Garnet Day celebrates mining heritage of Montana's most intact ghost town
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(MISSOULA, Mont.) – The sights, sounds and smells of a 19th-century mining town will come back to life during this year’s family-friendly Garnet Day June 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The annual event, hosted by the Bureau of Land Management and the Garnet Preservation Association, brings a bustle of activity to the now-dormant ghost town of Garnet.
(Photo by David Abrams)
Montana pioneer impersonator Jennie Pak will give a presentation about Lucia Darling, a school teacher in Bannack’s early days. Music throughout the day will be provided by The Narrow Road Band and Old Time Montana Fiddlers Band.
Other activities throughout the day include a wool-spinning demonstration, a quilt display, various old-fashioned games for children, and a pie auction.
Another highlight of the day’s festivities is the ice cream social which was an annual event 100 years ago in Garnet. Lunch will also be available for purchase on site.
The day’s events are designed to give families a fun, wild-west experience in one of Montana’s most intact ghost towns, located 35 miles east of Missoula.
Visitors will be charged the standard usage fee of $3; no admission is charged for those 15 and younger. For those needing assistance, a shuttle service will be provided from the main parking lot to the town’s main street.
More than 100 years ago, Garnet was an active gold-mining town, but after a fire destroyed many of the buildings and as the gold became more difficult to mine, the once prosperous town slowly went into a deep sleep until its last full-time resident passed away in 1947. The ghost town is now publicly owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management’s Missoula Field Office.
To reach Garnet from Highway 200, turn south on the Garnet Range Road between mile markers 22 and 23 and travel about 11 miles to Garnet Ghost Town.
Visitors using I-90 should take the Bearmouth or Drummond exit, then take the Frontage Road to Bear Gulch. Garnet is 10 miles north on Bear Gulch Road. The Bear Gulch Route is steeper and not suitable for towing units.
For more information on the event, contact the BLM’s Missoula Field Office at (406) 329-3914.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.