Garnet (Mont.) Mining Records Collection, 1884-1964

Overview of the Collection

Title
Garnet (Mont.) Mining Records Collection
Dates
1884-1964 (inclusive)
Quantity
1 partial reel microfilm
Collection Number
Mss 061
Summary
Garnet, Montana, was a silver and gold mining town in western Montana that experienced its biggest boom at the turn of the twentieth century, and again in the 1930s. The collection contains mostly time and payroll records from a number of mining companies that operated in the area.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for creating this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Placer mining attracted settlers to what became Garnet, Montana, in the 1870s. With a decline of silver mining, miners moved away; they returned in the late 1880s to mine gold. The town was originally known as Mitchell, but was named Garnet by 1897. Dr. Armisted Mitchell erected a stamp mill there in 1895, and soon after Sam Ritchey hit a rich vein of ore in his Nancy Hanks mine just west of the town. By 1898, there were 1,000 people in Garnet, and twenty mines operated. By 1905, most of the mines had played out, and the town's population had shrunk. By the 1920s, Garnet was a ghost town. In the 1930s, with the price of metals higher, miners moved back to town. World War II and defense jobs drew people away again. The town is now jointly maintained by the Garnet Preservation Association and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection consists of microfilm of three items: a time and payroll book that contains records from 1884-1896, 1946-1947, and 1953-1954. The earliest part of these records contain a page for each miner with tasks completed and time worked. Much of these seem to focus on time at Copper Cliff. There are records for Simons and Martell and Blue Bell Mining from 1946-1947. Later records also show where in the mining operations they worked. The second item is another time and payroll book for 1919-1920. Again, the records show names of miners, where they worked, hours, and pay. The third item is Ole Dahl's cash book, which shows income from his store and cabins in 1960-1964.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

[Name of document or photograph number], Garnet (Mont.) Mining Records Collection, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Location of Originals

Location of originals unknown.

Acquisition Information

Loaned for microfilming by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, 1970.

Processing Note

The collection was originally processed as SC 96 and minimally described. In 2004, the collection was renumbered as Mss 061 and a finding aid was produced and encoded.

Finding aid prepared by Jodi Allison-Bunnell
2004

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West