Thanks to its rich mining history, Montana has quite a few ghost towns that are still available to explore. But while our more popular deserted spots like Bannack and Garnet are well-preserved, the old mining town of Comet is slowly being reclaimed by nature… and it’s pretty cool to see.

Comet is located about 20 miles southwest of Helena.
Mattia Panciroli / Flickr
You can find it by following High Ore Road north from Interstate 15.
The remains of the town are spread over about 35 acres.
Mattia Panciroli / Flickr
The buildings range from an ore processing building, several other company buildings, and a few private houses.

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The town was named after the Comet Mine, which which was developed in 1883 by the Helena and Livingston Smelting and Reduction Company.
Scott Wagner / Flickr
Gold was discovered here in 1874. The operation shut down in 1897, but it was revived in 1900 by a copper company. But in 1941, the mine was exhausted and operations were permanently shut down.
At one time, the mine here was the richest mine in the district, producing $20 million in ore.
Mark Holloway / Flickr
That's 10 times more than the nearest mine, which produced $2 million.
These days, the town is completely abandoned except for one single active resident.
Mark Holloway / Flickr
Although it's on private grazing land, the ghost town itself is open to the public.

If you enjoy Montana ghost towns, here are eight more to explore.

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