Garnet is a
ghost town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
in
Granite County,
Montana
Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
, United States.
A thriving mining town in the 1890s, Garnet's population declined when local hard rock mines closed. The remaining buildings have been preserved and are open to visitors. The site is managed by the
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...
.
Garnet is located north of the junction of
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...
,
U.S. Route 12
U.S. Route 12 or U.S. Highway 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90 ...
and Bear Gulch Rd. in the Bureau of Land Management's Garnet Resource Area.
History
Miners prospected in the Garnet Mountains beginning in the 1860s. When a stamp mill was built at First Chance Gulch in 1895, a small town grew up nearby. Originally named Mitchell, the town changed its name to Garnet in 1897. In its heyday, Garnet boasted close to thirteen saloons (bars), as well as grocery stores, a barber shop, mercantile store, and three hotels. The hotels were started for passersby or people coming to pick up gold. Their rates typically ranged from $1–3, and the poor miners who could not afford that price could sleep in the attic without any windows for a quarter.
Architects/builders included Ole Dahl, who built Dahl Saloon (also known as Ole's and as "The Joint") and the Dahl House, Robert Moore who built Kelly's Saloon, Hugh Hannifen who built Hannifen House, Judson and Blaidsell who built the F.A. Davey Store, and John and Winifred Wells who built the Wells Hotel.
[ Supplies needed in Garnet were generally obtained from nearby Bearmouth, Montana, Bearmouth.
In 1898, as many as one thousand people lived in Garnet, but the boom was short lived. By 1900, three hundred people called the town home. Population declined, rose, and declined again with the fortunes of local mines. A fire in 1912 destroyed much of the town.]
Preservation
Despite this, Garnet is one of the state's best preserved ghost towns with 16,000 visitors annually. The annual celebration the third Saturday of each year is Garnet Day. Garnet's oldest living member, Mary Jane Adams Morin, came to visit every year.[
The area is owned by the U.S. ]Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...
and is included in its Garnet Resource Area.[ Includes maps and 68 photos from 2008.]
Geography
In First Chance Gulch in western Montana, the town is located 11 miles up the Garnet Range Road, in mountains and forest. The town is at approximately elevation. The nearest city is Missoula, Montana, Missoula, approximately to the west. The closest city to the east is Butte, Montana, Butte, about away.
Gallery
References
External links
Garnet Montana Oral History Project
(University of Montana Archives)
Garnet Preservation Association Oral History Project
(University of Montana Archives)
Bureau of Land Management
GarnetGhostTown.net
Visit Montana.com
Garnet Preservation Association
{{Authority control
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Montana
National Register of Historic Places in Granite County, Montana
Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements architecture
1895 establishments in Montana
Ghost towns in Montana
Geography of Granite County, Montana
Open-air museums in Montana
Populated places on the National Register of Historic Places in Montana