https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/72bb042ac29acca22bfbdecdd9cc2403.pdf c8745db2349b772013032ad32c2ee9fa PDF Text Text �N. Weis MONTANA ABBA 1 (of-^> eo»t«tta&=Ap^»oaXBBa±eiy:=3±Qfi::dte=pia. JARDINE, MONTANA /y —From Gardner, at the north edge of Yellow­ stone Park, it is six miles by gravel road to the town of Jardine. miles. These are six of Montana’s prettiest The road angles up the north side of Yellow­ stone Canyon, crosses Eagle Creek, and immediately drops over a rise, bringing the green valley of Bear Creek into view. -1- Jardine, Montana �N. Weis Two and a half miles ahead lies the old mining town of Jardine, but here, beside the road is a scene of unusual beauty. A small pond, its deep waters lightly rippled by the breeze, nestles between the road and a curve of protecting trees. Toward the far shore, a weathered shack stands in deep water. A gangplank offers access, and inside are rusted control wheels, their axles extending deep below the water’s surface. The lake seems too peaceful — too natural * to be manj^de, but it is in fact the headwater pond of a hydro-electric plant. A three-mile ditch contours its way from the upper reaches of Boar Creek, bringing water gently to this point. Nine hundred feet below the pond, the water gushes forth with tremendous force. Conducted downhill by a twenty inchedlameter pipe, constricted to eleven inches at the exit point, the energy developed— nearly (4^ hors epower was sufficient to light the mining town of Jardine^ and to power both its mills, Jardine was a company town — enjoying periodic booms and suffering through the intervening busts. Each bust, however, was but a pause, awaiting a new strike or a new sot of Investors. -2- Jardine, Montana �N. Weis Joe Brown caused the first excitement when he discovered placer gold in Bear Creek. That was in 1865t and the excitement increased when gold in quartz was found deep within adjacent Mineral Hill. In 1884 a small stamp mill was built to replace the crude mule-drawn arrastra, but the rich veins ran out shortly, and operations ceased in 1886. Further prospecting brought new deposits to light. The mill was refurbished and enlarged, and operations resumed in I890. Three years later the panic of *93 caused another shutdown, Harry Bush arrived in 1898, He caused such vast changes that the town was named for him, but only momentarily. Three hotels, three mercantiles, three saloons, several houses of ill repute, one church and a school complemented the great number of company buildings. By 1899, the new mill was completed. the "Revenue," it held forty stamps. CalipH Each stamp weighed hundreds of pounds, and each in turn was lifted five inches and permitted to fall on the coarse gold-bearing ore. minute. Each stamp dropped ninety times per One of the few surviving residents described the scene this way.* -3- Jardine, Montana �N. Weis “With forty of them stamps going, the sound was more than noise. You could feel itI Pelt good, though — felt just like a paycheek on Saturday night." The severe pounding required massive rock foundations. Six hundred perch of stone were used, a perch being almost a cubic yard. The payroll ran nearly a quarter of a million dollars per year. The town had a post office, and the population of the valley was measured in the thousands. Mr. and Mrs. George M. Welcome were residents before and after the big boom. When George died, a handsome stone was placed at the head of his grave. Across the top, in large letters, is printed one word ~ -WELCOME." It is the first thing you see as you enter the cemetery. Some viewers are upset by the startling salutation, others are reassured, Ripley’s /^^,B©llove ^t or not Rlplajr" referred to Jardine as "the town where the cemetery says welcome." The town was named "Jardine" about 1900, after a popular company superintendent. For three place years the^tewn- enjoyed prosperity. By 1902 over a half mllllon'fin gold had been recovered. Other spurts of activity -A there were twelve in all —. resulted in a total take ofy2,2 million,gold^ between 1865 and 1926 ^^4- Jardlne, Montana �In 1926, arsenic ore was discovered in some of the tunnels. An addition was made to the lower The final product mill to process the new find. obtained was arsenic trioiide, a potent rat and bug killer, and a widely used paint pigment. The mill processed nearly two hundred tons per day, DDT Some people claim that Pf&aht killed the town At least the discovery of DfDfTj ruined the market for arsenic as an insectiside. The plant closed in 19^2, reopened briefly in 19^^ to supply arsenic to the military, then closed again in 194-5. A "mysterious fire destroyed the arsenic plant in 194-6, and the town' population went from few to almost none. Twelve families now live in Jardine, Half of these are outfitters, guiding hunting and fishing parties into the unspoiled mountaini* . to the north and east. Of the several hundred buildings, only a fraction remaliy. On the west side of the creek are a number of residences and an old store or two. The town layout is accurately shown on the Gardner, Montana, 15 minute topographic map, A dilapidated bridge permits adventurous access to a group of secluded shacks lying between the two forks of Bear ^reek. An old sign at the bridge is accidentally appropriate: -5- Jardlne, Montana �N. Weis M- T/?,A<3Tassing at your own risk- A windowless house displays a "WELCOME" sign over Its hlj^hot door. On the porch Is a placard that proclaims! "RESERVED." The east side was the company part of town. The two huge mills, an empty saw*Talll, and several dozen offices, cablnf^and a store remain standing. A few years ago, Richard and Jean Blankenship purchased the mining property. They found a number of buildings so far gone that they required destruction. Others are being repaired and put to use as guest houses. The Blankenships have hopes of Installing a ski tow. Slopes and snow are already there In full_ sixty-five abundance. The town Is at an elevation of aixty^-f^ive- hundred feet, and the hills on either side rise another two thousand feet. The blacksmith shop, at the mine adit, or tunnel^outh. Is in nearly perfect condition. an "improved" barrel stove. It had Fifty-gallon drums were commonly used as stoves, with a door In one endy and a stove'^ipe placed at the rear. was a double-decker. This stove, however, The stove'~plpe led immediately Into a second drum of equal size. The stovepipe was attached to the near end of this dru^ and extended upward through the roof. -6- Jardine, Montana �N. Weis Near the smithy was an outhouse in an equally good state of preservation. was uniquely simple, The seating arrangement A four-inch-diameter log smoothed by use — extended the full width of the structure. The twelve-foot width indicated a seating capacity of six men. The back rest was a three-inch diameter log that also spanned the full distance. A changing room, near the tunnel mouth, was complete with a twenty-four-foot shower. and benches were all there. The lockers One locker contained a dusty, rotted towel, I Evidence all about indicated a massive . -- her human effort — ^lature did not release willingly. riches No fortunes were made here, but there is gold in Mineral Hill, Reserves are valued — by one Investigator — at five million dollars. Most of the twenty tunnels in Mineral Hill have low-grade ore visibly in contact, Jardine is on the bust now, waiting for the next boom. In the meantime^ the most industrious effort being carried out on