Public Lands: Old mining machinery (photo diary)

During the 1860s, gold lured thousands of miners to Montana’s Garnet Mountains. In 1895, the town of Garnet was established. In 1898, Garnet had a population of about 1,000 and by 1905, only 150 remained. In 1934, gold prices were raised and, together with new technology, another gold boom began. By 1936, the population had increased to 250. With World War II, the boom disappeared and in 1942 the post office closed. By 1948, the general store had closed, and souvenir hunters were looting the town.  Today the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Garnet Preservation Association maintain Garnet in a state of arrested decay.

Shown below is some of the old mining machinery which is scattered around the site.