Ghost Towns and History June 22, 2018 Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter H i g h l a n d M i n i n g D i s t r i c t The Highlands mountain range reaches elevations of 10,000 feet and placer gold was discovered at the foot of these Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz massive mountains in 1866. As more placers were found, miners were earning up to $10 per day. The Highland and Moose Mining Districts were soon formed. Moosetown consisted of just a cluster of cabins. Highland City and Red Mountain City were much larger with Red Mountain City being recognized as the largest settlement in southern Deer Lodge County in 1867. The gold From The Dillon Tribune April 11, 1890 Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz lodes discovered along Fish Creek by the Coleman brothers and William Crawford started a rush to the area. Highland City and Red Mountain City were located within a mile of each other and each grew to a population of about 1,000. Red Mountain City had a water system
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 consisting of hydrants and pipes, made from 10 ft. long logs. It also boasted a hotel, blacksmith, two general stores and a masonic lodge. The sick were treated by Dr. Day (when you could find him sober). Highland City was dotted with 300 houses, ten saloons and five dance halls. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Quartz properties soon became the focus as the placers began to play out. The richest was the Tilton (later known as Only Chance). Amalgamation mills were being built including the Tilton's Red Mill which would end up running until 1915. By the late 1870s, most of the mile long stretch of road that comprised Red Mountain City and Highland City sat vacant. The desolation came after owners and stockholders of The Ballarat Mine received no dividends following four years of working the ore. Upon further investigation, the company reported that "the whole gulch isn't worth two bits". Nevertheless, a few determined souls held on, turning to hydraulicking. Some mines produced off and on into the 1920s. The Great Depression saw a rise in placer and some lode mining. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Is there gold in them thar hills? Miner, Beastly Butler is reported to have placed his dust in tin cans back in the day, burying them near his cabin around Red Mountain City. Beastly was killed by a cave-in on his claim, his stash....?? The Silver Dollar Saloon (seen on the right) in Utica, Montana was built in partnership by Walter Waite and Ed Morris in 1888. In the back of the saloon was a tall, square icehouse built just for the saloon's use. During the time of prohibition, the saloon was turned into a pool hall and run by Finch David. He closed it in 1935. Photo Courtesy of Don Waite
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 SUNRISE Sunrise progressed when copper and ore were discovered on a steep hillside in the 1890s. The ore was processed at the bottom of Henderson Gulch in a 20-stamp mill. Miners’ cabins and office buildings also dotted the locale. Operations were deserted during the silver panic. Photos by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Many years later a reprieve of Sunrise was attempted through dredging. The second round of miners discovered little had been touched over the years. The dinner bell was even still hanging over the mess hall door. Work was again abandoned when mining efforts turned out to be uneconomical. Please be sure to share this newsletter with a friend! 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, c/o Ghost Towns and History of Montana , P.O. Box 126, Warm Springs, MT 59756 Be sure to write MAGAZINE on your check. Thank you! Virginia City, Montana. Do you know how The Bale of Hay Saloon got its name? Fresh bales of hay were provided for the patron's horses at the hitching post out in front of the saloon. The building was a retail liquor store until about 1890. Smith and Boyd then made the building into a saloon. Current Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
P a g e 4 C h a r t e r O a k , M o n t a n a G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y Chuckwagon Etiquette 1. Dismount and take care of your horse away from the wagon. 2. Fill your plate and move on, so there’s room at the pot for the next cowboy in line 3. Be careful where you set the lid down and dish up on the lee side of the wind, so’s nobody gets a helpin’ of dust with their grub. 4. Put the pot back on the fire and make sure all the boys have eaten before you go back for seconds. 5. Eat what you take and scrape the scraps into the “squirrel can” so’s not to attract flies. 6. If you are pouring a second cup of coffee for yourself and you hear “man at the pot!”, you’re obliged to serve refills. 7. Throw your dirty dishes in the “wreck pan”. 8. Make a stranger feel welcome and point him to a set of “eatin irons”. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Charter Oak was a lode mine and mill active off and on from 1916 to 1955. The Hopkins family ran the first Charter Oak operation as a stamp mill until the stock market crash of 1929. The mine was inactive during the first years of the Great Depression. In 1942, the Hopkins & Sons Mining Company developed the 50-ton flotation mill you see today. The Hopkins brothers and leaseholder James Bonner operated the mine throughout World War II and into the 1950s. World War II brought great productivity to the mine. Designated a strategic metals mine by the federal government, Charter Oak produced lead and zinc essential to fighting the war. Toxic waste rock and mill tailings were removed from Charter Oak from 19961998. The historic mine has been stabilized and interpreted by the Forest Service with the invaluable assistance of Passport in Time program volunteers and Helena High School X-CEL program students. Charter Oak is one of a handful of standing World War II-era lode mines still in existence on public land in the West. For this reason, the Charter Oak mine was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. The remains of the Charter Oak operation are located near the Little Blackfoot River south of Elliston. TO REMOVE FRECKLES Put half a pound best Windsor soap scraped fine into a half a gallon boiling water; stir it well until it cools, add a pint of spirits of wine and a half an ounce of oil of rosemary; stir well.
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