Bear Creek is the logging operation conducted by the resident beavers. And somehow, one must agree — that is the way it should be in Jardine, -7- Jardine, Montana �N. Weis CORWIN, MONTANA The Miner, Montana, 15 minute topographic map revealed a number of prospective ghost townsr Miner, Carbella, Sphinx, Cinnabar, Aldridge, and Electric. All had been bypassed by the highway, several had deserted schools indicated, and one town, named Electric, was at the end of a dead-»end road. Of these six possibilities, only two were worth visiting and photographing, but in the process of searching out these sites, I came across a third interesting remnant of early I900 vintage. Corwin(Springs)is located on the highway, but is nontheless deserted. be called a town. Perhaps it should not It was in reality a resort hotel, or spa, complete with hot mineral spring plunge, recreation parlor, and horse bams. Dr. P. E. Corwin built a seventy-two—room, three-»story hotel on the site, and proclaimed the mineral baths a definite aid to healthy living. Special trains left Livingston, Montana, each weeR end, carrying several hundred visitors and patients to the soothing comforts of Corwin Springs, The tracks paralleled Yellowstone River for many miles. Fishermen were given special treatment, A pull on the cord, and the train would stop, and three hundred -8- Corwin, Montana �N. Weis vacationers would wish the angler good luck. The fishermen needed only to flag down the next train for a ride on In to Corwin, or for a return trip to Livingston, The hotel burned to the ground on Thanks­ giving Day, 1917. The plunge Is still there, looking somewhat like a modern fort. Its parapets are empty, the doors are barred, and the pool Is deserted. The horse barns no longer cater to the dudes. There are no gentle equines here. Herds of domestic elk occupy the fields on either side. What a hand­ some steed an elk would make — and what a fantastic ride a dude would takeI 9- Corwln, Montana �N. Weis ALDRIDGE, MONTANA Sometimes nothing goes right. I turned left off Mol Heron Road, crossed the ereek, and stopped at a trailer house to ask for permission and directions to Aldridge. Two rather large dogs took issue with my presence. I rolled up my map, pretended it was a weapon, and bluffed my way through. Yes, I could drive up through the gate if I wished. I would have to walk the last mile — would be better to go on up the main road a mile and a half, then walk cross-country. The gate route sounded best to me, since it led past Aldridge Lake and the cemetery. At the gate I was confronted with a chain looped about the gate and the gate post. It was secured by a railroad spike. After ten minutes of work, I concluded there was no way to get it open, and that the owner had made sure no one could gain access. As I drove out, the dogs barked with a derisive note. Still confident, I pursued the second route, only to find that I had to ford Mol Heron Creek. was high — too high to wade. In an hour the light was failing and I had found no easy crossing. it began to rain. It Then I retreated in four-wheel drive. -10- Aldrldge, Montana �N. Weis Luckily, I had learned of two old-timers lA?k o t used to live in Aldridge, They had a vacation home in the area north of Corwin. It took only minutes to reach the highway and follow it north two miles to Cedar Creek, Rudy and Leo Planishek, brothers, seventy- two and sixty-eight years respectively, offered me their kindest hospitality. We spent a long evening discussing the ghost towns of Aldridge and Electric, Their cabin is on the south bank of Cedar Creek, about three hundred yards east of U,S, Highway 89, They have the finest garden in Montana, Terraced, fertilized, and babied, the vegetables have no choice but to grow, Rudy even lets the stream water warm up in the barrel before he sprays it over the crop something about not wanting to shook the tomatoes. Rudy, the oldest, starts to tell each story. About the time he has warmed up, Leo takes over. Rudy shows a noticeable disappointment, but is soon captured by Leo’s version of the story, and listens raptly to the end. Rudy jumps in with another, better story, only to have the ball stolen again. surely understand one another. The two gentlemen I asked how long they had lived together."Oh — just as long as we've been -11- Aldridge, Montana �N. Weis alive, about sixty-eight years — no, never married — both of us always did the same kind of work — coal mining mostly,* Aldridge was established In 1897, and Leo was bom there In 19OI. Rudy was four years old then, and the two youngsters grew up In one of the toughest coal towns In Montana, The town was divided Into "Happy Hollow," the residential area two partst for the workers, most of whom were single, and^ logically, "Downtown," which was five hundred feet down the hill below. The company kept plenty of men employed by promising to help them bring a bride over from Austria, For $150 you could mall order a woman, but you took One hundred and fifty dollars what you got, or forfeited your money, <as a A hundred days* wages, and the company was happy to put you on a withholding plan. Rudy and Leo have many stories to tell. One of them Involved the kids of Aldridge)^ and a portable whore house, A "traveling maiy with two tents and two women, set up shop at the lower edge of town. started each evening at dark, Leo added. Business "Like a drlve-in movie," The local women referred to the customers as "fence Jumpers," and deplored the situation greatly -12- Aldridge, Montana �N. Weis The kids got together and formed a plan to help solve the problem, A fifteen-gallon beer keg was stolen, filled with water, and aimed downhill at the two tents. It rolled straight and true, right up to the last rock In front of the tent. There It shattered The vigilantes would and slanted harmlessly by. have to try again! The coal mined at Aldridge was sent down hill two miles to the town of Electric, There It was made Into coke that was In turn used by the smelters to the north. An efficient tramway used the weight of the full buckets descending to pull the empty buckets back up the hill. was required. No power other than gravity A personnel-carrying cable car was also operated between the two towns, and was affectionately called the "Toonervllle Trolley," Rudy started work for the coal company In 1910» when he was thirteen years old. He worked for one month as a rock picker, and was looking forward to collecting his first pay. The mine closed Just before pay'day, and Rudy still has not received his moneyI The brothers were very disappointed that I had not [reached the old town^slte. I explained about the gate and the railroad spike, and then listened to the embarrassing tiruth. In the area. It Is a standard gate latch Niggle It just right and It pops open. -13- Aldrldge, Montana �N. Weis It was too late and too muddy to return. Leo said there was only a shack or two left, and loaned me a couple of old pictures of the town. Aldridge may be dead and nearly gone, but it is ever alive in the minds and words of the two fine gentlemen named "Planishek." -14- Aldrldge, Montana �N. Weis BLSGTBIC, MONTANA Founded by the Montana Coal and Coke Company in 1898, Electric was the downhill coking end of the two-town complex of Aldridge and Electric. Coal was originally shuttled dowifhlll to Electric by a wooden flume. Wet coal had to be dried before it could be burned in closed kilns to form coke. The drying process took too long and the flume was inclined to freeze up on cold days. Consequently, in 190?