More Montana Ghost Towns

More Montana Ghost Towns - Page 2

Coloma Mining District - Located in the northeastern corner of the Garnet Range at the headwaters of McGinnis Creek, Coloma and several other mining camps, including Reynolds City, Springtown, and Yreka got their starts in 1865 when prospectors found gold in Bear Gulch and Elk Creek. This started one of the last large Montana gold rushes and within weeks, 6,000 people moved into the Garnet Mountain mining districts. The settlement of Coloma, on the north side of the divide, was the largest next to Garnet, which would be developed later. Eventually, the Coloma area would support two mills which crushed the ore that was hauled out to Helena, Butte, or Anaconda to be treated.

After lode deposits at Coloma were discovered in 1897, the area would really begin to boom and was most active at the turn of the century.

The largest of the Coloma lodes was the Mammoth Mine, which was developed beginning in 1896 and would yield about $200,000 of gold in the next two decades. Other mines, including the Comet, Dixie, Clemantha, Cato, and several others were also operating in the early 20^th century; however, most were not profitable as much of the gold was lost in the tailings.

Garnet Range, July, 2008, Kathy Weiser.

Though mining efforts continued as late as the 1950s, Coloma had all but died by 1918. Other mining camps in the area, including Reynolds city, Springtown, and Yreka had very short lives, lasting only a couple of years. All in all, the district produced only about $250,000 in gold, silver, lead, and zinc. Today, there is little left but a few cabins and mining remains.

Coloma can be reached from Montana Highway 200 by traveling southeast on Garnet Range Road about seven miles. Garnet Range Road continues on a circuitous route for about 13 miles through the old mining camp sites of Reynolds city, Springtown, and Beartown before making its way to Garnet.

Ewing - A ghost ranch located in the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation area, the place was started by prospector turned rancher, Erastus T. Ewing in 1896. Though many hoped that Bighorn Canyon might contain a large mother lode, no big strikes were ever made. However, Ewing and several partners had several claims where some gold was found, but no big strikes. Failing as a mining magnet, Ewing turned to ranching, appropriating water from layout Creek for irrigation and holding ponds.By 1898, there were enough squatters, ranchers, and prospectors to justify a post office, which was located at the Ewing Ranch.

Over the years, the ranch changed hands several times until it was bought by the U.S. Government for inclusion in the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in 1968. Called the Ewing/Snell Ranch, for its original owner and the Snell family, who lived there the longest, the ranch continues to maintain several buildings including a house, stables, outbuildings and a school building. The ghost ranch is located north of Lovell, Wyoming on County Road 37, inside the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

Farlin - Located in the Birch Creek Mining District in the Pioneer Mountains of southwest Montana, rich ores were first found here as early as 1864, when a prospector named J.A. Kline filed the first claim, the O.K. Lode, which produced silver and copper. A few months later, O.D. Farlin discovered the Greenwich Lode, but it would not be worked for several years.

When O.D. Farlin and his brother, W.L., returned to the area more than a decade later and discovered new claims, including the Indian Queen and Greenstone Lodes in 1875, they began to work their original find, as well as their new claims, which all produced silver and copper. Soon, the small mining camp of Farlin was formed, but would grow slowly, as the mines primarily produced copper and there was no nearby economical transportation which would make it profitable to mine on a large-scale.

When the Utah and Northern Railroad laid track to present day Dillon in 1882, and later to Butte, the district began to fill up with more miners, as well as ranchers, but still the area did not develop significantly.

Farlin, Montana school house, courtesy Sportsman Motel

The first school was built in 1896, but it would be after the turn of the century that the small mining camp really began to boom. In the meantime, the claims changed hands and in 1900, the Indian Creek Mine was under the control of the Birch Creek Copper Mining and Smelting Company, which built a smelter to work the Indian Queen Mine. By 1903, the mine and smelter employed about 20 men, which soon grew to about 60.

Though the Birch Creek Copper Mining and Smelting Company continued to operate the mine, they operated the smelter only about a year before it was taken over by the Western Mining Company, who began to expand it and provided services to other mines, including the Golden Treasure, Whale, Los Angeles, and Snowball Mines. Soon, the mining camp blossomed and boasted about 500 people, which boasted a general store, a butcher shop, and a post office.

By the spring of 1906, the Birch Creek Copper and Smelting Company was in trouble and its three owners skipped town with the monthly payroll (about $1400.00.) When one of the owners had the audacity to return to Farlin, he was promptly hanged by the miners. A second owner, who wanted to return, paid for the privilege of returning and the third owner was never seen again.

Over the years, as the ore dramatically decline, the mines and smelter continued to operate only intermittently until 1923, processing almost 23 tons of ore, primarily copper.

Today, Farlin is just a sleepy little collection of buildings in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. The school, butcher’s shop, a few cabins, and mining remains are all that’s left.

The old mining camp is located about 20 miles northwest of Dillon. Go north on I-15 to the Birch Creek Exit (#74), and about 7 miles west on Birch Creek Road.

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From the Rocky Mountain General Store

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