I knew that Bruce Gregory and Stephen Johnson would enjoy
Granite, Montana based on my visit there in 2005 with my wife and our
neighbors. So, Granite was one of our
destinations on our summer camping trip.
There was a silver bonanza in the 1880’s on Granite Mountain,
and soon the mountaintop was packed with buildings. The centerpiece was the magnificent Miner’s
Union Hall, now a big brick ruin. The
elegant building once had a dance floor / auditorium, lodge room, office,
library, and more.
Mae Werning’s house is down the street. She was the watchman and last resident of Granite and died in 1969 at age 75. Most houses now are just piles of lumber or overgrown rock foundations.
Granite Mills A and B together ran 80 stamps until the 1890’s. In the 1950’s the buildings were intentionally burned for safety reasons, leaving these gigantic foundations.
Just down the road along the face of the mountain ruined structures of the Ruby Mine are on the verge of collapse.
Granite has some of the biggest ghost town structures we have found on our camping trips. It is amazing to think about what it was like to live and work here more than a century ago.
I hope you enjoy these photos, but please be aware that they are copyrighted and can not be used for any purpose without permission and reasonable compensation.
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ReplyDeleteRoss is right. We did enjoy Granite . . . . very much!
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