Ghost Towns and History May 11, 2018, Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter C o m e t , M o n t a n a An afternoon drive along a gravel road in the High Ore Gulch will lead you to a true Montana ghost town and a piece of its history. As one nears the town, remnants of a once thriving mining community pop out among the looming sagebrush and dry terrain. The silence speaks volumes, accompanied by the voices of the tumbling cabins and abandoned mill. It all started around 1869 when John W. Russell located a claim in the area. The rich lode wasn’t developed until a few years later after Russell had sold the claim to the Alta-Montana Company. They got things rolling by building a 40-ton per day concentrator. However, early mining efforts showed little profit as high costs of transportation, equipment and living expenses took their toll. In 1883, the Helena Mining and Reduction Company bought the Photos by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Ads from The Montanian– June 23, 1893 struggling business and constructed a new smelter in nearby Wickes, Montana. At first, ore was transported by wagon to Wickes but a year later, a rope tramway began to carry the heavy loads. When the Northern Pacific Railroad
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