Granite, located near Phillipsburg, Montana, was a major mining center during the 1890s and the early 1900s. In 1873 Charles McLure and his brother-in-law, Charles Clark began the first mine in Granite, the Granite Mountain Mine. Their mining operation focused on gold and silver, which proved to be abundant in the area. The mine sparked an influx of people into the area and precipitated Granite's booming economy. In 1890 the miners formed the Granite Miners Union and in January of 1891 they opened their headquarters at the Miners Union Hall. This building was built of solid granite in commemoration of the town's namesake. The miners union met two or three times a month. Many of their meetings centered on community affairs, such as hosting dances and participating in community events. Granite thrived as a mining center until 1912 when silver prices fell dramatically causing a rapid decline in jobs and overall economic hardship. The Granite Mountain Mine closed its doors soon after and forced the inhabitants of Granite to seek work elsewhere. By 1966 Granite had only one citizen and has since been completely abandoned.
The collection, a ledger and a microfilm duplicate, include the minutes from the Granite Miners Union's meetings from 1898 through 1901. The focus of the minutes is officer nominations, committee appointments, new members, collections of dues, fundraising and various other information pertaining to the organization. A few business motions are also included in the collection.
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.
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.
[Name of document or photograph number], Granite Miners Union Records, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana--Missoula.
The University of Montana Archives filmed this collection on April 4, 1972.
The actions of the original processors are unknown. In 2001, the collection was reprocessed
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.