Helena Region

I’m up early with everyone still sleeping and step outside to see a mule deer in the meadow –beautiful. Then, out here in the middle of nowhere, I have the opportunity for a little catch up work, utilizing the internet. Albert then makes us a fine breakfast – no “continental serve yourself cereal version" here and I plan our day. Soon, we’re off getting a personal tour and history of the once busy mining camp of Marysville. The camp got its start in 1876 when a rich vein of gold was discovered and developed into the Drumlummon Mine, which produced some 30 million in ore over the years. Like other camps; however, the prosperity wouldn’t last and as mining expenses outweighed the price of gold, the large mine closed and the vast majority of people moved away. Today, Marysville displays a number of historic buildings and has seen a small revival as people have developed new cabins in the area. This; however, could be just the beginning, as, with the increased price of gold, the once silent Drumlummon Mine has reopened.

Then, with Albert driving and acting as our guide, we head westward to the old mining camp of Remini, just south of Highway 12. This community has also developed into a summer retreat with both new and restored cabins dotting the hills. While there are several historic building worth the stop for a photo, we are somewhat disillusioned, as this community appears to be in some type of Hatfield-McCoy type feud (though I doubt guns are involved, just "killin' words") over politics, the EPA naming the town as a “Super Fund Clean Up Site,” lack of follow through from the EPA, and a federally imposed sewer and water development plan. Some of its citizens seemingly want to maintain the town’s independence from the government and posted all throughout town are posters insisting on independence and a newsletter that is at best, mostly a rambling commentary on independence and includes many specific “digs” at other residents. Left a bad taste in my mouth.

We then make our way to Elliston, which Albert says has a saloon with one of the best cheeseburgers in the area. And, he’s not wrong. At Stoner’s Saloon, we not only get a great burger and a beer, but also the hilarious story of “Big Foot Captured,” a hoax that took place in the early 1990’s and made news worldwide.

Backtracking to the southeast, we make our way to Comet, yet another 1800’s mining town. But, Wow, Wow, Wow – this is one of the best non-restored, non-preserved old mining camps that I’ve ever had the opportunity to visit. The town got its start in 1885, booming to about 300 people but by the early 1900s had been deserted. However, it developed another boom in the 1920s and 1930s as the mine reopened bringing numerous people back to the small community. In the 1940s it died again and people moved on. Today, the townsite provides glimpses of more than two dozen buildings in various states of disrepair, along with the still intact mine and operation buildings. I’m on a “super-high” making my way through the weeds and exploring this great site, but am appalled when Dave and Albert say they have met a man who is loading the back of his pickup with scrap iron. The man says he comes out every weekend to help “clean-up” the site.

This town is privately owned and it’s amazing that it isn’t entire fenced. However, this kind of wreckless activity by this man, could easily make it so. There is one remaining resident left in town and Albert calls upon him to let the resident know of the theft taking place by this irresponsible man. Though the resident does not own that particular property, he does know the owner and will report both his activities and license tag. Hopefully, this might save the site from more plundering and keep it open for future visitors. Boy, oh, boy, do people like that just make me madder than hell!

Anyway, we’re off to or last stop – Elkhorn, Montana, parts of which are now a Montana State Park. Two buildings remain in excellent shape and are open to the public. Very cool. The rest of the town is privately owned and many of the cabins have been turned into permanent or summer retreats. However, the mine and cemetery can also be viewed, along with a variety of buildings in states of disrepair.

On back to the pristine cabin, for another restful night before heading out in the morning again, alas, without our helpful guide and great new friend, Albert.

Butte to Marysville

We’re off to Marysville via a round-about way westward from Butte taking the Pintler Scenic Route north, which features not only beautiful scenery, but yes, you guessed it -- a couple of ghost towns -- then hitting Highway 12 eastward to a cut-off just before Helena, to make our way to the old mining camp of Marysville, and our final destination of a remote cabin in the wildnerness that belongs to our “old/new” friend Albert Hall.

Before leaving Butte, we explore the city’s historic district, its array of historic mining buildings, headframes, large open mining pit atop Granite Mountain, and the Granite Mountain Memorial.

Butte got its start in the late 1800s when gold and silver were mined in the area. But, its most prominent ore was copper and when electricity began to be used in abundance, there was a soaring demand for the red ore. The town soon began to mine copper almost exclusively and by the turn of the century the town was buzzing with miners and large mines. When World War I began, the demand for the precious metal soared and the small town became one of the most prosperous cities in the country, often referred to as “the Richest Hill on Earth.” During this time, more than 14,000 miners were working on the hill, and down below the town was prospering with numerous saloons, brothels, and every other imaginable business to support the many men and their families.

