GRANITE

Established Town: 1884
Peak Population: Approximately 3,000 (early 1890's)
Present Population: 0

Granite

Nicknamed "Montana's Silver Queen," Granite had its hey day in the early 1890's. It is located on Granite Mountain, just four miles from Philipsburg.

Eli Holland is said to have found a piece of high grade ruby silver while following a wounded game animal (deer or elk) in 1872. A shallow shaft was dug on the outcropping. Nothing was done at the site for over five years until Charles McLure found a piece of the silver ore on the shaft dump and thought the prospect showed promise. He traveled east to St. Louis where he obtained capital to begin exploration and development of the property.

The town eventually became a thriving city which boasted as many stores and commercial establishments as any other modern city at that time in Montana. One of the most famous buildings in Granite was a large Miner's Union Hall with a pool parlor and club area on the first floor and an office, a library, a large dance floor, and an auditorium space on the second floor. The second floor was called the "Northwest's Finest Dance Floor." Quite often the auditorium played host to mineral shows, melodramas, and vaudeville. Some of the other amenities Granite offered were 18 saloons, a thriving red light district, a roller rink, a hospital, five doctors, a school, four churches, several banks, a water system, named streets, and several homes for the more than 3,000 inhabitants. However, there was no cemetery. All of the bodies were internned in the Philipsburg Cemetery because the ground was so rock infested in Granite that a grave could not be dug.

In 1893, the U.S. Congress repealed the Sherman Act resulting in lower silver prices, and on the morning of August 1, 1893, within 24 hours of the repealment, many men, women, and children came down the mountain in search of new homes. Because of the swiftness of the move, most of their worldly possessions remained on the hill behind them. Only 140 people remained in Granite one year later, in 1894.

POINTS OF INTEREST IN GRANITE

Granite

On the road to Granite, at about the two-mile mark, notice the jack knife turn in the road and the small mining development below. Also further on, notice the ore bin of the Kentucky and Silver Lode claims. About 1/2 mile further, note the wooden towers which were part of the tramway to carry ore from the mines in Granite to the Bi-Metallic mill in Kirkville. Upon reaching Granite, large mine dumps of the Granite Mountain Mine can be seen on the hillside directly to the east. In the foreground is a wooden head frame and the mine yard of the mainshaft of the Bi-Metallic Mining Company. The remains of the hospital (a large pile of boards and rubble) can be seen in the gulch to the right of the road. In the entire area of the former city site, building foundations of former homes and businesses can be observed. Drive to the hilltop ridge which was the mainshaft. Here you will see a few small standing buildings and further on the remains of the Miner's Union Hall. Across the street was the location of many of the 18 saloons, and in the gulch behind the saloons was the red light district. A short distance further is the only remaining structure, a small weathered cabin on Dougal Street where many of the Danish miners lived. Visit Magnolia Avenue, known as "Silk Stocking Row," where many doctors and officials lived. The Weir House sits on the left side of the avenue. This was the superintendent's house who managed the Granite Mountain Mine. On the street above Magnolia Avenue one can see the remains of the old bank vault. Down this street the remains of the old smelting and milling operations can be seen. Higher up the Granite Mountain are the remains of the Ruby Shaft (Granite Mountain Mining Company). As you will notice, the head frame has collapsed.

DIRECTIONS TO GRANITE

Turn south at the four way stop in downtown Philipsburg. Continue through the railroad underpass and take the first left. Continue straight ahead for 1 mile. Turn right on the road marked with a white sign reading Granite. Keep on the left road and continue up the road for 4 miles to the outskirts of Granite. It is recommended that you have a four-wheel drive vehicle.

KIRKVILLE

Established Town: 1890
Peak Population: 125
Present Population: 5

Kirkville

Located 1 mile southeast of Philipsburg, Kirkville was settled by mill workers who worked in the Bi-Metallic Mill on Douglas Creek. It consisted of dwellings, a boarding house, a rooming house, nearby company residences, an office, a warehouse, a barn and buggy shed, an assay office, a retort building, and the Bi-Metallic Mill site (100 stamp).

PRESENT ASSESSMENT

The two company houses are inhabited and the brick office is in respectable shape. The barn and buggy shed, the assay office, and the retort building are still standing. The boarding house and rooming house are in disrepair, but are still standing. Only the foundations remain where the workers' dwellings once stood.

