When the original Garnet School was built in 1898, there were over 40 children registered for school in grades 1-8. That’s a lot of kids for a school with only one classroom and one teacher!
Winter presented a challenge for the kids of the Garnet School. They really did have to walk to school through three feet of snow, sometimes even more. There were no cars, sidewalks, or plowed roads. Kids could ski to school in the morning and have snowball fights at recess.
Some years the school year was cut short because there wasn’t enough money to pay the teacher’s salary. Can you imagine a one-room school today?
Learn more about Garnet. Montana's best preserved ghost town! Visit the Garnet Ghost Town web site or contact the BLM's Missoula Field Office.
