Montana Settings: A Visit to Garnet Ghost Town and Coloma
**More pictures added 7.6.2020. Garnet link updated 2022.**
It was an amazing writing day. Any day I get to spend with the Gallaghers is a wonderful day. You might wonder who else I could possibly introduce into this remarkable family . . . not going to tell you yet. In between bursts of writing, I thought about the road trips I want to take around Montana in the name of research. Then I got to thinking about the Christmas book I plan to finish this year, which sparked thoughts about visiting ghost towns. There's a ghost in the Christmas book.
An author's mind is an odd place to be.
My characters were screaming at me to get back to work, and then I thought about blogging (too much thinking going on here) and decided it was time to cheat and recycle a favorite post. I posted it a few years back, but alas, it disappeared into the abyss. It's from the summer I visited Garnet Ghost Town and Coloma in northwest Montana. I had lived here over a decade before I finally made the trip, less than two hours away. Shame I waited so long, but still worth the wait. I'm due for another visit. Read on for pictures and the story.
The drive up the mountain was breathtaking. It rained on and off, but that is the perfect type of day for me. We were lucky enough that most of the clouds and the fog remained at bay until the drive down.
I can't explain exactly why I was so happy to be on this particular trip. In only know that from the moment we began to drive up the mountain, I kept the window down and let in the fresh pine-scented air while the cool breeze blew across my face. It was simply wonderful.
If you ever have a chance to visit Garnet and Coloma, the drive up provides a nice history lesson with interactive displays along the way. But there was more than that. One of the first displays told us about a Frank Hamilton and the Sand Park Cemetery. I only took video of that particular display (lost to the ages now), but suffice it for now to say that there was no Frank Hamilton listed on the grave markers, at least not that I saw.
"Frank Hamilton died last Tuesday and was buried in the Coloma Cemetery on Thursday, under the auspices of the Garnet Miners Union. Deceased was about 35 years of age, but nothing is known of his antecedents, further than that. He was born in Colorado, presumably at Canon City." —Drummond Call, Friday, October 6, 1905
It's sad to be a part of history as these men were, and then to only be remembered for your name, year of death, and if you were lucky, where you were born.
The next display was to tell us about the old stage stop (older cabin) and the fire warden's cabin.
We then continued up the mountain where we finally parked and walked the short distance to Garnet. My first glimpse of it was surprising. I knew it was a preserved ghost town, but I hadn't realized just how well preserved.
I wonder what might have become of Garnet had a fire not destroyed much of the town. Would it have continued to grow and thrive, or like many mining towns, slowly fade into history when the ore dried up? Considering the beautiful and peaceful setting, I would like to think people would have chosen to stay.
Walking through the boarding house/hotel was a fun experience. When I first saw the kitchen, I had to pause and wonder if I could have managed to cook everything I do the way they used to, without all of the handy gadgets I enjoy now.
These rooms are in need of some serious elbow grease, a lot of soap, and a lot of wallpaper removal. Can you imagine what it might have looked like back then, bustling with miners and workers?
I was hoping for ghosts, but alas they were as absent as the sunshine. If one is going to call a place a ghost town, one should expect there to be ghosts. Behind me (below) are the stairs to the second floor bedrooms.
This was the nicest of the upstairs bedroom. It was also the only room with signs that a woman lived there. Even with a good dusting, it could not have been easy to live here. One hundred years ago is not that long in the grand scheme of time, yet to abandon a place so completely is surprising.
Is it wrong that I want some of the antiques?
The upstairs Common Quarters did not look at all like an appealing place to sleep, and yet, it was a roof of their head, and for a small mining town in the mountains, it could have been far worse.
Common Quarters
Odds and ends . . . a baby walker, desk leg, old horn, and a sieve.
We're off to the honeymoon cabin!
I had some fun imagining what it would have been like to honeymoon in this cabin, but I suppose when you marry in the middle of nowhere, you take what you can get. I'm a little kinder to the characters in my books.
Perhaps with a bit of cleaning, a solid door, a board floor, and . . . nope, I can't say I would have spent a honeymoon here.
Then a stop off at the old blacksmith shop . . .
Where the bellows was more than twice my size. I so wanted to give it a try.
The story of a girl named Mary Jane . . .
And then off to the "jail." Be grateful you weren't a misfit in Garnet.
What is a ghost town without an old saloon, and apparently Garnet had a few.
And a general store . . .
The Briarwood general store that the Gallaghers frequent is not quite so primitive.
All those tools and tack left to ruin . . .
More of the "town."
Now, let's take a look at Coloma, a nearby mining camp that hasn't been preserved. You can also learn more about Garnet at garnetghosttown.org.
Coloma Ghost Town/Mining Camp
Called the "Mystery Camp," little information is available. The town was active from 1893 to 1906. During that period, the entire Coloma district produced approx. $250,000 in gold. The area was active again in 1918-1921 and 1932-1950. Current archaeological study of the site is being conducted by graduate school at University of Montana. Submitted by: M. S. "Doc" McClanahan *
Though not preserved, Coloma was my favorite part of the trip. There was definitely something in the crisp and clean air. The men up at this mining camp may have had more rustic lodging, but they certainly had the best setting and views. I was surprised at the number of cabins still standing, even partially.
This was my favorite of the cabins, perhaps because it was settled in a lovely place by itself among. I imagine it was quite "cute" at one time.
Though I don't believe whoever had to sleep here every night would agree with me. It might have been cozy when newly built.
This was my favorite place up in Coloma. You had to walk around to find it, but it's definitely worth the easy trek. Among those rocks I sat and imagined life in those mountains a century ago. Perhaps the men found solace from their work by escaping to this place . . .
. . . to enjoy the view from the rocks. It's understandable why some of them built cabins along this spot.
Can you see them there? Exhausted from a hard day's work, all alone except for each other's company and the wilderness.
If you're ever inclined to visit northwest Montana, I suggest a drive up the mountain to Garnet and Coloma. Despite getting temporarily lost coming back from Coloma (I swear I wasn't driving), it was a truly beautiful day. Not to mention inspiring for a book. As for getting lost, we got turned around (okay, maybe it was a little my fault because I was enjoying the view too much). We stopped, and upon exiting the vehicle and noticing signs that a large bear had been nearby recently, I turned to a modern convenience in a not-so-modern setting—GPS. Yep, Verizon GPS got us out of Coloma.
On the way out, we stopped for a lovely walk in the woods. Then of course there was the drive back home with a stop at Salmon Lake. The sun briefly decided to come out and play.