The Bi-Metallic Mill was over 360 feet long, 150 feet wide, and had two smokestacks, furnaces, chimney flues, and a massive foundation built of cut granite. The structure was burned in 1967 for safety reasons. The remains of the structure are both interesting and impressive to view.

Kirkville

There is a modern flotation mill owned by the Contact Mining Company. This mill operates from time to time as a processing plant on a contract basis. The area is private property, so please respect it.

DIRECTIONS TO KIRKVILLE

Turn south from the four-way stop in downtown Philipsburg. Go under railroad overpass and take your first left. Continue to the crossroad, and take a right turn heading south. The company houses and offices are located on the east side of the road. Continue to follow the road; note the barn, warehouse, assay offices, and retort building. Turn on the lower road toward the flotation mill, and pass by and view the ruins of the Bi-Metallic Mill on the left.

PHILIPSBURG MINING DISTRICT

Location: From the city limits for an area of eight square miles in an easterly direction. It consists of the drainage of Camp Creek, the Douglas Creek area, and the Algonquin Gulch area.

POINTS OF INTEREST

Tower: First named Troutville, it was renamed for Charlemagne Tower, a financial backer, in 1875. The original site had about 20 dwellings, a boarding house, and a warehouse. Some restoration has taken place.

Hasmark: The town site located on Frost Creek had a peak population in 1880 of about 90 people. The present attractions consist of five old cabins in various stages of deterioration, foundations of several other dwellings, and a larger log structure, presumed to be a saloon.

Mines and Mills: In the time from 1865 until the 1960's, the number of miners varied from 1500 prospectors in 1867, to approximately 900 miners during the manganese boom from 1915 to 1920, to around 200 miners from 1920 to 1962. As a result, the area is a maze of tunnels, shafts, glory holes, and prospect diggings. One can see evidence of past mining in almost any part of the district ,such as head frames, ore tins, mine dumps, and the remains of mills used to process manganese and silver. Very little restoration has been done and most of the area is in various stages of disrepair, the result of over 100 years of aging.

DIRECTIONS

Traveling east on Broadway in Philipsburg, turn right onto South Montgomery Street. Continue on the main traveled road south and continue as the road goes east. Follow this road above Philipsburg up Camp Creek Gulch. At a distance of about 1/4 mile, you will observe the evidence of the mining district. Continue to a Y in the road. Take the left hand side, and in a short distance you will see the ghost town of Tower. Turn around and return to the right hand side of the Y. Follow the road to the Trout Creek area. The road from here to the Algonquin Gulch area should be attempted only with a four-wheel drive vehicle. The Algonquin Mine and the ghost town of Hasmark are located in the Algonquin Mine area. Turn around at Hasmark and drive due west down Algonquin Canyon to Philipsburg.

GARNET AND BEAR GULCH

Rich gold-bearing quartz ledges were discovered in the Garnet Range as early as 1866. From this mother lode, placer gold was deposited down Deep Creek, Bear Creek, and smaller canyons which ran into Bear Gulch. The placer deposits were present from the top of Garnet Range to 20 miles away on the bank of the Clark Fork River.

The news of the discovery in the Garnet area attracted thousands of miners. In 1867, 5000 whites and Asians dug placer in the gulches. By 1870, fewer than 450 lived in Bear Creek and Deep Gulch. Twenty five years passed before lode mining was in full production. By the 1880's, the placer supply was depleted.

TOWNS IN THE GARNET AREA

Garnet: Garnet was constructed between the years of 1886 and 1889. In 1887, Garnet was home to numerous residences, two barber shops, three living stables, an assay office, and a butcher shop. In 1898. the school had an enrollment of 41 students. There is no evidence of a church having ever been present. The nearby area had three hard rock mines (The Nancy Hanks, The Lead King, and the Grant-Hartford). The Nancy Hanks was the best producer, mining about $950,000 from 1897 to 1917.

Beartown: Beartown was once a town of considerable size, but now the only evidence of its existence is letters and newspaper articles from the past. The town was located at the junction of Deep Gulch and Bear Gulch. In 1867, there were 10 stores, many saloons, and three restaurants. The town was dependent upon the placer-deposits of Deep Gulch, Bear Gulch, and the smaller gulches which ran into Bear Gulch. By the 1870's, the placer deposits had played out, which caused the town to cease to exist.

PRESENT ATTRACTIONS

Evidence of extensive gold placering operations including dredging and hydraulic mining. China Grade: Considered as Montana's steepest road in commercial use.

