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 o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r Courtesy of https://northwestrving.com structed up the steep hillside to the north to access the large plateau area above known as Vipond Park. If you look up the hillside from the kilns you can still spot the remains of the platform used to load the wood into the chute. The forest service has restored three of the kilns to their original appearance and installed interpretive signs. Click here to learn more about the kilns. Vipond Park Interpretive Signs Tell the Story of the Kilns Vipond Park and the mining district that followed were named after the Vipond brothers who settled in the area in 1868. In April of that year, John Vipond filed the first mining claim in the area. His brothers soon joined in prospecting the area and discovered what would become the Gray Jockey mine the next year. During the ensuing years, the Gray Jockey mine and mill yielded 22,789 ounces of silver from 2,161 tons of ore taken from the mine. The remains of the Gray Jockey are one of the few mining ruins visible from the Quartz Hill Road which you will be traveling between Quartz Hill and the kilns. Courtesy of https://northwestrving.com It’s Been Years Since a Vipond Miner Walked Through This Door Other notable mining properties in the area that were discovered and mined in the late 1800’s include: • The Queen of the Hills Mine, which employed about 50 men to develop a producing gold mine and construct a 10-stamp mill at the site. In the early 1900’s, the mine and mill traded hands, more improvements were made, but little if any profitable ore was mined. The area around the Queen of the Hills contains the largest amount of ruins in the area. • The Old Faithful Mine was probably the largest producer in Vipond. It produced a total of 1,037 tons of ore, yielding 69,512 pounds of lead, 6,700 pounds of zinc, 2,582 pounds of copper, 1,576 ounces of silver and 268 ounces of gold. Judging by the newer ruins at the site, it looks like mining attempts occurred here until the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. Tableware still sits on the counters and canned goods are in the cupboards in one old cabin. Courtesy of https://northwestrving.com Structure at Queen of the Hills Mine
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