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By the time the railroad was repaired in 1930, metal prices had declined
to such an extent, that the mine was not profitable to operate. By 1932,
the vast majority of the townspeople were gone and the post office was
discontinued. At its peak, Coolidge boasted a population of about 350
people.
Despite the mine and mill’s limited development, some 50,000 tons of ore,
including gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc, had been processed by 1927.
Over the next several years, the mine changed hands numerous times and
operations were intermittently continued but was never very
successful. Along with other mining investors, William Allen who had lost
his fortune in the Elkhorn Mine, continued to believe in the mine’s
potential, looking for investors until 1953.
In 1981, the Elkhorn mines were bought by Timberline Minerals, Inc. who,
once again, completed some exploratory prospecting work, but this lasted
only a couple of years.
Today, the site is located within the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest
and though dozens of buildings continue to stand, they are quickly being
reclaimed by Mother Nature. The lower mill was torn down years ago, but
the upper mill, which sits high on road across the creek can be glimpsed
through the trees, but blocked by a gate and is inaccessible.
Coolidge is located south of Butte,
Montana. From I-15, travel west on
SR-43, then south onto NF-73 (Wise River Polaris Road), then east down a
dirt road. It then requires about a ½ mile hike to the old townsite.
Contact Information:
Beaverhead Deerlodge
National Forest
Wise River Ranger
District
PO Box 100
Wise River,
Montana
59762
406-832-3178
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