Butte's happy heydays were interuppted however, when, on June 8, 1917, a large fire was sparked some 2,000 feet below ground, which spewed flames, smoke and poison gas throughout the underground tunnels. Though immediate rescue attempts were made, 168 men lost their lives. The Granite Mountain Mine disaster is the worst hard-rock, metal mining disaster in U.S. history. The mining boom continued in Butte up to the 1950s when the ore began to decline, putting the many mines out of business. Today, these many relics of more prosperous times sit silent atop Granite Hill.

We pass by a few more mining remains as we travel westward on Highway 1 and turn northward to the Pintler Scenic Route. We pass by Georgetown Lake and begin to look for the road that takes us to the old mining camps of Georgetown and Southern Cross. Alas, Georgetown is right below a ski resort and virtually all signs of any mining activites or historic views have been replaced by new cabins, fully restored old buildings, and new condos – progress! That’s ok, cuz we continue to make our way along the road and are rewarded with several remnants in what was once Southern Cross. There appears to be a large boarding house or hotel, along with a mine building and a few scattered cabins. However, the area is buzzing with bulldozers and other equipment that show strong signs of more development for the nearby ski resort and lake. Could be these building are in for a short life span.

Backing out, we continue along the scenic route passing by a number of picturesque homesteads and barns before nearing the quaint little town of Phillipsburg and the turnoff to the ghost town of Granite. Driving along a rugged road upwards we come to the townsite and though I am surprised that it doesn’t have more remains than it does, as the town was quite large at one time, there are still lots of photo opportunties.

Back-tracking once again, we head north, before turning onto Highway 12 east towards Marysville, where we are meeting Albert at 4:00. Arghhhhhhhhh!! We come upon highway construction and it’s bad. We are forced to travel 20 miles behind a pace car whose spedometer never climbs higher than 30 miles per hour. This continues through several small towns and I am fussing loudly. Where we come from, road construction is done in smaller chunks, stopping and starting before and after small towns. Oh, we are going to be so late!!! Frantically, we try to call Albert – no phone reception. Double Arghhhhhh! Well, we can only hope that our “old” friend who we’ve “met” through the website, but have never “met” in person, won’t become disillusioned and leave. An hour late, we finally arrive in Marysville and lo and behold he’s still there.

Albert has been a long time reader of our newsletter and last year graciously invited us for a visit if we were ever in his direction. When the Montana trip planning began this year, I contacted Albert, and yup, his offer still stands. His quaint and fully modern cabin sits some six miles southwest of Marysville in a quiet little meadow, surrounded by mountains and filled with wildlife. It is great to finally put a face with a name as we meet Albert at the Marysville House and after enjoying a beer, we follow him up a rugged road that crosses the continental divide and twists and turns within a mass of trees as we slowly make our way deep into the Helena National Forest. His beautiful little cabin (the only one we’ve seen for miles) finally comes into view and we step out to take a look at this pristine abode in the wilderness. No old miners shack here, but a modern, fully equipped cabin that inegeniously uses the resources of the surrounding land to provide electricity and water. AND – he has sattelite internet!

Albert says the folks “in town” call him a hermit, and the remoteness of this place would seem to make it so, but, though he loves his solitude and peaceful surroundings, he’s not a “hermit” in any sense of the “generic description” in my mind. He’s smart, well-educated, witty, articulate, social, and one of the best hosts we’ve ever experienced. (I love my job! -- We meet the greatest folks!) He entertains us with tales of his life before retirement as a California detective, an art teacher, and a walk-on extra in several movies. After retirement, he then traveled the nation in an RV for a couple of years, looking for that perfect place to spend the rest of his life. In the meantime, he’s barbequing us an absolutely perfect steak, opening his well-stocked liquor cabinet, regaling us with regional tales and promising to play “personal guide” for tomorrow.

Five star B&B Albert!! Thank you so much!!

Ghost Towns of Southwest Montana

Now, how could I be more excited about this day than yesterday? Because it’s ghost town day, and some of these I have been looking forward to seeing for years. We head westward through Bozeman along the Bozeman Trail, where we can actually see remnants of the historic path and see the few remaining buildings of the mining and stage station town of Red Bluff. We then begin to cut southwest on our way to Virginia City.

