Algonquin Mine
The Algonquin is an old mine. It was one of the earliest mines in Montana’s Philipsburg district. By 1877, it was being worked by a 10-stamp mill for silver with minor amounts of gold. The mill proved inefficient, and a new 20-stamp mill was soon installed. Reportedly, there was
Bannack Ghost Town
Over the summer of 2015, we visited the fantastic ghost town of Bannack, Montana, which has been well-preserved and turned into a state park. It is similar to Bodie State Historical Park but with fewer buildings. Still, ghost towns remaining from the gold rush days are rare, and this one
Blackmail Mill
There isn’t much left at this old silver mill, also known as the Moorelight. I had a fun time climbing around and through the broken timbers.
The mill did custom work and once supported a cross-cut adit connected to a deep shaft. The adit is caved these days.
GPS
Hecla Mining Camp
In 1872, William “Billy” Spurr and James Bryant discovered the Trapper lode high in a cirque on Lion Mountain. News of the silver strike spread, and soon, other miners staked claims all over the mountainside. The barren slope got its name when a prospector thought he saw a mountain lion
Scratch Awl Mill
Over this last summer, we visited a few old mining ruins in Montana. We went out of our way to visit the Scratch Awl Mine as I was hoping there would be some equipment left on site to see.
The Scratch Awl was an old and long-lived mine. It was
