Montana is called the Last Best Place for a reason — we love preserving our past. Just visit one of our museums and you’ll find plenty of Treasure State gems. Or, if you’d rather have a more authentic experience, you can spend a day exploring the Parrot Smelter Ruins at Gaylord Ghost Town.

Jared Gaylord was once the superintendent of local mining operations.
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Gaylord was the town that was named after him, and you'll find what's left of it south of Whitehall on the Jefferson River.
In 1895, a thousand ton smelter worth several million dollars was moved from Butte to Gaylord.
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500 men were needed to operate the relocated smelter, which is how Gaylord was born.

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But before the smelter started operations, Butte's Amalgamated Copper Company purchased a majority share of the Parrot Mining Company stock.
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The smelter was no longer needed, so the equipment was sold for scrap, the buildings fell into ruin, and Gaylord became a ghost town.
There's not a whole lot left to see at the site, but you can still see some ruins as well as a kiln from 1896.
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It's pretty fascinating to see these remnants of our mining history.

To see more of these ruins, check out this beautiful YouTube video by davidegg22.

 

If you’re curious about Montana’s mining history, check out these old photos.

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