Though by definition a ghost town, Virginia City is very much alive. Frozen in time this early settlement provides one of the best-preserved examples of the many mining camps of the American West. Gold was discovered in Alder Gulch in 1863 and within a year, some 10,000 miners had made there way to the area, lining the hills with tents first before beginning to build permanent buildings. In 1864 Congress created the new territory of Montana, separating it from Idaho Territory. By the following year Virginia City had gained so much influence that the capitol was moved from Bannack, to become the territory capitol. Virginia City and nearby Nevada City became known as the site of the richest placer gold strike in the Rocky Mountains. In the first three years alone, an estimated $30 million worth of gold was removed from the gulch. Today, Virginia City is a National Historic Landmark District, which features more than 200 historic buildings from its prosperous mining days.

Next we travel the few miles to Nevada City, whose history is much the same as its nearby neighbor, Virginia City, though it was never as large. Today, the site features not only original buildings from the mining camp, but also historic buildings that have been moved in from the surrounding area.

Then we’re headed southwest once again and choose to take a dirt road shortcut and got a bonus when we stumble across an old community called Silver Spring that we didn’t know existed. Though only two buildings remain, it was a cool stop. Then we’re headed to Bannack, but “Tommy” (our TomTom GPS) gets us lost – well not lost, but takes us down more bumpy dirt roads instead of directing us back to a highway. We finally emerge at Dillon, Montana and make our way to the ghost town and once thriving mining camp of Bannack.

Gold was first discoverecd here in 1862 and by the following year was filled with some 3,000 miners. It was in Bannack, that Sheriff Henry Plummer was said to have led a gang of road agents that terrorized the region. He was hanged by vigilantes in 1864. Today, Bannack is a Montana State Park, which features over 60 original structures. The town is preserved, rather than restored, and visitors are allowed to enter the buildings. This is a great opportunity to get a real feel of the Old West.

Taking the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway north from Bannack, we our surprised to find that there is another ghost town along the way. Though the day is getting a bit late, I just can’t bypass a ghost town opportunity, even though it winds up being just a little bit of an ordeal. While in Bannack, the sky decided to open itself upon the world, drenching the region and generating some fairly large wind gusts. We weathered out the storm inside the old Meade Hotel.
In any event, the storm took more of a toll along the byway, as we pass a number of downed trees, and as we take the four-mile detour off to the mining town of Coolidge. We find we have to hike the last ½ mile in, which feels more like at least a mile. But it was well worth the trip, even though our shoes are soaking wet and hordes of large misquotoes have made dinner of us. The site, which once featured the large Elkhorn Mine across the stream was a significant company town. Today, numerous structures continue to stand, but the vast majority have fallent and are slowly being reclaimed by nature. Unfortunately, the mine and mill across the river are not accessible, the road blocked by a gate and a “do not enter” sign.

Ok, we are done! It’s almost 10:00 p.m. by the time we reach Butte, stop for fast food, eat in bed and are gone!

Cody & Yellowstone

Bright and early before the crowds begin to flood the streets of Cody, Wyoming, we’re out taking photos and exploring the historic and reportedly haunted Irma Hotel. Built in 1902 by William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, the hotel still caters to travelers today. Then we’re off to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, which features five separate museum and thousands of artifacts, photographs, paintings, true life exhibits, and lots more.

Last stop is the Museum of the Old West at Old Trail Town, which features an assortment of storefronts and clapboard cabins gathered from the region and assembled on the original town site of Cody City. The site includes a collection 26 buildings, dating from 1879 to 1901, one hundred horse-drawn vehicles, plus an extensive collection of Native American artifacts and memorabilia of the Wyoming frontier. Another great stop and lots of great photos.

Then we’re finally on our way to Yellowstone National Park. The oldest National Park in the United States, the park attracts some three million visitors every year, and I think we met at least half of them. Of course, this is peak season for all National Parks, and I expected the crowds. We enter through the east gate and pass by Yellowstone Lake, the largest high elevation (over 7,000 feet) body of water in the country. Absolutely, beautiful, we’re snap, snap, snapping away with the camera. Then we visit a number of basins with spitting, boiling pots, before making our way to Old Faithful. We, along with hundreds of other people sit waiting for the expected 100 plus foot eruption of water and we are not disappointed.

