More Montana Ghost Towns

More Montana Ghost Towns & Mining Camps

Jardine, aka: Bush - Located in Park County about five miles west of Gardiner, gold was first discovered in Bear Gulch in 1866. However, until the turn of the century, only small placer mine operations worked the area. However, this changed when a man named Harry Bush came to the area in 1898, leasing and buying a number of claims. He first enlarged an existing mill to include 20 stamps and laid out a settlement that was first called Bush. Within a year, the mining camp had about 130 building and miners were flooding into the district. Organizing the Revenue Mining Company, Bush continued to acquire more claims and actively promoted the area.

Jardine, Montana in the late 1800's

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However, the ambitious man was unsuccessful due to inadequate mine develop, insufficient funds, and financial mismanagement. In 1901, his company went into receivership and work was suspended. The following year, the camp's name was changed to Jardine. In 1903, the claims were bought by the Kimberly - Montana Gold Mining & Milling Company who built a 150-ton cyanide plant, added additional stamp mills, and utilized new air compressors for underground drilling. Though the improvements aided in bringing out the minerals, they were more costly than the company anticipated and in 1906, it too, failed.

The mine then changed hands several times before the Jardine Gold Mining &Milling Company acquired the property and equipment, which included 23 patented claims, several developed mines and the town site. Mining and milling of gold and low-grade scheelite ores began again in 1918 and in continued until 1921, when the properties were purchased by the Jardine Mining Company. The new company discovered arsenic and in 1923 built an arsenic plant, which operated almost continuously from 1923 to 1926, then intermittently until 1945. The mill continued to process various ores until 1948, when a fire destroyed the cyanide plant and the Jardine Mining Company closed the mill.

Today, the old camp provides numerous old miners cabins and mining remains. It is located about six miles northeast of Gardiner on Jardine Road.

Kendall - Situated in the North Moccasin Mountains north of Lewistown, Montana, the North Moccasin Mining District got a later start than many of the mining areas in Big Sky Country. Placer mining first occurred in the area in the 1880s with large gold nuggets taken out of Iron Gulch; however, lack of water caused the miners to leave without any significant development. When large lode deposits were found in the district in 1893, more attempts were made to get at the gold, but the ore was difficult to treat and little was done until improved cyanide processes were developed at the turn of the century.

Kendall, Montana in 1906.

With the new technology, capital was flowing and when Harry T. Kendall installed a cyanide mill in 1900, the area began to boom. In 1901, a townsite was platted and named Kendall. Within no time, the town sported two hotels, a bank, a newspaper, restaurants, retail businesses, a school, a brothel and several saloons. Two stage-coach lines connected Kendall to Lewiston. A few years later, the town also included the Jones Opera House, two churches, and peaked at a population of about 1500.

The most prosperous mines were the Kendall, Santiago, Barnes-King and Horse Shoe Mines. By 1903, the district was leading the state in gold production.

Plan were made to build a railroad spur to the flourishing town, but it never happened. Instead, supplies and ores, began to be moved by automobiles and trucks. The town continued to prosper until the largest mine, the Barnes-King, folded in 1920, at which time it began to decline.

Soon other mines also closed and the once prosperous camp became a ghost town. Throughout the years, the area mines produced as much as $15 million in gold. Once the mines closed, sporadic placer mining continued to occur, but large quantities were never found.

Though Kendall once boasted several substantial buildings, only three stone buildings remain today. Unfortunately, several of the buildings collapsed because of the many mine shafts below them.

Kendall is located north of Lewistown on Highway 87, along with the old mining camps of Gilt Edge and Maiden.

Kirkville - Located about one mile southeast of Philipsburg, Montana, Kirkville got its start in 1888 when the large Bi-Metallic Mill 100 stamp mill was built on Douglas Creek. The town, which reached a peak population of about 125 people, was primarily inhabited by mill workers. It once included numerous cabins, a boarding house, company office, warehouse, and assay office, along with the large Bi-Metallic Mill site. In 1967, the 360 feet long mill building was burned for safety reasons, but its two smokestacks and foundations continue to stand. Also standing are two company houses, the brick office building, a barn, assay office, and the retort building. A modern flotation mill still operates periodically. The old town site is located on private property, but some of its remains can be seen from the road.

Continued Next Page

Kirkville, Montana today, July, 2008, Kathy Weiser.

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