Ghost Towns and History July 20, 2018 Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter E l k h o r n , M o n t a n a Nestled in the vast Montana mountains is the remains of a once booming mining town called Elkhorn. At its peak, the town was home to more than 2,000 residents. The main street was lined with hotels, saloons, stores, churches, boarding houses, ice houses and even a two lane bowling alley! But, due to the falling price of silver and a bout with disease; the town’s population slowly dwindled. Today Elkhorn is still home to a handful of people. It all began in 1870 when a Swiss immigrant by the name of Peter Wys discovered silver deposits in those hills. But, it would be NorwePhoto by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz gian, Anton M. Holter who would develop the claim after Wys died within a couple years of his discovery. By 1888, Elkhorn was producing $30,000
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 ore each month. In 1889, a diphtheria epidemic hit the town and stole the lives of many women and children. Nevertheless, in May of 1893, construction of the famous Fraternity Hall began. This would serve as a social center for the townspeople. It was built next to Gillian Hall which served as a store and saloon. Many meetings, dances and theatre shows were enjoyed at Fraternity Hall. There is a rumor that at one of these dances, two men got into a fight over what kind of music the band should play. The squaredancer shot the waltzer dead. The repeal of the Silver Purchase Act in 1893 was the beginning of the end for Elkhorn. The population steadily declined and production slowed to a dull roar. The mine shut down for good in 1912. But in its time, Elkhorn produced more than 14 million dollars in silver ore. Peter Wys would have been proud. On Douglas Creek about one mile south of Philipsburg, the Bimetallic mill was built in 1888. The 50-stamp mill, 150 feet wide by 367 feet long, was rated at 75 tons with the capacity to add more stamps later. A separate twostory building housed the mine offices, fireproof vault, kitchen, library, parlor and living quarters. The mine and mill employed 500 workers. Around this operation grew the small Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz town of Kirkville, later known as Clark. The mill began reducing ore in January of 1889. It was connected to the Blaine shaft in Granite by a two mile long tramway. The large iron tram buckets Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz could carry 500 pounds of ore down the mountain and fuel back up. In 1891 the mill was enlarged by 50 stamps to give it a 200ton capacity. 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 East Helena, Montana- The Manlove Homestead. During the summer of 1864 a wagon train from Iowa heading west for the Oregon country stopped near this site to rest and repair their wagon before crossing The Rocky Mountains. Among these pioneers were Jonathan and Elmira Manlove and their two small children. They liked the Prickly Pear Valley and decided to stay behind and make this their home. Their first dwelling was this log house originally built about ½ mile Northwest of its current location. Part of the East Helena Townsite was once their potato field and pasture, still called The Manlove Grove. They never left The Prickly Pear area and were the first permanent settlers in what is now Lewis and Clark County. This is no doubt the oldest structure in the county. It was moved to this location and restored by The East Helena Kiwanas Club. Five more children were born to the Manloves. One son, Wilber was a barber and operated a shop on Main Street in East Helena until past 90 years of age. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Vipond was a mining settlement located in the Pioneer Range south of Dewey, Montana. It was named for John Vipond who made the first strike in 1868. At first, the ore was hauled by mule team to the railroad in Corinne, Utah. It was primarily a silver district but the ore also contained substantial amounts of copper, zinc and lead. With the declining price of silver, the post office closed in 1888 and Vipond's mill ceased operations in 1895. A big THANK YOU to our Patreon supporters! With your help we are able to continue sharing pictures, writing stories, conducting research and printing publications. Lorilee Huttinger, Cassie Johnson, Christal Smith, Patricia Alexander, Jody Gryder, Helen Rietz, Annie Huxley, Todd Murray, Arlis Vannett, Shireen Clawson and Michael Hintz Consider becoming a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/ ghosttownsandhistoryofmontana Please be sure to share this newsletter with a friend! Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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 1895 APPLE FRITTERSPeel three large apples, core them with a column cutter and cut them across in slices rather less than half an inch thick; put them in a flat dish with half a tumbler of brandy and strew plenty of powdered loaf sugar over them; let them remain covered for a couple of hours, then take each piece separately, dip it in batter so that it is well covered with it and fry a golden color in plenty of hot lard. Lay the fritters in front of the fire, and when all are done pile them up on a napkin, shake plenty of powdered loaf sugar over them and serve. John Hepburn Place- Emigrant, Montana. Nestled between dramatic cliffs and the Yellowstone River, this collection of buildings catered to the tourist trade between Livingston and Yellowstone National Park. Local entrepreneur John Hepburn came to Montana in 1888 and worked for many years in America’s first national park. In 1906, he filed a homestead claim nearby and ranched until the early 1920s. Hepburn began developing this property in the mid-1930s, crafting the buildings to look like the handiwork of early pioneers. The half-log house doubled as a roadside museum and residence. Hepburn and his son, Ralph, erected a windmill and installed a generator to provide power. Electric windmills were common in early Montana rural homesteads, but this is one of the last intact systems of its kind. Five generations of Hepburns lived at this homestead using wind-generated electricity for light bulbs and other appliances designed for twenty-four volts. John Hepburn again used the wind when he built a unique wind-powered polisher to finish geological specimens he sold to museum visitors. For over two decades, tourists and local school children regularly visited Hepburn’s museum, marveling at its eclectic collection of rare geological specimens, fossils (including a petrified turtle), Native American artifacts, historical photographs, and items that told the story of Yellowstone Park and the upper Yellowstone Valley. When Hepburn died in 1959, the museum closed and his family dispersed the collections to other area museums. Today, the John Hepburn Place offers a rare illustration of the rural use of wind power and is a unique souvenir of Montana’s early tourism industry.- Montana Historical Society Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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