ECONOGAL

Garnet Ghost Town is located deep into the woods of Garnet Mountain. To the east of Missoula, the easiest access is off 200. The first few miles are paved but from there on, travel is on gravel and at times a bit wash boarded. However, this piece of gold rush history is well worth the effort.

The number of buildings is impressive. A few are very well preserved, and visitors can access interiors and even upper floors. The historical placards begin on the drive in and continue in Garnet Ghost Town. Additionally, informational flyers are available at a low cost. Best of all there is a manned visitor center. The location is well worth the time, detour and requested ten dollars per person.

Prospectors first arrived in the general area of Bear Creek in the 1860s. The early arrivals used placer mining which was favored for a low entry cost and weight. All one needed was a gold pan and a sluice box. This allowed the miners to reach remote areas such as the areas on Garnet Mountain.

However, the inability to access remote locations with heavy equipment coupled with governmental support of silver from the Sherman Silver Purchase Act drew miners away from the gold flecked quartz of the Garnet Range until the Act was repealed in the mid- 1890s.

Early claimant Samuel Ritchey along with Dr. Armistead Mitchell and Dr. Charles Mussigbrod built a ten-stamp mill. Click here to learn about stamp mills.  The town was originally called Mitchell but later became Garnet.

While Garnet had some of the typical traits of a mining town (such as saloons and brothels) the founders worked to establish it as a place for families. A schoolhouse held 41 students at the turn of the century.  Family oriented activities balanced out the typical vibe of a male-dominated mining town. But as the gold ran out so did the people. A fire in the downtown area furthered the decline in 1912.

During the Great Depression, President Roosevelt increased the value of gold from $16 to $35 dollars an ounce. This reignited the quest for finding gold. The town grew to 250 residents. However, a lively town soon turned back toward the existence of Garnet Ghost Town. World War II restricted the use of dynamite and the post office closed in 1942. Only a handful of residents remained.

After the death of General Store owner Frank Davey in 1947, his business inventory was sold at auction and souvenir hunters aka looters began stripping the town. Eventually the Bureau of Land Management and the Garnet Preservation Association stepped in.

In addition to the winding trail from the parking lot down to the small town, there are a few hiking trails from the parking area. While we opted to head toward Missoula after a long day of fishing and exploring, it appeared the hiking trails contained informative placards as well. For t hose unable to navigate the hiking path, a second parking lot geared toward those needing handicapped accessibility exists further down the gravel road.

The easiest way back to civilization is the twelve-mile return trip back to 200. However, for those looking for adventure and beautiful vistas, an alternate route to I-90 exists. However, high clearance vehicles are essential and four-wheel drive is ideal. This is not a short cut. And at times the road is not much better than a jeep trail. Even though the area had experienced a bit of a dry spell, we encountered mud and standing water in one spot that required a bit of navigating through.

We passed one car of Garnet Ghost Town visitors most likely questioning whether to turn around but fortunately no oncoming vehicles until we reached the current location of Bear Town with a population of 2. The mayor was sitting out front of his modular waving as we drove by. The road improves after this point but there is still a bit of a drive from here. But if two little-old-ladies can make the trek, you can too with the appropriate vehicle.