Hello All
Sitting on the eastern slope of the Continental Divide between the towns of Basin and Boulder, Comet, Montana, one of the state?s most intact ghost towns. Not restored nor preserved, the site is located on private land, but at this time, remains open to the public.
Mining began in what would become known as the High Ore Mining District as early as 1869 when a man named John W. Russell began to prospect in the area. However, after working his claim for five years, Russell sold it to the Alta-Montana Company in 1874. The new company began to invest in mining operations and soon built a 40-ton-per-day concentrator, a mill process which separates the ore from the dirt and rocks.
However, by the turn of the century, the ore was beginning to play out and the mine sold several times over the next several years. By 1913, the town had become a ghost.
Things changed again in 1927 when the Comet and the Gray Eagle Mines were purchased by the Basin Montana Tunnel Company, who again made improvements, building a 200-ton concentrator, which was described at the time as "the most modern in Montana.? With better technology, the mines were buzzing once again, employing about 300 men and weathering the depression years. In the 1930s, the operation was the second largest mining venture in Montana, after Butte. Mining operations continued until 1941 at which time, most of the equipment was sold, the people moved away, and Comet became a ghost town for good.
Hardluck
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« Last Edit: February 28, 2010, 06:10:29 am by hardluck »
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