^ the tramway was built, "Old" Charlie Dickson was hired as tram greaser. He rode the tram ten hours a day, greasing the tower wheels on the fly. Each noon he would hop off the bucket onto a convenient tower, climb down and eat his lunch. Shortly, the tramway would shut down for the noon hour. The tram stopped a bit early one day and stranded Charlie over Hoppe Creek, a thousand feet above the water. They say Charlie spent the balance of the day in close contact with a bottle of rye whiskey. At Electric, the coal was loaded on small railroad oars and hauled by a dinky (a small locomotive) to the kilns. There were 25^ kiinr, each hemispherical in shape/ and about twelve feet in diameter. -15- Railroad Electrlc, Montana �N. Weis <30 tracks ran above and^longside each row of kilns. Brick layers, most of them Italians, would break open each oven. After cooling, "pullers" would hook out the coke, load It on the cars. brick up the oven again. The masons would then Another smaller hole would be broken in the top, six tons of coal poured in, and the oven bricked over to seal out the air. Heat from the former batch was enough t© ignite the new charge. Seventy-two hours later the conversion was complete, and the process was repeated. grades were given thirty-six hours. Cheaper The coke was shipped by rail to the massive smelters at Anaconda, Montana. Coke pullers were paid one dollar per oven. A good man could pull throe a day. This did very little for a family’s standard of living. much of the town was a near slum. Consequently, Dotted with sheet *- iron shacks, the working man's residential area was called "Tin Town," The business district was impressive by contrast. A massive company store and saloon proclaimed on its false front in large block letters» MONTANA COAL & COKE TRADING CO. A STORE WITH EVERYTHING IN IT -16- ) Electric, Montsuna �N. Weis Inside, canned goods reached from floor to ceiling. Minor competition came from the Pair & Square Grocery, but the lower prices were little inducement compared to the credit on wages offered by the ^ompany store. There were nearly five hundred workers during the boom years, and the population of Electric was close to two thousand. The town was originally named "Horr," but in 1904’, when an electric plant was Installed, the name was changed to •’Electric.’’ Electric Peak, located a few miles south, and named for its unique ability to attract lightning, may have influenced the naming of the town. In 1910 the mines at Aldridge ran into thin seams and low-grade coal. towns ceased. Company operations at both Aldridge died quickly, but Electric, on the traveled way, lasted considerably longer. Some buildings were moved out, others bunaed down and were never rebuilt, but the town remained a community gathering point until the school closed in 194-5. The town’^lte is now on the Charles and Annie Mikolich property, about two miles south of Corwin on the west side of the river. Of the several hundred original buildings, only the school, the Pair and Square Grocery, a bachelor's cabin, mule bam. -17- Electric, Montana �N. Weis and two strings of charcoal kilns survive. is now a garage. The store The bachelor’s cabin is decorated with antlers, and located in the middle of a corral. It serves as a convenient rubbing post for livestock. The mule bam now shelters riding horses. Sagebrush, as high as your head, covers much of the traces of yesterday’s endeavor. The red-,brlck kilns, stubbornly resisting the attack of time, make a fitting monument to the people who lived in the town of Electric, -18- Electrio, Montana �N. Weis MONTANA AREA 2 This Wit Oentains approximately '55jC10--Wa3?d«» PONY, MONTANA --- § beautiful church, built solidly of hand-trimmed stone blocks. Its steeple lifted a It was an Episcopal Church, sinner's eyes to heaven. built as a memorial to a loved one of that faith. The church had no debts, and parishioners could rest assured no collection plate pressures would be applied. There was just one problem. Very few Episcopalians lived in Pony, and few of them attended. -1 Eventually Pony, Montana �N. Weis the church was sold to the Odd Fellows, who promptly removed the steeple and printed "lOOP" over the door. The church stands In Pony today, as proud and dignified as an elder, watching his top hat blow down the hill. Pony's history Is full of strange stories and even stranger people. Gold was first located by a gent known mainly by his short stature, and his nickname, "Pony," He left town about the same time they named the town after him. Pony sits astride the confluence of Pony Greek and Willow Creek, on the eastern slopes of the Tobacco Root Range. Harrison, Montana, and Highway 28? lie six miles to the northeast. The Harrison, Montana, 15 minute topographic map shows Pony and a number of nearby sites. The setting Is beautiful, the road Is good, and the people are friendly. The original town — about two miles upstream — was called "Strawberry." An outcrop of gold-bearing quartz was found there.*- the vein widening to a generous ten feet at relatively shallow depth. The ore was rich enough to warrant "on the spot" processing. By 1875, two mills were operating two miles below the mine. A store was added and the people of Strawberry drifted In. -2- Pony, Montana^^^^^ �N. Weis In 1877, streets were laid out. Strawberry died as Pony sprang to life. The mines slowly released their riches, and Pony grew. It took twenty years to skim the cream, till only the low grade was left In view. The Boss Tweed and the Clipper mines had totaled more than two million'^In gold. Eventually the mines shut down and people began to leave, but Pony had one more good spurt leftI An eastern syndicate bought the Boss Tweed - Clipper property, and laid great plans for development. One resident claims the mines were shot?* gunned — salted with gold and fired Into the quartz. Whatever the reason. It was I900 and prt^erlty had arrived again. The new company built a massive three- story brick office building about one-half mile west o^^town o£ Pony Willow Creek, and began the construction of a one- hundred- stamp mill I The office Is still there — good as new — but Ino one seems to recall what happened to the mill. It was a great moment In Pony's history. townspeople built a #12,000 -fchool. with stores. The Main ^treet filled Pour fraternal orders vied for members. Three churches tried vainly to counteract the evils of eleven saloons. -3- Pony, Montana �N. Weis The bubble burst when ore tests revealed the truth. Not only was the ore very low grade, but it was of a type that required more than simple crushing and separating. to leave. The developers were quick The original min^owners moved back to town and continued a modest milling operation. By I9I8 the population had dwindled to three hundred, A few mines were still operating, their owners hopeful that the next blast would uncover a lost vein. The banker was still doing business — he would keep your money safe, but offered no interest. The last mine closed in 1922, Nearly a half a century has passed. only a few families live in Pony, site to visit. residents. Now It is a popular The tourists often outnumber the The Morris State Bank, standing alone at the southwest corner of the main intersection, is of particular interest. Two stories high, with full basement, the brick structure shows little sign of deterioration. INFORMATION PROSPECTS mines 9 Gilt lettering on the windows read^i COMMISSIONER NOTARY