The elkhorn district was prospected early in the history of the state and numerous quartz locations were made in the years preceding 1870, but the district did not attract attention until. Elk river books abaa is a collaboration by poet marc beaudin and journalist andrea peacock. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read ghost children in elkhorn, montana. Six years later, anton holter, a pioneer capitalist from helena, began developing the mine. However, until the turn of the century, only small placer mine operations worked in the area. Montana became a territory of united states of america in 1889. Roadside history of montana goes well beyond cowboy stories to tell of the struggles of dryland farmers, the rowdy antics of mining town denizens, and the heroism of smoke jumpers and park rangers. The elkhorn mine, located high in the pioneer mountains, was discovered on october 24, 1873 by mike steel and f. Situated in the elkhorn mountains of montana is the onceprosperous mining camp of elkhorn. People still live in elkhornindeed more now than when i last visited 25 years ago.
Elkhorn, montana the rich history of a once booming. History of the elkhorn mining district western mining history. The museum has 100 buildings from early montana history and a huge artifacts collection. Through the eyes of pansy, a young girl who escaped the fate of so many other elkhorn children, we experience the tragedy that devastated the. Our online shop features a curated selection of our finer books. This offthebeatenpath abandoned town is a relic of montanas silver mining boom.
Elkhorn history in 1868 the first mine was started in the elkhorns. View pictures from several other montana ghost towns, including elkhorn, garnet, granite, hecla. In 1868 the first mine was started in the elkhorns. If you look hard you can see the backside of the fraternity hall and gillian halls. List of books and articles about montana history online. Empty of people today and most of its buildings tumbling to the ground, coolidge, montana was once a beehive of activity. This website is rich in resources for teaching and learning about montana history. The elkhorn mining district is located in the pioneer mountains northwest of. Fraternity hall has endured time, neglect, and heavy snows to become one of montanas most photographed buildings.
Situated in the elkhorn mountains of montana is the once prosperous mining. This book has no cover and is in poor condition, most all pages are except the last couple of pages. These are the 12 best ghost towns to see in montana. If it werent for gillian hall and fraternity hall, which constitute the smallest state park in montana, elkhorn wouldnt be included in this book. We invite you to orient yourself by taking a guided tour or by reading through this introduction and exploring the site on your own. This is the view of elkhorn, montana as you walk up the elkhorn cemetery. Unfortunately, time, weather, fire, and capitalism have reduced it to what it is today. It is an inactive volcanic mountain range with the highest point being crow peak at 9,414 ft 2,869 m, right next to elkhorn peak, 9,381 ft 2,859 m. A history of two centuries first appeared in 1976 and immediately became the standard work in its field. Elkhorn, montana the rich history of a once booming silver town. Much of the credit for this initial history of elkhorn is due to the hard work of mrs. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
The elkhorn mine dominates the history of the district. Fifty years as a montana hunter nebraska 2007 and sketches from the ranch. Just a generation ago, a hunter would have been hardpressed to find a. The rocky mountains, valleys and yellow rangeland would make you fall in love with montana. Photographs of elkhorn taken in the 1970s show an extensive townsite with dozens of deserted wooden buildings. The community is considered a ghost town, and two of its buildings are preserved as elkhorn state park.
Dating from the second wave of montanas gold and silver rushes, elkhorn has survived as one of the better ghost towns in the west. Elkhorn mountain is the site for an authentic ghost town that has been dead for threequarters of a century. As far as ghost towns are concerned, elkhorn is a must for there is much to see. Montana gained much popularity only after gold was discovered there in 1862.
Elkhorn cemetery, in the southwestern part of montana, is high in the mountains east of boulder, off of i15. Their book, 18671967 elkhorn, nebraska, the first century of progress can be found at the bess. Transportation to and from the town was difficult until 1889 when the northern pacific railroad ran track to elkhorn. The elkhorn property was sold by its original locators to a. Holter, a virginia city pioneer started the elkhorn mine in 1875. The history of the mining industry of this district is therefore the history of this mine. The greatest books ever written about montana montana mint. Ghost children in elkhorn, montana ebook written by colleen clancy hansen. Use this interactive map to discover ghost towns near you. This history of elkhorn valley, nebraska, this includes counties of dodge, cuming, stanton, madison, antelope and holt. The community of elkhorn, nebraska was platted and in existence in 1867 pictured at right when nebraska became a state. Our goal is to provide a community gathering place for. Though it still boasts just a few remaining residents, this small town today is a far cry from the bustling activity it displayed more than a century ago. A history of its discovery and settlement, social and commercial progress, mines and miners, agriculture and stockgrowing, churches, schools and societies, indians and indian wars, vigilantes, courts of justice, newspaper press, navigation, railroads and statistics, with histories of counties, cities, villages and mining camps.
Roadside history of montana roadside history paperback. Colleen clancy hansens story ghost children transports you to montanas elkhorn of the past, when it was a thriving mining town. After graduating from college with a business major, she took a leap of faith and looked for guest ranch jobs out west. Public comment on the rtp grant applications is open through monday, march 9 at 5pm. Lodes of silver, described by geologists as supergene enrichments, were initially discovered in the elkhorn mountains by peter wys, a swiss immigrant. Bill roe was said to have given the mine its name of a result of having found a pair of elk horns in the area.