Take a moment to explore the J.K. Wells Hotel. Garnet is the only ghost town in Granite County which has undergone major restoration. Parking lots are provided, including facilities for the handicapped. Two rest room areas are provided and 21 buildings have been restored.

DIRECTIONS

Take Montana Highway 1 to Drummond. Cross under the overpass and take the frontage road towards Missoula. At a distance of about 11 miles, turn right at a sign reading Bear Gulch/Garnet 10 miles. From this point notice the placer mining activity up Bear Gulch. Continue and ascend the China Grade to Garnet. Beartown was located where the road crosses Deep Creek before the China Grade.

SOUTHERN CROSS

Established Town: 1870's
Peak Population: 500
Present Population: 6

Southern Cross

Southern Cross received its name from a sailor. The ore mined at Southern Cross contained gold in a matrix of iron (hematite and magnetite). Most of the hard rock mining occurred during the time from the 1870's through 1910. In 1910, the Anaconda Copper Mining Company purchased the property, which they ceased to operate in 1919.

In 1965, the Bowman family built St. Timothy's Chapel in memory of their son. It is a beautiful, well-kept building located at the beginning of the old town site. The church is open to the public. In front of St. Timothy's there is a parking lot with a spectacular view of Georgetown Lake and the Pintlar Wilderness Mountains. The mining buildings and some of the older dwellings are still present. In fact, some are inhabited by people, mostly as summertime residences. Included in these mining buildings are the residences of former mine supervisors, hoist buildings, two boarding houses, and a bunk house.

Southern Cross

DIRECTIONS TO SOUTHERN CROSS

From Philipsburg, take Montana Highway 1 (Pintlar Scenic Route) for approximately 12 miles to the turn off of Discovery Basin Ski Area. Enter this road and continue one mile to a three-way split in the road. Take the middle road to St. Timothy's Chapel.

PRINCETON

The mining activity in Princeton started in the early 1880's. The district produced gold, silver, lead, and phosphate. The total production up until 1907 was approximately $1.25 million. In the late 1800's, the district employed approximately 50 men in its mining operations. Princeton had a post office, a school, a hotel, a store, and almost 20 dwellings. Some of these dwellings are now occupied by year-round and summer residents.

DIRECTIONS

Go from Philipsburg to Maxville on Montana Highway 1. Turn right on Montana Highway 1 to Maxville. Continue up Boulder Creek Canyon. Cross the first bridge over Boulder Creek and drive up the east side of the creek for about six miles to Princeton.

BLACK PINE MINING DISTRICT

Peak Population: 240
Present Population: 0
Location: 12 miles northwest of Philipsburg

Located in the Black Pine District were three communities:

Black Pine: The location of the mining activity on the ridge between Smart Creek Basin and Lower Willow Creek.

Ruby Lodge at Granite

Middle Town: Located approximately one half mile down the west slope into Lower Willow Creek.

Combination: Located on lower Willow Creek. This was the site of the milling operation. It consisted of a stamp mill, assay office, office, and mill buildings.

In 1889, a forest fire burned the towers of the district and some of the head frames. The operation was rebuilt and operating again by 1891. However, the falling silver prices in 1897 forced the closing of the mill and mines. The Black Pine Mining District was again ravaged by fire in the 1988 Combination Fire. Little remains except for a few foundations in the three communities and two headframes, the Harper and the Lewis Shafts.

DIRECTIONS

Go from Philipsburg toward Drummond on Montana Highway 1 for two miles. A highway sign reads Black Pine Road. Turn left on this road and continue for eight miles to top of the hill. Cross the cattle guard and continue straight ahead on Black Pine Road. Continue another two miles to the top of the ridge. The Black Pine community was located where the road splits in four directions. Take the left road where you will see the head frames of the Harper Shaft near the road on the left hand side. Continue downhill and straight ahead; only a short distance is the head frame of the Lewis Shaft. Continue on the road downhill. Middle Town was located about one-half mile down the grade and Combination was located on the bottom on Lower Willow Creek itself. Here one can see the old remains of the mill, foundations of dwellings, offices, and mine buildings. The tailings pond (settling pond) can also be observed in a flat area near Willow Creek.

NEW CHICAGO (WEST CHICAGO)

New Chicago, first called West Chicago, was located on the west bank of Flint Creek. However, the town site was established on the east side of Flint Creek because this was where the junction of the Mullan Road and the road to Philipsburg were located. In other words, New Chicago was established as a commercial trade center.