PUBLIC JAMES A, FLINT Spindle-back chairs and desks are still in place and visible through the windows. -4- Downstairs is a Pony, Montana �N. Weis tonsorial parlor, its bathtub dry and dusty. ’Half a block east, and aoross the street, are two more de­ serted buildings. butcher shop. The wooden structure was once a The cooler is open and empty of ice. A "teller cage" type room was apparently occupied by the bookkeeper. Beside the butcher shop is the Isdell Mercantile, a brick building with high arched windows. Inside, a horse~shoe balcony provides two stories of shelving. Scattered all about are receipts from the years 1910 to 1933. One shipping statement, dated November 11, 1910, was for "Superior Oak Hamess" that was shipped in from Marshal Wells, Duluth, Minnesota. Q - Father west, and across the street, are four more de­ serted buildings. First is the Schriner Building, with a large "Rex Flour" billboard painted on its front. Only the front wall remains standing. Next is the old Hoffer Hardware, and then the Rooming House-Saloon combination. Nearby is a two-story brick multi-purpose fraternal club building. Marshal William B, Landon was well known in the Pony area — not for his law enforcement, but for his strange passion for chiseling rock. He apparently became disenchanted with the neighboring town of Potosi. -5- Pony, Montana �N. Weis Selecting a large boulder beside the road about a mile out of Potosi, he chiseled on It In bold letterst "ONE MILE TO HELL" West of Pony, on the north side of the Strawberry Mill Road, is another of his masterpieces. The rock is opposite the stream, where the stream is closest to the road, and is between the town dump and the cattle guard. The rock is a flat piece of granite, about four by seven feet. On it he has inscribed some strange letters, unlike any in our alphabet — also a maltese cross, his initials, and the date 1921. He confided to friends that it was just a hoax, to make others think it was a secret treasure map. Like the jold lady -that liked blueberry muffins — and save^ up an entire attic full — the old marshal just likeil to carye rock. He even carved his own tombstone, and the town folk buried him beside it. Two ghosts are said to walk the town at night. If true, then the ghost of William B. Landon must assuredly be one of themi -6- Pony, Montana �N. Weis RED BLUFF, MONTANA The Norris, Montana, 15 minute topographic map shows Red Bluff as a town with cemetery, empty buildings, and nearby abandoned mines. The deserted mines were prime indication that Red Bluff would be Inspection showed that Red Bluff had a ghost town. long since passed through the "ghost" stage, and was now in its thiird "reincarnation," Prior to 1864, Red Bluff was a stage stop on the old Bozeman Cu^ff. Located on Hot Springs Greek, at the upper end of a narrow five-mlle canyon, it was a popular place to gulp a bracer before facing the rigors of the road. 1864 a large two-story stone building was built on the north side of the thoroughfare. The number of chimneys indicates that each room had a fire^ place or stove. The structure served as a boarding*" house for miners from 1870 to 1900 or so, then was converted to a residence. Later, it became a hotel. Now it holds the offices of Red Bluff Research Station of Montana State University. The town "died" in 1920, but in its prime it had a bank, many residences, and (reportedly) one thousand citizens. Now only the stone hotel, a mine -7- Red Bluff, Montana �N. Weis tunnel, a few old shaoks and the cemetery are left. The cemetery Is still In use, and well kept. The older section has some Interesting headstones» Joseph Waibank of Kelghly, England Died Age 60 Nov 10 1888 1/ O UIX lUcX T. Jemima X* XPlster X O w wX 1845-190^ Faithful to the End — and this tearful poem on the grave of a little girl Lj'X. . Ere Sin Could Harm or Sorrow Fade Death Came With Friendly Care The Opening Bud To Heaven Conveyed And Bade It Blossom There. Red Bluff had ten great years. From 1870 to 1880 the Boaz mine brought ^200,000 worth of silver and gold to the surface. The Josephine did as well. The Gold Cup, Waterlode, Helene, and Grubstake were all operating multiple shifts. Located two miles south of Red Bluff, the long dormant Boaz Mine was revived briefly In 1941 and 1948. Both times It failed to pay out. Here a flfty» ton cyanide mill once spewed forth Its Vlipcous yellow waste. A dam across a small stream provided still water, permitting the solids to settle out. The dam Is gone, but the solid yellow shelf of sediment remains. -8- Red Bluffjf, Montana �N. Weis At the mine proper, ajfjeautlfully square shaft, about eight feet on a side, extends five hundred feet down^ ward. Side drifts exit at the one hundred sixty—five, two hundred sixty-five, three hundred sixty-five and five hundred foot levels. Poorly mounted on their foundations, the buildings have taken on considerable list. Each has its own personality, the overall effect being that of an amusement park fun house. At the up^ hill end of the mine complex, a large machine shop stands, its walls gone, but the roof providing welcome shade for a dozen white-faced cattle. The mine was run by an engineer with commendable imagination. When electricity came in, the steam boiler was|converted to a hot-water heater, A four-place teeter-tottei^pivoted on a power pole, kept the kids happy. Perhaps it was originally a transformer support, but the curved grooves worn in the center pole could only have been caused by hours of play. Just down the hill adjoining the Boaz, are the shafts of the Peanuts Mine, Several buildings are there, one of them obviously a cookhouse. The stove is gone, but the chimney standsj and Just in front of the chimney, squarely above the stove location, is another Innovation quite ahead of its time. -9- A four- Red Blufff, Montana �N. Weis by-.four cupola, about six feet high, contains screenedIn louvres designed to permit the escape of heat. food must have been good. The Only a good cook deserved such deluxe facilities. -10- Sed Bluff/^, Montana �N. Weis VIRGINIA CITY, MONTANA The Judge agreed^ the place called Alder Creek should have an official name. After the wife of Jeff Davis? But "Varina?" It was 1864, and no northern Judge would certify such a name. He wrote out "Virginia" Instead, and "Virginia City" it became. In one year it was a full-blown town, with hotels, schools, fire department, newspaper, opera house, and hundreds of homes. Buildings were going up at the Incredible rate of one hundred each week, and the population reached the ten thousand mark. It became the capital city in I865. Three-fourths of a mile long, four streets wide — and nearly every lot sold I Money was abundant, and a multitude of crooks moved in to take their share. One bund red ninety murders occurred in seven months. Vigilantes caught up with and hung five suspects, using the conveniently exposed beams of a half-finished store. Another was hung in Nevada City, and a few more, including the ringleader, were dispatched in Bannack. As in an early silent Western, the sheriff of Bannack was found to be the mastermind. His name was "PinmTnar," so the gang, whose members had now fled — or were -11- Vlrginla City, Montana �N. Weis the "Plununer Gang.” dead., was finally given a name — A The Chinese laundry operators catered especially to the miners. Pant pockets were thoroughly scrubbed, and the wash water then panned. The gold recovered often exceeded the fee charged for washing. Oriental laborers moved in on