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They were once bustling gold and silver mining towns in the hills of western Montana. Although now silent, if you strain an ear you can almost hear the honky-tonk pianos playing and the drinks being served in the saloons. Some visitors swear they've caught glimpses of long forgotten miners disappearing into now-empty bar rooms. Such are the legends of old ghost towns.
The towns surrounding the Silver Mine in Coolidge and the Garnet Gold Mine near Missoula were once home to thousands. Now, they are ghost towns, relics of a bygone time when the rush for precious metals ran wild. Today, these broken-down cities stand isolated in the snowy forests until a rider on snowmobile comes to call.
Snowmobilers can have a ball going back in time, reliving what life was like when the West was wild. The Elkhorn/Coolidge mines are located in the southwestern corner of Montana's Pioneer Mountains, inaccessible in the winter to mere automobiles. As in the olden days, riders to this Grasshopper Valley area will find wide-open spaces, scattered with ranches. There's even a one-room schoolhouse, and a tiny tavern where you BYOB. Just ask for Walt across the road and he'll give you the key.
Those looking for a scenic as well as a historic snowmobile adventure should drop by the Grasshopper Inn in Polaris. The Inn plays to snowmobile enthusiasts as well as skiers at nearby Marverick Mountain.
Snowmobiles can be rented at the Grasshopper Inn or from a few other local lodges and dealers. The trail to the Elkhorn/Coolidge mines begins right at the doorstep of the Inn with the Pioneer Mountains as a backdrop, and don't be surprised to see moose wandering through the foothills. The trails here are clearly marked, and maps are available to the mines.
The initial part of the trip takes riders past Crystal Park, where in summer you can dig for crystals in all shapes, sizes and colors. The trail continues through some 15 miles of closed roadways in addition to the wooded, narrow trails of the Pioneers.
The snowmobile road eventually winds its way down to the Upper Elkhorn Mine, which thrived in the early 1900s. The mining company was run by William Allen and his Boston Montana Development Corporation. He was from Montana, but many of his investors came from Boston. The old town of Coolidge is just below the mine, which was named for Calvin Coolidge, a friend of Allen's.
The Upper Elkhorn area still sports old wooden buildings such as bunk houses and an old schoolhouse. Some windows and pieces of the brown-planked sidings are gone, thanks to those taking home a piece of history. To preserve the area, the state requires summer visitors to park cars away from town. Snowmobilers can drive right up.
Hop back on your machine and travel through another forested trail, down to the town of Coolidge. A giant mill sits between the upper mine and the town. It covers two acres and was built at a cost of $900,000 in 1922. In spite of its decay, it's a sight to behold. And it's mind boggling to think what it must have taken to erect this huge structure some 60 miles from the nearest source of supplies. Raw ore was hauled into the mill where it passed through several stations before being converted into usable silver.
We stopped for lunch in what was probably downtown Coolidge, once home to some 500 people. Dried meats probably were part of the diet back then, so keeping in the spirit (so to speak) of things, one of our guides from the Beaverhead Sno Riders Club offered a piece of elk jerky. Tasty. The ham sandwiches provided by the Grasshopper Inn weren't bad, either.
You could sense Coolidge had been a busy place, with its houses, shops, post office and railway station. Now the lodgepole pines, fir trees and mounds of snow hide its past. Nothing left but the wind to whistle through the broken windows.
After leaving Coolidge, snowmobilers can explore a lot of territory in the Pioneers, specifically in an open area called Jacobson's Meadow, where Alverson Peaks and Mount Sharp tower overhead.
One trail takes riders along part of the Scenic Byway, or as it's known in summertime, Route 484. It passes along Mono and Little Joe campgrounds and eventually to the town of Wise River, about 27 miles from Coolidge. Wise River was one of the bigger cities when the mines were running strong. You're likely to see a moose grazing down along the brush.
Although the temperatures can be frigid, you may want to pack a swimsuit for a dip in Elkhorn Hot Springs. Visitors pay a fee at the adjoining Trail Creek Lodge, which supplies towels. Averaging about 100 degrees, the spring fills two outdoor pools, and keep visitors warm even in the dead of winter. The outside walkway from the indoor changing/shower rooms, though, might be a little icy on your toes. And on the coldest of days (and nights) your hair might get a bit frosty.