Now we begin to make our way to the north end of the park, eagerly anticipating the sight of some stunning wildlife, which we have heard is more prevalent there. Unfortunately, the best we do is the butt-end of one buffalo who has his head buried in the trees, and the head of another who is sitting in tall grass. It’s all ok though, we’ve got a lot of trip left. Making our way through the area that was severely damaged 20 years ago in the devastating fire of 1888, the views of new growth, with toothpick like stripped trees is stunning.

Finally, we reach the great state of Montana, bedding down for the night in Livingston with big plans for the next several days.

Northwest Wyoming

Ok! Yes, this day is what I’m talking about. Determined to have a great day, I awoke chipper and excited to put yesterday behind us and get after seeing some of the great state of Wyoming. We’re headed for a couple of Freemont County ghost towns -- Atlantic City and South Pass City, mining towns near the Oregon Trail.

The morning is absolutely gorgeous, and we follow along the Wind River by towering orange bluffs and lush green valleys to our first stop of Fort Washakie. Like ghost towns, I can’t pass these historic forts, without taking a look. First known as Camp Brown, the fort was built in 1869 as a sub-post to Fort Bridger on the newly created Shoshone Indian Reservation. In 1878, it was renamed to Fort Washakie in honor of the last chief of the Eastern Shoshone tribe, Chief Washakie. It served as a military post from 1869 to 1909. In 1913, it was transferred to the Shoshone Indian Agency and today serves as the headquarters for the Eastern Shoshone tribe. A number of the old fort buildings continue to be used today for various Shoshone administrative purposes. While there, I took lots of pics of the historic buildings and we visited Chief Washakie’s grave in the Washakie Cemetery, as well as Sacagawea's grave at the cemetery named for her. Sacagawea was a young Shoshone Indian woman who was instrumental in aiding Lewis and Clark in their journey.

Then, we’re off to Lander, with breakfast on our minds, but make a quick detour at the Museum of the American West. Though it is too early to be open, the museum features several historic buildings in its Pioneer Village that we are able to view, including several cabins, a barn, a retail establishment, a school and more.

Beyond Lander we’re on our main mission to the historic mining of South Pass, Wyoming. Along the way, we see stunning views of Red Canyon before making our way to Atlantic City. This was once a mining camp that got its start following the 1867 gold rush in present-day Freemont County, Wyoming. The town began to die when the gold was played out, but today is reborn with some 57 full-time residents. It’s dusty streets feature a more than two dozen historic buildings including the 1893 Giessler Store, which now serves as very cool saloon; the 1911 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, the bells of which were ringing during our visit, calling its congregation for services; the century old Carpenter hotel, which today serve’s as the Miner’s Delight Bed & Breakfast, and many more. A wonderful stop.

Then we’re on our way to South Pass City, just a few more miles down the road when we spy a large mine perched atop the hill. Hmm – is there any way to get closer. We’re looking for a road and are ecstatic to find one a mile or so down the way, take the detour and yes! – it leads us directly to the mine. Another great stop, the historic location features not only the mine itself, but several outbuildings.

South Pass City is today a State Historic Site, which features more than 20 restored original buildings. The city got its start as a stage stop along the Oregon Trail during the 1850s, but boomed when gold was discovered in 1866. Growing to a population of some 2,000 just a few years later, the town sported numerous buildings and businesses. Like other mining towns, it dramatically declined as the gold played out and its buildings began to fall into disrepair. By the 1950’s, it was a complete ghost town, and for the next two decades became a privately run tourist attraction. By 1975 it was owned by the State of Wyoming and soon became a state historic site.

While in South Pass City, I purchase a Wyoming Ghost Town book, and discover we have missed a site along the way – the un-restored camp of Miners Delight, just a few miles from Atlantic City, so we backtrack a little. Located on BLM land, the camp was also known as Hamilton City. The site requires a short hike back in the woods to about a dozen tumbling buildings which have not been restored, but have been saved from crumbling into complete ruins with supports.

Backtracking to Lander, we’re now on our way north again, with the final objective of landing in Cody, Wyoming. We’re once again viewing some great scenes along the Wind River, then through Thermopolis, which features the Hot Springs State Park and the largest Mineral Hot Springs. While we really wanted to make a stop at the Hot Springs, we’re really trying to make up some time after United Airlines stole a day of our vacation, so we blow past making our way to Cody. For a change, we get a great room at the Holiday Inn – expensive as all get-out, but by this time, we don’t even care. Tomorrow, a tour of Cody’s Old West and on to Yellowstone.