the placers as quickly as the miners deserted them. Soon there were six hundred Chinese panning gold, happy to glean the trace of riches left by the first wave of gold seekers. By 1895, even the Chinese gave up, and the town shrank to six hundred. Pew people lived^^^ar round in A Virginia City after 1920. In 19^6, the town caught the attention of State Senator and millionaire ranchet* Charles Bovey. He made a hobby of restoring the town to its original glory. Some saloons, stores, cafes, and one hotel went back in business, making as few changes as possible, with a code of accurate reconstruction care­ fully Imposed. Some stores were restocked with their original merchandise. The stage office, barbershop, library, and livery were repaired and refurbished. By 1968, the entire town was one big functioning museum. -12- Virglnia City, Montana �N. Weis There was gold in Virginia City again. walked on two legs and was called "tourist." It Happily, the prices were not high and the sights were priceless. It was tnily an experience to walk down Wallace Street, especially in the quiet of early morning. Things changed in I968. Virginia City lost much of its charm when a modern store was built at the edge of town. In front of the store, a gigantic . plywood cowboy now shouts commercialism down the length W4 ''----- x. of luTii Street. The echoes fall painfully upon the ears of those who have tried so hard to preserve the spirit of 186^, -13- Virginia City, Montana �N. Weis NEVADA CITY. MONTANA Five hundred vigilantes gathered aroixnd John "The Hat" Dolan, and draped a noose about his neck. Four thousand citizens watched as the victim was raised, his feet resting precariously on a boaixi held unfirmly by his captors. Dolan admitted the crime, but asked for mercy, as he was drunk at the time. The board tilted, and "The Hat" died quickly. The crowd, sympathetic toward the victim, surged forward, but the sound of five hundred revolvers being cooked changed their collective mind. They retreated in haste. That was Nevada City, Montana, in 186^^. The same year, eighteen hundred citizens voted in the town’s first election. Bom of the same boom that spawned Virginia City, and located a short two miles to the west, Nevada City was destined to a lively but abr|evlated existence. Seventy million in gold was panned in the vicinity. The extraction took only four years, and when the gold was gone, most of the population drifted to richer deposits. Much of the town was left vacant. The remaining citizens used many of the unoccupied buildings for firewood. The Adelphi Hall, Masonic Temple, the hotel, and even the Star Bakery and Saloon -14- Nevada City, Montana �N, Weis went up in smoke. The latter had advertised* "An honest loaf ... and something to wash it down," Charles Bovey, who headed the restoration of Virginia City, also instigated the reconstruction of Nevada City. The aim here was quite different. buildings are original structures. Pew of the Some have been moved in, others have been built from scratch to resemble the original. The contents of these buildings are not intended to be authentic. One holds a collection of old mechanical bands. A quarter in the slot will give you all the noise you want. Although no train ever passed through the town, the collection of memopslAlla assembled here Includes a number of old steam engines, coaches, and mi Ted rolling stock. One of the few remaining two-story outhouses is attached to the rear of the hotel. not a working model. The outhouse is It is a rather crude reconstruc­ tion of the real thing. This type of annex was usually built with an offset so that deposits made at the upper level would pass behind the occupant at the ground level The first visit to the lower floor during multiple use was claimed to be a harrowing experience. -15- Nevada City, Montana �N. Weis RUBY, MONTANA The gold bars had been poured especially They fitted tightly into the pockets shallow. attached t© the heavy leather harness. Built like -------------- &r a double-breasted Sam Brown^belt, the should straps accepted and distributed the weight of the heavy metal. The suit vest was put on next, and tightly buttoned. A hide/-away gun was strapped on. After donning coat and hat, the messenger stepped into the sun, mounted his horse and rode out of the town of Ruby. The carrier was one of the owners of the Cbnrey Placer Mining Company. Millions of dollars in gold were delivered to the nearest bank by "gold vest courier" without a single rtfbbery attemptedI Nearly ten million dollars in gold dredged here. A drastic turnabout for a small community that began as a poor farm. The Gonrey Placer Mining Company was formed soonYafter geologist N, S. Shaler determined the extent of gold in the gravel beds of Alder Creek. He and Gordon McKay of Boston purchased the Conrey Ranch and proceeded to lay plans for deep dredging. The miners of 1864 had worked the area over, and later the Chinese reworked it. -16- Observers had little Ruby, Montana �hopes for the third effort, but it paid off handsomely. Harvard University shared in the profits when the McKay estate was settled. The brick building that was the poor-farm hospital became the company office. Most of the paupers’ shacks — one-room chinked lo|g structures with sod roofs — became quarters for employees. The power house, where twelve water-cooled transformers once hummed twenty-four hours a day, was later converted to a bam, A three-story, ten-room hotel-boardlng'v house was built, three saloons sprang up, and a butcher moved to town and opened shop. There were two general stores, a post office, dance hall, and a three-room schoolhouse. The population held steady at five hundred from I900 to 1922, Since that time, a number of fires have destroyed some buildings, but the mining office, hotel, stable, a pauper’s cabin, powerhouse, retort building, and several residences are standing quite undisturbed. The retort building, with its furnace and vault, is preserved intact. Ingot molds, lifting tongs, ovens, mercury bottles, overhead tracks, and even a burgler alarm button can still be found Inside, The walk-in vault, built of concrete walls thirty Inches thick, holds a mixed -17- Ruby, Montana �N. Weis bag of valuables. Just above the potatoes (it doesn’t freeze inside the vault), is a delicate weighing balance and a set of brass scale weights. One weight is marked -120UZ - TROY," and is a one-^pound weight measured in the Troy system. still there. The hideaway gun is Also the leather harness used to secure For bigger and bolder shipments, the hidden gold bars. a pair of saddle bags were employed, capable of holding a full—sized ingot on each side. The original equip­ ment and the old company buildings are owned and carefully preserved by Lowell Gilman. Lowell’s father was company superintendent when the effort was abandoned, Somewhere between eight and ten million dollars'* worth of gold and platinum were melted and poured into ingots. That represents nearly seven tons of precious metal. Standard ingots weighed sixty to eighty pounds and were a bit larger than a brick. Hideaway bars weighed about one-fourth as much, and were about the size of a bar of soap. The first dredge, or gold boat, was named the "Maggie A, Gibson." It operated for five years, gulping twenty cords of wood each day. The gravel reserves seemed endless, and a succession of dredges -18- Ruby, Montana �N. Weis wace built, each one larger and more voracious in appetite for gravel than its predecessor. Electric