׉?4ׁB!בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://mACKbyvgfhbQwXi5KZME_yhrLscqzzdycarPRRU4xhg`׉ 7cassandra://lYgHSbBijDbop8qqA2mbdhliLb7amOuo7eSzv55KPQM̈́`s׉ 7cassandra://RENH8Nn577AS7kS1ha0k-W8VHVzHQOoZsNH741WZbC4+L`׉ 7cassandra://IGyfPvY5IkHwfUW_W0HfxRw1DV3WRgQ-hQz8ze6uDjQt͠]^p;Sט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://mACKbyvgfhbQwXi5KZME_yhrLscqzzdycarPRRU4xhg`׉ 7cassandra://lYgHSbBijDbop8qqA2mbdhliLb7amOuo7eSzv55KPQM̈́`s׉ 7cassandra://RENH8Nn577AS7kS1ha0k-W8VHVzHQOoZsNH741WZbC4+L`׉ 7cassandra://IGyfPvY5IkHwfUW_W0HfxRw1DV3WRgQ-hQz8ze6uDjQt͠]^p;Sט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://mACKbyvgfhbQwXi5KZME_yhrLscqzzdycarPRRU4xhg`׉ 7cassandra://lYgHSbBijDbop8qqA2mbdhliLb7amOuo7eSzv55KPQM̈́`s׉ 7cassandra://RENH8Nn577AS7kS1ha0k-W8VHVzHQOoZsNH741WZbC4+L`׉ 7cassandra://IGyfPvY5IkHwfUW_W0HfxRw1DV3WRgQ-hQz8ze6uDjQt͠]^p;Sט(u׈S{׈E^o;S׉EGhost Towns and History December 8, 2019 Ghost Towns and History of Montana Newsletter G R A N I T E , M O N T A N A The Madisonian (Virginia City), Dec. 23, 1909 “Montana’s Silver Queen” now sits idle some 8,000 feet above sea level. In its heyday, the town bustled with a couple thousand residents. They worked hard but played hard too. Locals could hit a home run on the baseball team, toot their horn in the brass band, take a spin around the roller rink or waltz the night away on one of the Northwest’s finest dance floors; made of marble and located on the second floor of the Union Hall. A stiff drink was available at one of the 18 saloons and ladies awaited their men in the Red Light District. It all began in the early 1870s when Eli Holland made a silver discovery near the peak of Granite Mountain. One story says that Holland was trailing a wounded deer while hunting and the creature kicked up a piece of silver with it’s hoof, giving Eli Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz ׉ 7cassandra://RENH8Nn577AS7kS1ha0k-W8VHVzHQOoZsNH741WZbC4+L`^o;Sց^o;SՁ(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://PijjACTrFo1HmN_evNxB32QUBg810mMZ7ab9CbGTT7MS`׉ 7cassandra://z88FzkljaYllJmG1pyiNahDZcVNm3ROIiyi5uWdzGkE͋z`s׉ 7cassandra://TVnE6s8oBxBLUUBAnM401fgvMQBezpYJuT2gXU6jOZg'`׉ 7cassandra://aoz1B4XWmlnrk4n0n_4uhHD-if4xC1aOkHT2cH-qNjQU͠]^p;Sט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://2xdEVvu-rtzGHLxZGXK0a6PbTsKTmP1ZzKpUBGE6BHkt`׉ 7cassandra://mGm54_LaHotcumhZMeIhvv3aUoMxXeEzdosM_dnPzCQ̓`s׉ 7cassandra://jze0P3lWT5sC8ZB2vkgwcSgDxefabm89J6lQ8K6VWx8%`׉ 7cassandra://dWQEvQaLLTLv01WiHZn4GBPXaaVyZKW_TAbXrD3rUIs͠]^p;Sט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://PijjACTrFo1HmN_evNxB32QUBg810mMZ7ab9CbGTT7MS`׉ 7cassandra://z88FzkljaYllJmG1pyiNahDZcVNm3ROIiyi5uWdzGkE͋z`s׉ 7cassandra://TVnE6s8oBxBLUUBAnM401fgvMQBezpYJuT2gXU6jOZg'`׉ 7cassandra://aoz1B4XWmlnrk4n0n_4uhHD-if4xC1aOkHT2cH-qNjQU͠]^p;Sט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://2xdEVvu-rtzGHLxZGXK0a6PbTsKTmP1ZzKpUBGE6BHkt`׉ 7cassandra://mGm54_LaHotcumhZMeIhvv3aUoMxXeEzdosM_dnPzCQ̓`s׉ 7cassandra://jze0P3lWT5sC8ZB2vkgwcSgDxefabm89J6lQ8K6VWx8%`׉ 7cassandra://dWQEvQaLLTLv01WiHZn4GBPXaaVyZKW_TAbXrD3rUIs͠]^p;Sט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://PijjACTrFo1HmN_evNxB32QUBg810mMZ7ab9CbGTT7MS`׉ 7cassandra://z88FzkljaYllJmG1pyiNahDZcVNm3ROIiyi5uWdzGkE͋z`s׉ 7cassandra://TVnE6s8oBxBLUUBAnM401fgvMQBezpYJuT2gXU6jOZg'`׉ 7cassandra://aoz1B4XWmlnrk4n0n_4uhHD-if4xC1aOkHT2cH-qNjQU͠]^p;Sט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://2xdEVvu-rtzGHLxZGXK0a6PbTsKTmP1ZzKpUBGE6BHkt`׉ 