding his cabin. His answer? He spent many months constructing the gentle trail and forest playground near his home as a gift to the community and an end to his loneliness. Scattered benches and swings provided leisurely rest stops for Garnet residents visiting Warren Park. Warren built a double swing from barrel staves and suspended it from a tree. Two people sat facing each other, with their feet on a platform. You can Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz see the remains of swings with poles instead of side ropes. The poles pivoted on hand-forged, iron links. Edward Brook Warren: 1840 to post-1917. Warren served in the Civil War but little else is known of his past before he took up mining here. He was kind to children, played Santa Claus in the 1917 school play and carried dried figs and wheat in his pockets- "a pioneer health addict," according to Garnet resident Helen Ritchey Smith (who died in 1986). Warren eventually retired to Long Beach, California. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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 Little Bear Schoolhouse An authentic one room school- Situated on Little Bear Creek the school was built in 1912 and served the community until 1950 when the students were combined with Wilson Creek School. Left Abandoned for many years the cows and little wildlife critters roamed freely in and out of the building. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz A group of people had a vision to move to school down to Gallatin Gateway on Hwy 191 for a museum. With the much appreciated donation of Tom Sabo for the building, The d'Rahm family for the land and the Huttinga family for moving the building, 1990 found the school in place. After many hours of cleaning, restoration and fundraising, the Museum opened to the public in 1998. Today the museum houses furnishings from the period including desks with inkwells, a large lunchbox collection, slates, blackboard, text and library books. You will see how students quenched their thirst from the water crock. The museum also has memorabilia from The Gallatin Gateway Inn, Salesville Bank and a poster display board with histories of early settlers and a display featuring WWII veterans from the area. Old Chico, Montana Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz In 1863 gold was discovered in the area of Chico, Montana. Mining began in the spring of 1864 where the miners worked in the area and lived in a settlement called Yellowstone City. In 1865, the city was abandoned due to harassment by Crow Indians. After Yellowstone City’s fall, a new settlement was built at Chico. This settlement was closer to Emigrant Gulch and the mining activity. The population in 1874 was 300. As time went on a school, general store, and boarding house were constructed. As the threats from the Crow Indians subsided houses were built further up Emigrant Gulch. The St. Julian mine opened in 1887. The majority of gold found in Chico was placer gold. Mining continued from 1901-1942. A 70 ton Bucyrus steam shovel worked the lower placer ground. A second shovel was added in 1912 and they continued mining this way until 1932. An electric dredge was build in 1940 by the Emigrant Mining Company. The dredge recovered 4,342 oz of gold until the mining was stopped by WWII. After the war mining resumed but was never profitable and stopped in 1946. Old Chico is a smaller ghost town near Yellowstone National Park and only 5 miles away from the popular Chico Hot Springs Resort. 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 In 1872, a party of six men were hunting in an area at the source of what was then known as Willow Creek, which was the early name given to present day Trapper Creek. As the story has been told for many years, some of their horses eluded the party and they set out on foot in search of finding rides. One of the men became tired during the search and sat down to rest. At his feet he noticed a sparkle in the bedrock and upon inspection, he was convinced that he had found ore riddled bedrock at the surface. The fall season was quickly becoming winter and the men agreed to return the following spring to investigate the area more thoroughly. Courtesy of www.glendalemt.com From The Moore Independent Newspaper, March 13, 1930 Would you like to receive our digital quarterly magazine for free? Just send an email with MAGAZINE in the subject to ghosttownsofmontana@gmail.com On the 9th of July, 1873, P.J. Grotevant was the first to record a claim in what became known as the Bryant Mining District. His claim was named the Forest Queen and he also staked claim to the Lady Elgin on the same day. In less than a month, P.J. and his partners, J.A. Bryant, D.R. Parker, Joe McCreary, Noah Sanborn and Charles DeLovimur, staked claim to the Rocky Mountain Trapper Lode on August 6, 1873. By this time the placer mining of free gold in Beaverhead County, had become part of the past and miners were adapting new methods needed for hard rock mining. Areas such as the Vipond District were already producing ore by this time.– Contributed by our friends at www.glendalemt.com A HOMEMADE LINIMENT: Rubitin, 1 bottle; one egg; strong vinegar; enough to make half a pint; mix well. This simple home remedy is superior to any other liniment on the market for rheumatism, neuralgia, strains and bruises. For man or beast. Buy the Rubitin of Beckstead Drug Co. -The Havre Herald, Sept. 27, 1907
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