After your swim, ride back to the Grasshopper Inn for a big steak dinner and a slice of Grasshopper Pie, a real minty treat. Innkeeper Dennis Marshall also makes a mean Bloody Mary and throws in an olive and pickled stringbean for nothing.
If you have time, a little south of Coolidge is the ghost town of Bannack. This area is very open and usually doesn't get enough snow for decent riding, but you can drive in and look around. A product of the gold rush in the 1860's, Bannack was Montana's first territorial capital. In 1863, its population grew to more than 3,000, which led to the territory's first jail. It was tough town with more than 100 murders recorded. Now a state park, Bannack has walking tours through many of its buildings, including the Meade Hotel, where locals swear they've seen phantom ladies in their fineries walking the halls. The stout-hearted can ice skate on an old dredge pond by moonlight.
Buster LaMoure, a cousin to Western writer Louis L'Amour, was our tour guide for the trip to the Garnet Ghost Mine, near Missoula. Buster's company, Big Sky Snowmobile Adventures, offers rentals and guide service to various trails, including the Lolo Hot Springs area.
Buster, who's also a registered geologist, can tell you the whys and wherefores of Montana's mountain formations and hot spring systems. But mostly he enjoys traveling western Montana's snowy trails, sharing insights and history with other riders. Buster showed us the winter wonders of the Garnet National Winter Recreational Trail system, about 30 miles from Missoula, off Route 200. It has miles of groomed and ungroomed trails, one of which leads to the old ghost town of Garnet.
You can start your trip to Garnet near the Lubrecht Experimental Forest area parking lot. The Back County Byways maintained by the Bureau of Land Management leads you to many scenic points along the way to Garnet. One of the first stops overlooks the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. There's a picnic table if you care to sit a spell and take in the view. It seems like every turn opens to high-peaked ranges and open valleys.
Another mile or so is the Sand Park Cemetery, resting place of long-ago residents. The cemetery is about four miles from Garnet, but as Buster explained, it was the only place you could dig six feet deep because of the sandy soil. The other terrain is mostly rock. Also along this stretch, an old miner's cabin now serves as a warming hut. Buster said it was slated to be torn down until it became sort of a tourist attraction.
Originally was named for the gemstone found in the surrounding area, Garnet became a boom town for its rich gold-bearing quartz in the 1860s. Garnet was at its heyday at the turn of the century when nearly 1,500 people, mostly families, resided there. Some 20 buildings are still standing, including a jail, post office, blacksmith shop, school, cabins and a hotel. One dry goods shop, Davey's Store, operated into the 1940s. Garnet also had a dozen saloons to wet a parched throat after a tough day of mining.
Garnet, however, wasn't as wild as its contemporaries, like Bannack. Although drinking, gambling and prostitution were part of the activities, family-oriented functions such as dinner parties, picnics, sledding parties and fishing also were popular. Married women outnumbered the "sporting girls" and community dances were held almost every Saturday night.
For those who dare to spend some time with the ghosts, two of the cabins can be rented overnight in winter. The Wills cabin and Ole Dahl's place (home to a saloon and a speakeasy during Prohibition) are two of the newer structures, built in the 1930s. The homes have wood-burning stoves and rustic furniture.
After making sure you have no netherworld hitchhikers, follow the trail markers to Elevation Mountain. The view is nothing short of awesome. The U.S. Geological Survey marker says you're standing at 7,093 feet, and on a clear day like we had, you can see in any direction. Just be careful of your footing if there has been a lot of snowfall as the edge is not always where it appears to be.
Among the many views as you turn full circle are 10 wildlife areas, dozens of mountain peaks and several towns. We were able to see Glacier Park, about 150 miles away. Standing there, you wonder what explorers Lewis and Clark must have thought of this vast mountainous region. How did they figure out just where they were headed, and how were they going to get there? Betcha they cold have used a couple of snowmobiles.
Another nearby viewing spot is Top-O Deep Lookout. Buster said visitors were likely to see wildlife like elk, deer, moose and even mountain lions in the Garnet Range.
If you're in tune with the spirits and heartily agree with the line from the movie "Ghostbusters"- "I ain't afraid of no ghosts"- take a ride to these ghost towns in western Montana. But if you think you see something out of the corner of your eye, don't be surprised. It may be some old miner looking for a place to hide his cache of gold.