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July 20, 2018
Ghost Towns and History of
Montana Newsletter
E l k h o r n , M o n t a n a
Nestled
in the
vast
Montana
mountains
is
the remains
of
a once
booming
mining
town
called Elkhorn. At its peak, the town was home to more than 2,000 residents.
The main street was lined with hotels, saloons, stores, churches,
boarding houses, ice houses and even a two lane bowling alley! But, due
to the falling price of silver and a bout with disease; the town’s population
slowly dwindled. Today Elkhorn is still home to a handful of people.
It all began in
1870 when a
Swiss immigrant
by the
name of Peter
Wys discovered
silver
deposits in
those hills.
But, it would
be NorwePhoto
by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
gian, Anton M. Holter who would develop the claim after Wys died within
a couple years of his discovery. By 1888, Elkhorn was producing $30,000
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G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y
Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
ore each month. In 1889, a diphtheria
epidemic hit the town and stole the lives
of many women and children. Nevertheless,
in May of 1893, construction of the
famous Fraternity Hall began. This
would serve as a social center for the
townspeople. It was built next to Gillian
Hall which served as a store and saloon.
Many meetings, dances and theatre
shows were enjoyed at Fraternity Hall.
There is a rumor that at one of these
dances, two men got into a fight over
what kind of music the band should play. The squaredancer shot the waltzer dead.
The repeal of the Silver Purchase Act in 1893 was the beginning of the end for Elkhorn. The population
steadily declined and production slowed to a dull roar. The mine shut down for good in 1912. But in its time,
Elkhorn produced more than 14 million dollars in silver ore. Peter Wys would have been proud.
On Douglas Creek about one mile south of
Philipsburg, the Bimetallic mill was built in
1888. The 50-stamp mill, 150 feet wide by 367
feet long, was rated at 75 tons with the capacity
to add more stamps later. A separate twostory
building housed the mine offices, fireproof
vault, kitchen, library, parlor and living
quarters. The mine and mill employed 500
workers. Around this operation grew the small
Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
town of Kirkville, later known as Clark. The mill began reducing
ore in January of 1889. It was connected to the Blaine shaft in
Granite by a two mile long tramway. The large iron tram buckets
Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
could carry 500 pounds of ore down the
mountain and fuel back up. In 1891 the mill
was enlarged by 50 stamps to give it a 200ton
capacity.
Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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P a g e 3
East Helena, Montana-
The Manlove
Homestead. During
the summer of 1864
a wagon train from
Iowa heading west
for the Oregon country
stopped near this
site to rest and repair
their wagon before
crossing The Rocky
Mountains. Among
these pioneers were
Jonathan and Elmira
Manlove and their
two small children. They liked the Prickly Pear Valley and decided to stay behind and make this
their home. Their first dwelling was this log house originally built about ½ mile Northwest of its current
location. Part of the East Helena Townsite was once their potato field and pasture, still called
The Manlove Grove. They never left The Prickly Pear area and were the first permanent settlers in
what is now Lewis and Clark County. This is no doubt the oldest structure in the county. It was
moved to this location and restored by The East Helena Kiwanas Club. Five more children were
born to the Manloves. One son, Wilber was a barber and operated a shop on Main Street in East
Helena until past 90 years of age.
Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
Vipond was a mining settlement located in the Pioneer
Range south of Dewey, Montana. It was named
for John Vipond who made the first strike in 1868. At
first, the ore was hauled by mule team to the railroad
in Corinne, Utah. It was primarily a silver district
but the ore also contained substantial amounts
of copper, zinc and lead. With the declining price of
silver, the post office closed in 1888 and Vipond's
mill ceased operations in 1895.
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G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y
1895
APPLE
FRITTERSPeel
three
large apples,
core them
with a column
cutter and cut
them across in slices rather less than half an
inch thick; put them in a flat dish with half a
tumbler of brandy and strew plenty of powdered
loaf sugar over them; let them remain
covered for a couple of hours, then take each
piece separately, dip it in batter so that it is
well covered with it and fry a golden color in
plenty of hot lard. Lay the fritters in front of the
fire, and when all are done pile them up on a
napkin, shake plenty of powdered loaf sugar
over them and serve.
John Hepburn Place- Emigrant, Montana. Nestled between dramatic cliffs and the Yellowstone River, this collection
of buildings catered to the tourist trade between Livingston and Yellowstone National Park. Local entrepreneur
John Hepburn came to Montana in 1888 and worked for many years in America’s first national park. In 1906,
he filed a homestead claim nearby and ranched until the early 1920s. Hepburn began developing this property in
the mid-1930s, crafting the buildings to look like the handiwork of early pioneers. The half-log house doubled as a
roadside museum and residence. Hepburn and his son, Ralph, erected a windmill and installed a generator to provide
power. Electric windmills were common in early Montana rural homesteads, but this is one of the last intact
systems of its kind. Five generations of Hepburns lived at this homestead using wind-generated electricity for light
bulbs and other appliances designed for twenty-four volts. John Hepburn again used the wind when he built a
unique wind-powered polisher to finish geological specimens he sold to museum visitors. For over two decades,
tourists and local school children regularly visited Hepburn’s museum, marveling at its eclectic collection of rare
geological specimens, fossils (including a petrified turtle), Native American artifacts, historical photographs, and
items that told the story of Yellowstone Park and the upper
Yellowstone Valley. When Hepburn died in 1959, the museum
closed and his family dispersed the collections to other
area museums. Today, the John Hepburn Place offers a rare
illustration of the rural use of wind power and is a unique
souvenir of Montana’s early tourism industry.- Montana Historical
Society Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz
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