power was avilable in I906, and A new plans were drawn for a mammoth "all electrical" machine. It was to be larger than any other dredge in existence. Building a dredge was a complex operation. First, horses and drag lines were employed to dig a dry pond. Timbers were laid out at the deepest point, As soon as the joints and the planking bolted on. were packed with oakum, water was admitted to the pond. Complete with superstructure and machinery, the monster had a weight of 4,070,000 pounds. It required thirty-three car~ioads of lumber and fortytwo car'l.oads of machinery. It could pump twelve thousand gallons of water and dig three hundred^hirty cubic feet of gravel per minute. The buckets were linked into an endless chain, connected with link pins eight inches in diameter. feet deep. The dredge could dig fifty It wandered along in a zigzag manner, digging a swath three hundred feet wide, moving ten thousand cubic yards per day. It could make a profit on just ^cents'worth of gold per cubic yard I Eight men ran the dredge, while two others drilled test holes -19- Huby, Montana �N. Weis to determine the most profitable directionfbr the dredge to take. The dredges ate up, digested^and redeposited more than a square mile of land. The location and extent of operations are clearly shown on the Alder, Montana, minute topographic map. The dredged stream no longer knows its own bed. Each spring it finds a new path. Each dredge had carried its own pond with it as it slowly toured the basin, and the ponds that remain mark the scenes of their final efforts. Amid the cattails can be found the bone^ like remains of the long dead behemoths that laid this land in ugly waste. slow, but ever sure. Nature's retaliation is Wind/blown soil, trapped in the rocky windrows permits a few plants to gain a foothold. Quickly measured by nature’s clock, the banks of Alder Creek will again become green, and flowers will once more spark the meadows with color. -20- Ruby, Montana �t N. Weis MONTANA AREA 3 6of -9) Ooiitnlna auMriaxlrnfttel.r 32.Q0~W£H?'4g-. GABLE, MONTANA A '~'Ma^s generally a big help, but at Cable, the cartographic aid was a complete bust, I was using Z-" , the 1908 edition (revised^ 19'^9) of the Phillipsburg, Montana, 30 minute topographic map. It failed to show the new roads (that is to be expected), but it showed some roads that did not exist, and located others erroneously. Cable wasn’t hard to find, but attempts Cable, Montana �N. Weis to pass through to Southern Cross (another ghost town) resulted. In my becoming hopelessly confused. I was about to pass by the mill at Cable for the fourth time| when I decided to give up, concentrate on Cable, and perhaps find Southern Cross the next day via some other more understandable route, I grabbed my cameras, slammed the door and started walking up the deserted gravel road, kicking at loose rocks along the way. away with My frustrations lessened as I banged creasing vigor. The trajectories were improving and I was beginning to take rather loud vocal pride in my work. That’s when I looked up, A man was standing by the mine entrance — staring at me, I approached, considerably embarrassed, ”You lost? Saw you go by three times." "No," I answered, "but I sure can’t find Southern Cross," He was a kind man, hardly grinned at all. He gave me all the right instructions, but I was so red-faced and confused that nothing made sense. Although Cable is not one of my favorite sites, it does have an undeniable ghostliness. On the west side of Cable Creek there are three very old cabins, complete with split log steps — nicely -2- Cable, Montana �N. Weis smoothed and firmly placed. The cabins show a recent (1930 or so) renovation with interior paneling and modem fixtures. More recently, the Inevitable vandalism has taken its toll.'^Next to the cabins, on the downhill side, is a huge bam. A cupulo-birdhouse-”^ lightning rod combination rides the ridge. More acco- modations for birds — probably martins — are spread across the front of the barn. With perching shelves on the outside and boxed-in houses extending through to the inside, nothing^it seemed^was too good for the feathered friends. Outside of ^itronella and fly^ swatters, birds were the most effective means of mosquito control. *^Inside the barn, a flight of steps with a smoothly worn handrail leads to the hay-loft and grain blns. On the main floor are stalls for draft animals. The basement level has more stalls^ and provisions for other animals such as cows, pigs, goats^and chickens, , The huge mill is across the creek and up the hill a few hundred yards. In a shaky state of repair, it groans in the wind, shedding a few of its remaining shingles with each gust. of ore passed through this mill. -3- Thousands of tons Large mine dumps Cable, Montana �N. Weis Indicate extensive working underground. Gold at Gable was discovered quite by­ accident, A deep shaft was being dug to intercept a suspected vein at considerable depth. One comer of the shaft nicked a gold-rich quartz vein at very- shallow depth. Subsequent filing of claims failed to bring the expected stampede, due perhaps to a number of previous false alarms, A year later, in 1868, the forty-ton mill was built and the Atlantic Cable Lode began to pay off, A severe cave-ln caused a temporary shutdown in I869, A second strike in 1873 revived the failing community, but it, too, found the end of the vein. In I878, the town dwindled to a population A thlid strike brought in a boom that lasted z' from 1883 to 1891 and netted three million in gold, of one, after high-grading, A number of former employees — it has been reported — suddenly bought fine homes and fancy horses. Reopened in 1902, the mining efforts were expanded to three shifts in I906, then faded slowly. All work ceased in 19^0, Now, in 1969» the new owner has sent a mining engineer out to inspect and evaluate the remaining ore deposits. The engineer has found that all manner of Gable, Montana <r �N. Weis strange people visit the site. Including odd characters, carrying cameras, kick gravel and talk to themselves. -5- Cable, Montana �N. Weis RED LION, MONTANA Sometimes It Is fun to enter a ghost town with no prior knowledge. Then, after a careful Inspection, compare one’s findings with the reports of others. At Red Lion there Is no choice, since very little has been written on this community, A few bare facts are available. One of the two mills at the site was built In I890 and was horribly Inefficient, The Hanna tunnel was deep, and Its ores were rich In gold, Iron, and copper. A tramway, nearly a mile long, was built In I906, at which time two hundred men worked at the mine-mill complex. The camp Is about seven miles northeast of Georgetown, accessible by a well-signed gravel road and well Indicated on the same Phillipsburg map used to locate Gable. To the right of the road, where It crosses Flint Creek, there are a number of broken-'* down log shacks and a few rock foundations. Red Lion. This Is At first It looks like seven wasted miles, but close Inspection reveals some Intriguing details, A tunnel Is visible to the right (or south) of the cabins, and water pours from It. The flow Is considerable, causing Flint Creek — when joined -6- Red Lion, Montana �N. Weis to double in size. This Is probably the seven~hundred-*- foot-deep Hanna tunnel. A king-size pump must have been used to keep It de-watered. The cabins at the center of camp are largely collapsed. The ground is soggy all about, not con­ ducive to permanent