Ghost Towns and History May 3, 2020 Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter G I L T E D G E , M O N T A N A This town’s start began in 1880 with placer mining. Not long after, lode mining in the Judith Mountains began. The big boost however, came in 1893 when Ammon-Stivers Mining Company out of Great Falls bought the mines and rebuilt the crude cyanide plant that previous operators had erected. The new cyanide plant was the first in the U.S. to use the cyanide leeching process in gold mining. Workers and their families established the camp. From The Belt Mountain Miner June 15, 1892 Accessed at www.montananewspapers.org Despite the $35,000 improvements made to the plant, the mill still proved inefficient within just a few months upon opening. Financial struggles ensued and payroll couldn’t be met. The company began writing worthless checks and the sheriff was called in to shut down the mill. Word spreads fast in a small community Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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