The park is open to visitors who want to learn about the history of the place. Elkhorn and pictures of the fraternity hall and the gillian hall both on the national register of historical places and owned by montana fish and parks are in every ghost town book and many articles about elkhorn are found on the internet. Go 7mi south on hwy 69, turn left over a small bridge then right onto gravel road miles, bearing left at each of two forks in the road. Mining began in what became known as the elkhorn mining district when rich veins of silver were discovered high in the pioneer mountains in 1872 by a man named preston sheldon. Elkhorn mountains in montana elkhorn mountains oregon, a subrange of the blue mountains wikipedia. Elkhorns history was first documented in the book, 18671967 elkhorn, nebraska, the first century of progress, which was compiled and produced by the elkhorn womens club centennial book committee. We hand pick our regularly rotating stock, so theres always something new. View pictures from several other montana ghost towns, including elkhorn, garnet, granite, hecla, and virginia city. Author don spritzers love of montana in all its diversity shines through in each vignette as he introduces readers to montanas independent, adventurous, and often eccentric people. Holter organized the elkhorn mining company, and the mine has since been known as the elkhorn mine. Geology and mineral deposits, east flank of the elkhorn. Elkhorn, montana abandoned houses, abandoned places. Although local lore says that an argument over a dance led to a murder at fraternity hall, the true incident actually began at a thanksgiving eve dance in 1889 at gilliams hall.
It is a wellpreserved mining town much like bannack and virginia city. Take a virtual tour of bannack, montanas first territorial capital. This story is featured in montana outdoors novemberdecember 2010 issue. Elkhorn montana ghost town dating from the second wave of montanas gold and silver rushes, elkhorn has survived as one of the better ghost towns in the west.
Though elkhorn is located just eight miles northwest of boulder, montana, it is 18 miles by road. Elkhorn today today elkhorn is a classic silver mining ghost town. In 1888 the montana corporation sold out to a new company organized in. In 1967, the elkhorn womens club, compiled the citys history to commemorate the towns centennial year. Stories of the land companion website and online teachers guide. Weeks abstract the elkhorn mountains are an ovalshaped mountain mass in westcentral montana that is located between the city of helena and the valley of the jefferson river. Praise the admiration for roosevelt, montana hunting and all things outdoors is evident in dan aadlands wellwritten in trace of tr. Ghost children in elkhorn, montana by colleen clancy.
Other than topography it is its rich history which has been bestowed to date. Montana college of mineral science and technology, butte. Sarah put it this way, i read way too many western horseman magazines and wanted to step into that world. Walter harvey weed 1901 in his report on the district discusses the elkhorn mine almost exclusively.
The mine was first open and worked by a company financed in the east. We have posted much of the material as pdf files, which can be. The most famous remnant of montanas mining era is the ghost town at elkhorn. Elkhorn mountains disambiguation elkhorn mountains may refer to. Living up to its name how controversial hunting regulations restored big bulls to the elkhorn mountains. A montana memoir, available in a bison books edition. Fully twenty percent of the text is new or revised, incorporating the results of new research and new interpretations dealing with prehistory, native american studies. The montana mint is proud to bring to you the greatest books ever written about montana. Elkhorn mountains is a mountain in montana and has an elevation of 4944 feet.
Located in the heart of the elkhorn mountains in jefferson county, elkhorn represents one of the most prosperous silver mining camps in montana. Elkhorn mt abandoned houses, ghost towns, old western towns. Panning started in 1870 and soon changed to hard rock mining when the quartz lodes were discovered. Elkhorn national forest was established as the elkhorn forest reserve in montana on may 12, 1905 with 186,240 acres. Of course the phrase ghost town is a brand name, not reality. The western montana ghost town preservation society purchased the two structures for preservation because the wooden buildings are considered to be one of western americas most. Through the eyes of pansy, a young girl who escaped the fate of so many other elkhorn children, we experience the tragedy that devastated the once prosperous town in the harsh year of 1889. Elkhorn, montana survives today legends of america.
As the mine developed during the 1870s the town of elkhorn grew up around it. Building out the definitive list of the best books where montana plays a key role in the book or authors life. Today, summer cottage residents watch over the jefferson county town, and the montana ghost town preservation society has stabilized the deterioration of fraternity hall and the adjacent gillian hall. The first third of book is history of these counties and the rest is biographical of important people at this time. The fraternal hall in elkhorn state park is one of the greatest ghost town buildings in the west. The range is surrounded by the cities of helena, montana city, townsend, whitehall, and boulder. Coolidge tumbling in the forest legends of america. Being a correct and impartial narrative of the chase, trial, capture, and execution of henry plummers road agent band, together with accounts of the lives and crimes of many of the robbers and desperadoes by thomas j. Jardine, montana located in park county about five miles west of gardiner, montana, gold was first discovered in bear gulch in 1866. Elkhorn hidden history and old west haunts of colorado. From the boulder exit on i15, travel south on state highway 69, about 7 miles, to a wellmarked county gravel road. Its principal mine, the elkhorn, was discovered around 1872 by peter wys, a native of switzerland, and has changed hands repeatedly.
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