construction. One building shows the remains of hearth and anvil bases, and was probably a blacksmith shop. Another seems to have been a dance hall or saloon, and a third building, equipped with shelves, was likely a mercantile. The mill and tramway are now merely leveled mounds of wood and bent metal. Just up Flint Creek from the mlll'^site is an old log cabin. Old as far as age is concerned, but brand-Jiew in design. Dozens of modem trl-level homes use the same floor plan. Sagging four ways from square, its corner lock joints feel the strain and slowly readjust. stout seldom collapse. Buildings this They just ease their way down like a tired old man making ready for bed. Near the tri-level cabin is a marvelous old two-story boardlng‘3iouse, its outside stairway connecting with an elevated boardwalk. Braced with timbers, the broad eaves still protect the walkways -7- Red Lion, Montana �N. Weis from rain and snow. The second floor was divided into bunk rooms and since there were no chimneys, one might assume they were xuiheated. At 7300 feet altitude, the winters can get mighty frosty. The kitchen downstairs was probably the winter social center, A thorough search of the buildings revealed no receipts, newspapers, or other records that might give further clues to the history of Red Lion. Somewhere there is an old-timer who knows all about the place and can string a hundred stories together in a way that would bring momentary life to this old ,,camp. -8- Red Lion, Montana �N, Weis TQWBR, MONTANA Roads emanate from Phillipsburg like the arms of a nervous octopus. The Phillipsburg, Montana, 30 minute topographic map is great for selecting sites to visit, but of little value in determining which road to take. If you can find the gravel road past the hospital and substation in southeast Phillipsburg, follow it south, then east, remaining on the main road for two miles, you might reach Tower, The steep winding road overlooks Phillipsburg for the first mile, then heads up the valley. Shortly you pass between a deserted mine and mill, probably the Speckled Trout, then head straight for a yellow mine dump. this poln^ the road splits. At The right-hand route curls around and climbs to the True Fissure mine. The left route takes you up the main street of Tower. Main Street is the only street in town. In moments you have passed several dozen cabins that make up the town of Tower, and are at the Chicago mine. Recently active, it remains complete with stage, cable, hoist, and bucket. On the left, heading back into town, is a fine old house that sports a three-sided angle bay window. Now weathered to a paintless gray, boards ~9- Tower, Montana �N. Weis warped and decayed, it still retains the suggestion of past beauty. ft Farther down the street is an old store, false-»frented and log-sided. Once used as a garage, it now lies open and deserted. It is very quiet here. Not a soul is in town, yet there are signs of occupancy, A sign on one door warns someone not to swipe anything since Another cabin has a he was seen the fird: time. number of dynamite fuses, already capped, hanging by the screen door. Behind one house is an old mine tunnel, fitted with a heavy wooden door. Cold air billows forth when it is opened, indicating that it might be used for cold storage. Tower never was a big town. Built originally to accommodate mill workers, it struggled along, imitating the boom and bust of nearby Phillipsburg. The first well-known mine was the "Speckled Trout," discovered in about 1870. A mill was built in 1875, and a boarding house constructed to accommodate its workers. Later, the Algor^uln Mine, rich in silver, was developed just south of the "Trout," Charlemagne Tower, for whom the town was named, was one of the prime investors in the early mines. -10- During World War I Tower, Montana �N, Weis manganese was found here. The military demand was quickly filled, and mining of manganese dropped off until other uses of the metal could be found. By 19^0, it was in demand once more, particularly as an ingredient necessary to the manufacture of Improved The True Fissure mine went back into dry cells. production and is still in operation. While I had walked through Tower observing its quiet scenery, deep below my feet there was Men of the True Fissure were mucking a activity. gooey gray mass of ore,|shoveling it into ore cars, and trundling the cars to the shaft for hoisting. I learned of the operation from the hoisting engineer. The shaft house is located high on the hill above town. Inside, the engineer sits with control levers and gigantic drums of cable in front of him. Through the window he could see the top of the shaft. On a two-<foot-diameter dial, he could read the stage location. At the moment, he was slowing the stage for a stop at the one-thousand-^ foot level. He could bring it close, but for exact matching of levels he relied on signals from below. The bell dinged, and he lowered the stage a few inches. Later, after another series of signals, he -11- �N. Weis started the stage up, with two tons of ore on board. At eight hundred feet per minute, the load was quickly topside, and being pushed to a point just over the bed of a dump truck. The unloader tripped each car in turn so that it spilled into the vehicle. ^Later I visited the smithy. He told me of his work, stressing the fact that the mine had a water problem requiring one thousand gallons a minute^be pumped out, day and night. That, along with occasional mechanical breakdowns, kept him busy. Tower is a different sort of ghost town — deserted, but with activity far below^ and high above on the hill. There is no noise except the periodic clang ojJ^ore cars being dumped. The modem mining of manganese is but a faint echo of yesterday’s exciting pursuit of silver and gold, -12- Tower, Montana �N. Weis GRANITE, MONTANA The Queen Cltyl World I The Silver Capital of the Each month a quarter million dollars'worth of silver was tom from the earth. The rich ores poured out of the Granite and Bi-Metallic shafts at an increasing rate. Thirty million in silver in ten years — then came the crasht August 1, 1893, was a sad day in Granite. Orders came that day to shut down the mine. Within hours the road to Phillipsburg was filled^ as thousands fled down the hill. Jobs might still be open in Philj(.ipsburg, and each man wanted to be first in line. Six hundred hardy souls remained behind to enjoy the hollow luxuries of Granite, the fastest dying ghost town in the west. There had been luxuries in Granite, for Granite had been a fancy town. The three-story Miners Union Hall would be quiet now, its springy maple dance floor no longer pulsing to the rhythm of happy feet. The staff of doctors would have few patients in the overlarge company hospital. A few shift bosses might use the heated plunge, but the laughter of hardworking men would not be there. The four church congregations were confronted by bewildered parsons. -13- The hotel and Grani t e, Montana �roller rink closed the first week. Eighteen saloons They closed not one by one — did little business. more like four by four. Nourished by a few retired miners and the skeleton crew at the mine, the town of Granite hybernated In hopes that rising silver prices might sometime warm It once again to life. The map used for Gable, Tower, and Red Lion, also covers the Granite area. confusing. Again the roads are Leave Phillipsburg as If heading for Tower, but make an abrupt right turn before passing the last five or six houses. The