7cassandra://mGm54_LaHotcumhZMeIhvv3aUoMxXeEzdosM_dnPzCQ̓`s׉ 7cassandra://jze0P3lWT5sC8ZB2vkgwcSgDxefabm89J6lQ8K6VWx8%`׉ 7cassandra://dWQEvQaLLTLv01WiHZn4GBPXaaVyZKW_TAbXrD3rUIs͠]^p;S׉EP a g e 2 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y a helping hand. Others say that the tale is unlikely. In any case, Holland got the claim although it would be a few years before any further progress would be made. In 1880, Charles McLure, the superintendent of the Hope Mill in Philipsburg found a piece of ore he thought had potential. The chunk assayed at 2,000 ounces of silver per ton. McClure partnered with Charles Clark and upon finding funding from St. Louis investors, formed the Granite Mountain Mining Company. Popular folklore tells us that the big silver boom almost never happened. Investors were antsy after not seeing any results from the Granite Mountain Operations. A message arrived from St. Louis by telegraph to Butte. The message stated that operations were to come to a halt immediately. An express rider tried to deliver the message but a snowstorm delayed him. Back at the mountain, money was running low and hopes were dampened but the last blast of the day would reveal the beginnings of a 406 foot vein of silver imbedded ore. They sent their own message to St Louis and the reign as one of the richest mining sites in the west, began. Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz A 20-stamp mill was built in Granite and soon, a 2nd one with 80 stamps. The company started leasing lots for $2.50. Before long, miner’s homes and several businesses lined the ridge. Banks, churches, a hospital, a bath house, restaurants, a weekly newspaper, hotels and a post office served the needs of the town folk. An additional 100 stamp mill was built in nearby Rumsey that received ore from Granite via an 8,900 foot tramway. A second company started by McClure, the Bimetallic Mining Company would build a 50 stamp mill that would double in size to receive ore from another one of the mountain’s rich discoveries. To connect the Bimetallic to the Blaine Lode, a two mile long tramway was constructed. Another victim of the silver panic, in the summer of 1893 town residents left with whatever possessions they could transport. The mine and the town would go on to make a major comeback a few years later. Estimated total production of Granite and Bimetallic operations is upwards of $30 million. ׉ 7cassandra://TVnE6s8oBxBLUUBAnM401fgvMQBezpYJuT2gXU6jOZg'`^o;S׉E !G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y P a g e 3 GRANDDADDY OF’EM ALL! One of the first snowmobiles may have been invented by a Boulder River postman attempting to live up to the motto: “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Earl Wright, a long, thin man who looks as though he has never held still long enough for an extra pound to settle on his frame, wrote his own postscript to the United States mail service motto. During the forty years he carried the mail from McLeod to the Upper Boulder he completed his appointed rounds in strenuous and ingenious ways. In 1932 Wright carried mail from McLeod to Flemming Post Office, a distance of about 23 miles, come rain or shine. The Boulder Road, at best, is none too good. Always it is narrow and winding, fraught with blind curves. In summer, it is dusty and rocky; in winter it can become a sheet of ice, a badland of drifts. Earl grins, ruefully remembering those days. “When I couldn’t drive my truck, I went on snowshoes. And the day I went on snowshoes was the day I should have used my skis.” Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz In 1934 the post office was moved a mile farther up the road to Hell’s Canyon Ranch, the Wright’s home. As terminus of the postal route, the line of mailboxes was a gathering place for the residents of the surrounding area. Here, in the winter, boxholders as hardy as the mailman, muffled in caps, scarves, mittens and furs, converged on snowshoes to collect their mail and perhaps exchange a bit of gossip with a snowbound neighbor. During the year the post office was located at the Wrights’, winter delivery was made once a week. When, in 1936, the post office was moved to Lazy DA, service continued on a weekly basis until 1938, at which time it was extended to twice a week. In 1945 the mailman invented his snowmobile. This was long before he had heard the roar of a snow machine or seen a goggled driver roller coastering over a mountain trail. “I’d worn out my patience and two tails on my snowshoes, so I decided to use my head to save my feet.” It was indeed a hybrid concoction. Created from a Chevy motor, three pairs of Model A Ford dual wheels, and two 12-inch conveyor belts studded with cleats, it was what its maker called a crawler type. The belts went around the wheels on each side, and two metal pipes on the dash steered right and left sides separately. Beyond this, there was a switch, a choke, a throttle, a transmission, and a brake of sorts. The remaining equipment included a box at the back for mail and supplies, an old car seat for the driver, a windshield borrowed from an inoperative vehicle, and a body of unpainted boards. An added accessory was a snowplow, a cumbersome triangle of Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz rough lumber. It could be attached to the front of the snowmobile, where it was hinged, and could be raised or lowered by means of a pulley. There was a lot of mileage in the homely snow machine, if not much trade-in value. In ten years, until 1955, it covered 1,000 miles. It only failed Earl once, “The brake froze and put me in the river. I rode it down, but I got caught by the scrapers in the wheel and it hurt my hip.” Earl’s grandkids took it apart every time they got the chance. ׉ 7cassandra://jze0P3lWT5sC8ZB2vkgwcSgDxefabm89J6lQ8K6VWx8%`^o;S؁^o;Sׁ(בCט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://Ox_uX9ZmKp9yMiKf5Z5nl7jcZjWNBRagyGBfOsOitnYM`׉ 7cassandra://ojegW0ZeXgKxxC71PtF_vbtcUs7jd2hTPuzMQaeDMAo͎`s׉ 7cassandra://BuMD8uGgOLLljSQil2a7C4mSkXTnCBLXDgKrge2SUvk)`׉ 7cassandra://-OY4EH-3fv-X8xI0evc5C27oTF7pzjPl0tYEc6xblLQJ͠]^q;Sט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://Ox_uX9ZmKp9yMiKf5Z5nl7jcZjWNBRagyGBfOsOitnYM`׉ 7cassandra://ojegW0ZeXgKxxC71PtF_vbtcUs7jd2hTPuzMQaeDMAo͎`s׉ 7cassandra://BuMD8uGgOLLljSQil2a7C4mSkXTnCBLXDgKrge2SUvk)`׉ 7cassandra://-OY4EH-3fv-X8xI0evc5C27oTF7pzjPl0tYEc6xblLQJ͠]^q;Sט(u׉׉ 7cassandra://Ox_uX9ZmKp9yMiKf5Z5nl7jcZjWNBRagyGBfOsOitnYM`׉ 7cassandra://ojegW0ZeXgKxxC71PtF_vbtcUs7jd2hTPuzMQaeDMAo͎`s׉ 7cassandra://BuMD8uGgOLLljSQil2a7C4mSkXTnCBLXDgKrge2SUvk)`׉ 7cassandra://-OY4EH-3fv-X8xI0evc5C27oTF7pzjPl0tYEc6xblLQJ͠]^q;Sנ^p;S̝B̜9׉Hbhttp://montananewspapers.org/?fbclid=IwAR3GwORC4xNQvzYnAYNKZCsnqKkbliLnQNxtW0RUwL7QxZzHBQt9Ikx4xAEGׁ ׁ rנ^p;Sځ9׉HRhttps://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=GHCYS7MES5K9SGׁ ׁ rנ^p;Sx9׉HRhttps://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=GHCYS7MES5K9SGׁ ׁ rנ^p;S̝B̜9׉Hbhttp://montananewspapers.org/?fbclid=IwAR3GwORC4xNQvzYnAYNKZCsnqKkbliLnQNxtW0RUwL7QxZzHBQt9Ikx4xAEGׁ ׁ rנ^p;Sځ9׉HRhttps://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=GHCYS7MES5K9SGׁ ׁ rנ^p;Sx9׉HRhttps://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=GHCYS7MES5K9SGׁ ׁ rנ^q;Sށ 9ׁHhttps://www.paypal.com/cgiׁ ׁ Јנ^q;S̝F̙ 9ׁHhttp://montananewspapers.orgׁ ׁ Јנ^p;S̝B̜9׉Hbhttp://montananewspapers.org/?fbclid=IwAR3GwORC4xNQvzYnAYNKZCsnqKkbliLnQNxtW0RUwL7QxZzHBQt9Ikx4xAEGׁ ׁ rנ^p;Sځ9׉HRhttps://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=GHCYS7MES5K9SGׁ ׁ rנ^p;Sx9׉HRhttps://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=GHCYS7MES5K9SGׁ ׁ r׉E wP a g e 4 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y Grand Ball At Bannack Photo by Jolene Ewert-Hintz Neatly printed invitations have been issued for a grand Christmas Ball, to be given by the Masons of Bannack on Christmas evening. The annual balls given at Bannack are always first-class, and the forthcoming one will be up to the old, established standard. The ball will be given under the auspices of the following committees of gentlemen: On Invitation: F.L. Graves and Geo M. Brown- Bannack, Geo W. Dart and Thos E. Jones- Dillon, C.W. Turner- Glendale. On Reception: Pat Dempsey, Jas Harby, John Carhart, A.F. Graeter, T.F. Hamilton. On Arrangements: Jas Barrett, A.F. Sears, M.S. Herr, W.R. Wright, L.A. Harkness. On Decoration: J. C. Steger, Jas Ferster, D.E. Metlen. Floor Committee: F.W. Panish, I.W. Crary, Jos. Shineberger. Floor Managers: Rufe Matthews, G.L. Batchelder. The Dillon Tribune Newspaper Dec. 5, 1885 Accessed at: montananewspapers.org Dr. Mollie Babcock Atwater gave up a great deal to practice medicine. Her husband originally supported her efforts, but eventually turned against her when she graduated and stood at the same professional level. Mollie left life in the Midwest and moved to Salt Lake City. When her money was about to run out, she found a job doctoring in a mining camp in Bannack, Montana. Slowly, she made her way as woman physician in a man’s world. Medicine was much cruder then than now. Technology was non-existent. Yet, physicians and patients had living connections with each other. Mollie filled the shoes of frontier physician as well as public health worker and community advocate. Dr. Mollie eventually found a real husband in Mr. Atwater, moved to Helena, and became a force for women’s rights and suffrage. Subscribe to our Magazine for just $12 a year! Do you enjoy ghost town stories and photos? Grab yourself a print subscription to our magazine, Ghost Towns of Montana and Beyond! We publish quarterly and feature not just Montana but several other states as well! Also makes a great gift! Visit the following link to order via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/ webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=GHCYS7MES5K9S Or, send check or money order in the amount of $12 to Ghost Towns and History of Montana, LLC, P.O. Box 126, Warm Springs, MT 59756 Be sure to write MAGAZINE on your check. Thank you! Please be sure to share this newsletter with a friend! ׉ 7cassandra://BuMD8uGgOLLljSQil2a7C4mSkXTnCBLXDgKrge2SUvk)`^o;S׈E^o;Sځ^o;Sف(, Ghost Towns & History of MT- #15@A Newsletter for all lovers of Montana ghost towns and history! ^jw:a