Ghost Town

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Blog 08-08-15 Ghost Town



Yes, today is the day to see a real ghost town. I asked several people how to get to Garnet and they all said "Oh no, you don't want to go that way!" I could go west on 90 and then north on 200 or go east on 90, get off at Bearmouth then north on the rim road. "What kind of vehicle are you driving? Are you alone?" were the first 2 questions I was asked. The rt 200 way is very scenic, longer but much safer. The rim road is suitable for 4 wheel drive and nerves of steel. Apparently it is a road just bulldozed out of the side of the hill, cliff on one side and sheer drop on the other, about as wide as a bulldozer. It really sounded appealing to me but I remember being on some "good" back roads here in Montana and they scared the pants off me. I opted for the scenic route.

Yes, it was very scenic after I got off 90. The road followed the Blackfoot River (A River Runs Through It fame) as it wound through the canyon and into the valley where again there were several ranches and beautiful vistas. This is a little higher elevation so the hay is just being bailed now. There seem to be more horses here, cattle and an occasional sheep ranch. Everything is neat and orderly and with the help of irrigation, green. I wound my way up and up gentle rises, but always going up through beautiful forests until I noticed a very small sign, Ghost Town Garnet turn right.

The sign at the start of the road informed you that the road was not suitable for motorhomes or cars with trailers and was Federal land operated by the BLM. ( Bureau of Land Management). The speed limit was 35mph. There were also signs about this being an experimental forest with the help of Montana State University. Then the sign saying that Garnet was 9 miles up this road. O K, I can do this, it's paved, not so narrow and through the beautiful mature experimental forest, what's the problem. I started up and up and up some more until I thought there must be a top here somewhere. The road did get more narrow then we lost the pavement, it was gravel. The Montana gravel roads are usually very good so onward we went. At the almost top there was a vista with a sign pointing out the views, it was just gorgeous with some snow capped peaks in the far background. There was a bit of a chill to the air with a slight breeze but better air I don't remember ever breathing. I had the windows rolled down the whole trip except when another car came then I had to roll it up to keep the dust out. Oscar and I both sniffed our way up the mountain. The pavement ended about the mile 5 marker so we had 4 miles of gravel road to navigate. The road was wash boarded in spots and there were some pot holes but nothing Petunia couldn't handle.

Finally we got to the parking lot and a truck was just pulling out so I had a parking place. The lot was full! Lots of people curious and adventuresome.

It was a 5 minute walk to the town which was nestled down in a little valley. I got an overview from the path, picture, and an idea about how the little town was laid out. A lot of the building were destroyed in a fire in the 1950's but enough buildings remain to get an idea of the real town and what it must have been like to live there.

In 1898 there were 1,000 people living in Garnet, by 1905 only 150 remained. The owner of the local store was a kind and generous man who extended credit so no one would starve and to newly weds he loaned a cabin until they could build a suitable one of their own. There was a prevailing peace in town because of the family atmosphere, they even had a school for the children. But there were 19 bars in town too.

I marveled at the effort it must have taken to build a home for your family after working in the mines all day. You had to cut timber and bring it to your site, then assemble the logs into a structure, lay smaller saplings across the roof and put planks on the roof to keep the snow out. Don't forget filling in the holes with clay or moss, then cutting a door and maybe a window. Pile rocks around the foundation and put planks on the floor. Then you had to get a stove and furnish the place, keeping in mind that anything you bought had to be brought by freight wagon up this very windy, steep road at an exorbitant cost. Life was really hard. I just can't imagine anyone now living life like that, but it was what they had to do to try to get ahead.

Oscar was able to come with me through the tour and was a pretty good boy. They even gave him treats in the gift shop, yes, they had a gift shop, but no treats for me!

I brought a sandwich with me and we found a nice shaded picnic table by the town spring to enjoy it.

I saw a truck going up the road with 3 or 4 barking beagles in the back and wondered what they were up to. Here it was part of the park service coming back from chasing a mountain lion. Don't know if they were successful or not.

The trip home was nice, again following the river with the late afternoon sun sparkling off the water. There is something special about the sky and light out here. When the sun is out it is so bright but when it's in things seem lifeless. The light is the magical ingredient here. Montana sky.

I treated myself to dinner at the Stage Station again hoping for salmon but the salmon dish tonight was with shrimp and primavera sauce so I had the trout. It was ok but cooked a little too much.

I met a very interesting woman from the Ukraine outside and we talked for a while about life. We are not so different in this big world.

It was bed time by then and I was exhausted. It was another great day.

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