The mining town of Garnet was established in Montana’s Garnet Mountains in 1895. Today it is a ghost town managed in a state of arrested decay by the Bureau of Land Management and the Garnet Preservation Association. Frank A. Davey’s store was one of the first businesses established in Garnet and the building that housed it was built about 1898. Frank Davey operated the store until 1947.
Davey’s Store sold dry goods, shoes, jewelry, canned goods, mining tools, and cuts of meat. An icehouse attached to the rear of the store was used for storing perishables and, in addition, the icehouse contained three hidden compartments built into the wall which were used for storing gold.
According to one of the information signs:
“Through boom and bust, Frank A. Davey steadfastly believed in Garnet’s future. As owner of the general store, hotel, and the stage line, Davey was Garnet’s most prominent resident. His death in 1947 and the sale of his holdings in 1948 marked the beginning of Garnet as a ghost town.”
Ice House
Shown above is the entrance to the ice house. Notice the thick walls which helped to keep it cold. The floor is still covered with sawdust—blocks of ice were covered with layers of sawdust to reduce melting.
This chute was used for bringing the blocks of ice into the ice house and for the sawdust as well.
Looking from the ice house into the store. Again, notice the thick walls in the doorway.
The hole in the wall may be one of the hidden compartments for gold.
More Garnet Ghost Town
Public Lands: The Garnet Ghost Town (Photo Diary)
Garnet Ghost Town: Barn, Blacksmith's Shop, and Jail (Photo Diary)
Garnet Ghost Town: Kelly's Saloon (Photo Diary)