The town had many amenities, including a Post Office, of which founder John A. Featherman was the postmaster. New Chicago also included two hotels, two stores, two saloons, a flour mill, a telegraph station, several stables, a stage station, and a Wells Fargo office. In 1874, a village school was built which was later restored and currently stands in Drummond. With the arrival of the railroad to Drummond (Edwardsville) in August of 1883, the hopes and dreams of New Chicago slowly ceased to exist, as did the town.

DIRECTIONS

From Philipsburg, travel 24.2 miles toward Drummond on Highway 1. Turn right and the road crosses Flint Creek. Continue on the road to the intersection of Cemetery and Mullan Road. Cemetery road is the left fork of the intersection and is where the founders (John Featherman, William Dingwall, and Allen McPhail) of New Chicago are buried. Note the circular stone structure (smokehouse) behind an old barn. On Mullan Road (the right fork) notice the Featherman house (brick) and several older wooden structures (the Dingwall house is the first one). Also visit the restored village school originally built in 1873 which now stands in Drummond as a tourist visitation center.

Stamp Mill

RUMSEY

The town was built in 1888 on Fred Burr Creek as a mill town for the Granite Mountain Mining Company. The company established a 100 stamp mill which received its ore from Granite by means of an aerial tramway. The community had saloons, hotels, a boarding house, stores, and a school. Probably the most unique structure was a railroad turnstile to turn the locomotive around for its return trip to Philipsburg. The narrow canyon made other means of switching possible.

The area has been extensively sub-divided into home sites. The mill site has been bulldozed, but there is still some evidence of the past location of the town.

DIRECTIONS

Drive out the south entrance to Philipsburg past the U.S. Forest Service to Highway 1. Head towards Anaconda. Turn left at the first road, which is about an 1/8 of a mile on Highway 1. Follow this road for 5 miles and you will pass a sign for Mountain Valley Ranch. The old mill site is located 1/2 mile from this point. It is difficult to see because of man's activity.

RED LION

Founded in 1906, Red Lion is located up the North Fork of Flint Creek. At its peak in 1906, Red Lion was home to 200 people, mostly miners. The mine produced gold from a hard rock vein made up of about 40% hematite, magnetite, and pyrite. There still stands the remains of the old tram line and old foundations of past buildings (a mill, a saloon, a restaurant, a blacksmith shop, and a boarding house).

DIRECTIONS

Take Discovery Basin road from Georgetown Lake. Continue about one mile from where the road crosses the North Fork of Flint Creek. Turn right on the road past the Cable Campground and continue up the North Fork of Flint Creek for about four miles. The site sits near the curve of the road as it starts up the grade to reach the ridge of the nearby mountains.

HENDERSON GULCH AND SUNRISE

Henderson Gulch, founded in 1865 by Joe Henderson, produced over $300,000 prior to 1870. It had a ghost town called Emmettsburg which had a population of 133. This town has completely vanished. However, above the place which was thought to be the town site, is a monument to seven miners killed in the late 1860's.

Three hydraulic dredging operations have operated from the mouth to near the head of the gulch, leaving behind piles of rock and rubble. This rubble not only covered the site of Emmettsburg, but changed the character of the original gulch.

Sunrise, located in the upper limits of Henderson Gulch, was home to copper and gold mining in the late 1890's. The aging mining structures sit near the bottom of a steep mountain, called Sunrise Mountain, with the mining operations on the face of the steep hillside. The original operation had a 20 stamp mill, cabins, and mine buildings. Some of the structures have withstood the test of time and can be seen today.

DIRECTIONS

Leave Philipsburg going toward Drummond on Highway 1 past Maxville to a point approximately two miles past Maxville. Look for a stone house on the right hand side of the road. The next turn off to the left at Stone Station will cross Flint Creek and take you directly to Henderson Gulch. The distance from the Stone turnoff is about five miles.

SUGGESTED READING

GHOST TOWN TRAILS — Ron Paige, Dennis Darling, and Jack McCoy
MONTANA, THE GOLD FRONTIER — Dan Cushman
MONTANA PAY DIRT — Muriel Sibell Wolle
ON THE NORTH SIDE OF PHILIPSBURG, MONTANA — Walter Johnson
ON THE LITE SIDE OF PHILIPSBURG, MONTANA — Walter Johnson

All these books are available at the Granite County Museum and Cultural Center