road crosses the railroad twice then forks to the right and proceeds upTilll. Although serpentine, the four-mlle road to Granite Is easily managed by ordinary passenger vehicle. On the right, as you enter Granite, there Is an old house surrounded by a rickety picket fence. Not long ago Its resident Installed a television set. The antenna still perches atop the roof — totally Incongruous with the structure beneath. In this house lived the "grand old lady of Granite," the last resident. She died In I968, A narrow gravel road to the left leads to the main part of town. On the right Is the two-story hospital. Its covered porch half gone, the chimney -1^- Granlte, Montana �N. Weis falling down, and the shingles all but gone. Shortly, a left turn leads to the old Miners Union Hall a magnificent remnant I It stands alone and lonely. Intact in front. In complete shambles at the rear. Vandals have broken the windows and stolen the fixtures. To the east are a number of old residences. walk-In coolers dug into the hill behind. A few have Some miners started with a rock-walled, sod-roofed dugout, and graduated later into "sawed board" homes, and used the sod house for storage. Most of the wooden structures are now gone, but many rock soddies remain. Pljrther up the hill and to the right are, in order, an old brick bank vault, the rock company house, and several broken-down "houses of ill fame," street was named "Silk Stocking Row." The The close proximity of the two enterprises would indicate that the company condoned and controlled this facet of evening entertainment. Granite was most thoroughly a "Company Town." Located just above, and overlooking town, are the extensive stone foundations of the old Granite Mill. Like hornets’ nests, coke ovens nestle in the rock lean foundations. Burned timbers^atand aslant, their fireblackened metal fittings standing out prominently. -15- Granlte, Montana �N. Weis A shiny corrugated metal building stands in the tiny basin where once the famous "Granite and Bi-Metallic" shafts poured forth their wealth. Inside, the hoist engineer waits for the signal to raise the stage. There are men below checking every stope and drift. The shaft has been cleared to eighteen hundred feet, and there are plans to go down another seven hundred feet. The new owners, Bi-Metallic of Heccla, are well acquainted with the mine’s past production, and are gambling that "there’s more where that came from." -16- Gran1te, Montana �N. Weis KIRKVILLE (CLARK), MONTANA Pew people visit Kirkville, I would have passed it by, had it not been for the cherished (and dog-eared by now) Phillipsburg, Montana, 30 minute topographic map. It clearly shows a double railroad spur, a number of buildings, and a flume — all indications of a community that was once a going concern. Situated one mile south of Philjtipsburg, the town of Kirkville is easily located — just follow the railroad tracks to the large twin chimneys. The road dead-ends at the vacant two-story brick office building of the Bi-Metallic Mining Company. The adjacent mill was built in 1888 to handle the ores from Granite. A two-mlle tramway brought ore down in quarter-ton lots and returned wood and coal to Granite. Originally a fifty-stamp mill, it was quickly enlarged to one hundred stamps capable of handling two hundred tons of ore per day. The mill was gigantic — eight levels, one hundred^fifty feet widej| and nearly four hundred feet long. It required five hundred employees to operate. The ores were crushed in beds of mercury — the stamps splashing the expensive amalgamating agent freely on*~'to -17- Kirkville, Montana �N. Weis the floor. Five hundred employees made quite a town. Bachelors lived in the many rooming houses. Families built residences just east of the mill. A number of workers lived in Phil^Jipsburg, but in spite of this, Kirkville was the third largest town in theTarea. Sometime after 1908, the town was renamed "Clark," but by then activities had largely ceased. In 1967 the mill burned to the ground. During the intervening years, most of the residences have burned or been moved, yet there is much left to see in Kirkville I ' " Beside the tracks are several large machine shops and warehouses full of ore cars, track, ore buckets, stages, and all manner of spare parts. Strung on down the line are the assay office and pouring room. Both are complete, minus only the smaller movable equipment. The pouring room has large kilns, ladles, scales, and a steel-doored walk-in vault with numerous hefty shelves. Heavy bars of silver once rested here, row upon valuable row. A few yards fftrther, at the burned-over mill, "second effort" mining is going on. operation. It is a two-man One man digs out the earth from under the -18- Kirkvllle , Montana �N. Weis old amalgamator stamps and dumps it into a hopper. The second man feeds the earth into a rotary washer where the coarse material drops out. The fine sediments zl^sag their way down a long wooden sluice, or ^ong ^om, leaving shiny droplets of mercury in each crevice. When mercury shows up at the bottom of the sluice, it is time to shut down and clean up. The sloppy tecnhlques of 1890 are paying off today. Across the tracks are the old carpenter and blacksmith shops, A long wooden flume runs behind the In front are extensive tailing ponds. buildings. Half buried in the sediments are an outhouse, collapsed shed, and several wagon wheels. As in an old travelogue, the setting sun casts a glow upon the face of the burned-over mill. Shortly the darkening skies were dimly relit as the moon rose, heavily shrouded with clouds. of 1890 seemed to return. The grandeur The mill looked whole again. The moon, the towering chimneys, the threatening skies, all combined to create a mood not easily shrugged. not welcome. Suddenly it seemed that visitors were Another moment, and the past must be forgotten — the present rejoined. -19- Kirkville 4 fff S>nk-. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Norman Weis Manuscripts Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1971-1987 Description An account of the resource A collection of manuscripts by Casper College professor Norman Weis. <br /><br />This collection includes manuscripts of:<br /><em>Ghost Towns of the Northwest: Known and Unknown<br />The Starduster<br />Two-Story Outhouse<br />Helldorados<br /></em><br />Each manuscript contains written in edits by Norman Weis Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Norman Weis Language A language of the resource ENG Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Norm Weiss Manuscripts and Photographs, CCA 10.2003.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Searchable PDF Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CCA 10.2003.01_Weis_Manuscripts Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Manuscript Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource <em>Ghost Towns of the Northwest: Known and Unknown</em> Montana Draft Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <p><a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a></p> </div> Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1971 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Norman Weis Language A language of the resource ENG Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Norm Weiss Manuscripts and Photographs, CCA 10.2003.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CCA 10.2003.01_Weis_GhostTowns_DraftManuscript_Mont Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Searchable PDF