Around it grew the town, which was originally named Mitchell, but in 1897 became known as Garnet. Armistead Mitchell erected a stamp mill to crush local ore. Miners began to trickle back.Īt the head of First Chance Gulch in 1895, Dr. Silver mines closed, and within weeks thousands of unemployed miners were on to gold mining in the Garnets. Silver mines elsewhere started to draw the miners out of the Garnet Mountains, but in 1893, the repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act set off a panic throughout the region. Although miners had located gold-bearing quartz veins, the lack of decent roads and refined extracting and smelting techniques, made further development unfeasible at that time. The Garnet Mountains attracted miners who collected the gold first by panning, then by using rockers and sluice boxes as the free-floating gold diminished. with running water, but by 1870 most area placer mining was no longer profitable. Placer mining of gold or other minerals is done by washing the sand, gravel, etc. In the 1800s miners migrated north from played-out placer mines in California and Colorado. The bawdy houses did a brisk business and Missoula and Deer Lodge were close enough for necessary supplies. There was a school, the crime rate was low, and liquor flowed freely in the town’s many saloons. The surrounding mountains were rich in gold-bearing quartz. Garnet was named for the semi-precious ruby-colored stone found in the area and it was a good place to live. ![]() Yet, a century after Garnet emerged, remnants of the town stand, hidden high in the Garnet Mountain Range east of Missoula. As a result, buildings grew quickly, most lacking foundations. Enterprising miners were more interested in extracting the riches below ground than building above. He then shared insane stories that he and others and witnessed in that room which involved items flying across the room when no one was in there to throw them.Montana’s most intact ghost town wasn’t built to last. I’m impressed! We call that room our vortex room”. When we were leaving I told the owner, “You know that one room with the mirrors has a vortex”. ![]() The mirrors felt like vortexes to me, which I told my boyfriend about my feeling. There was one room which the second I entered a I felt a very powerful energy. While you’re in the area, make sure to visit Isabella Lake nearby!Īnd yes, it is definitely haunted. Although it’s no Bodie Ghosttown, this spot definitely holds its own in my opinion. If you are in the area, I highly recommend stopping by. Many of the homes come with rich (and sometimes disturbing) stories. Today the homes and artifacts inside sit as a very dusty, outdoor museum. Many of the homes were set for demolition and instead got a second life through this couple. In the late 1960’s & 70’s, couple Dave and Arvilla Mills began relocating old, historic homes from Kern Valley to the location in which they sit today. His legacy will without a doubt live on through this museum. The more I read about him, the more I learned how passionate he was about preserving the history of this town. It choked me up to learn of his passing and although we knew he was sick when visiting, you always hope that things will turn around for the better. When I was putting this article together, I looked him up to make sure to share it with him, only to learn he had passed away a month after we visited. Paul Corlew, who sat with us for a good 30 minutes, telling us some crazy stories. ![]() We were fortunate enough to meet the now late owner when we visited, J. What makes this place so unusual is a combination of the props, the stories attached to the buildings and most importantly, the energy here.įor those sensitive to that type of thing, you should know immediately what I’m talking about. I’m not sure if it qualifies as an authentic ghost town as the buildings were all transferred here, but they are still historic to the area nonetheless. One of the most unusual museums I have visited would be the Silver City Ghost Town.
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