The Ghost Town of Granite, Montana

The Ghost Town of Granite, Montana - "The Silver Queen"

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Күн бұрын

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It’s remote. It’s empty. And it’s sitting high up on the top of a mountain in the Flint Creek Range of the Rockies.
Granite is the home of unique ruins, a sprawling mill site, and what were once two of the longest aerial trams in the United States. Come along as we explore the ruins of this old mining town that was once one of the biggest cities in Montana, and at its height was the largest producer of silver in the world, earning this town the nickname “The Silver Queen”. This is the story of Granite, Montana. In this video, we explain the ruins of the mill site and what's accessible of the mine, as well as Main Street Granite, home of the Miner's Union Hall.
Visiting Granite was suggested to me by my friend, Alan Patera, who runs an excellent magazine called Western Places. He hasn’t done anything on Granite yet, but maybe this video will help to convince him. His work can be found here: westernplaces.net/

Пікірлер: 282

@TheBrainSpecialist 5 ай бұрын

Just want to say a quick thanks to Tom and Emma for going out to these places so I can live vicariously through them and add places to visit to my list. Keep up the good work guys.

@nozzzzy 5 ай бұрын

The image at 26:25 that overlays the town onto a modern image of the area blows my mind. It's incredible how so much history is lost so easily. If I were to walk through that area today I simply couldn't imagine that there was once a massive town there. You'd think there would be more left over given just how many buildings were there.

@RobDeHaven 5 ай бұрын

Just think about the state of mind of the people that came to this town in search of a new life. Maybe they were headed west in an attempt to escape the civil war that was or had been raging back east. With silver being discovered in 1865, that would have been the last year of the civil war so I'm sure people were seeking a different place to live hoping to escape those horrors. Great video Tom, I really enjoy these videos and hopefully one day I'll be able to visit Philipsburg as it looks like a really interesting place to explore.

@CHESTURCH 5 ай бұрын

Can only imagine the relief those people felt when they finally had their destination in sight after that long journey. Even though most of them probably just earned a living through hard, intense labor.

@reefsroost696 5 ай бұрын

@@CHESTURCH It was probably better than what they had back home.

@Mrbfgray 3 ай бұрын

Never any mention of most titillating aspect--whore houses, they were as integral and important as a bank.

@kittybitts567 5 ай бұрын

Thank you so much Tom, Emma and crew for documenting all this history, the history of the lives of ordinary men and women who built America. Your channel is a treasure!

@ellen4956 5 ай бұрын

I used to have a house that had a chimney like the one in Mae's cabin. It was for the kitchen stove, which was a wood-burning stove. That type of chimney is rare to see anymore. The house I had was built in 1892 in Oregon.

@Ranger_Kevin 5 ай бұрын

I love the ghost town series. So many places I will probably never able to visit myself, with so much interesting history. And the decay is always so fascinating.

@tyler558806 5 ай бұрын

The most underrated historical places channel in all of KZfaq. I absolutely LOVE your Ghost Town series and anytime you go anywhere of a notable event and overlay the maps and old photos and what not. Thank you!

@gloriapatrietspirituisanct8825 5 ай бұрын

I'm not sure how to describe how interesting this is, as someone who grew up in the wild west, these towns are so full of history it makes me long to know the story of the people. Another splendid video Tom.

@trinketsmusings 5 ай бұрын

I pretty much say this every time I watch one of your videos, but seriously, they are just so well done. Full of artistry, integrity, well paced, lovely to look at, full of incredible information. My thumbs up isn't just a like. It is utter admiration and complete appreciation.

@caroleminke6116 5 ай бұрын

My sister was married to an electrician who worked in the silver mines around Coeur D’Alene Idaho & I’ve got a beautiful memory from visiting there in the mid 1970’s

@mssuxmyass 5 ай бұрын

Your of overlays of photography with the old plats and surveys look awesome! a great way to convey data!

@seanmmcelwain 5 ай бұрын

Seriously! Context like the overlays make these kinds of videos 100% more compelling.

@kylekundert5665 5 ай бұрын

I'm actually from Montana and visited granite a few times. Thank you for putting this history into a palatable format. I was always curious about knowing this information but never had the patience to listen to a poor audio quality professors presentation that brush over granite cuz their focus is on the greater mining operations in Montana. Really appreciate you taking the time to put this out and happy I found your channel the more I work through the interesting videos you've put out

@schmowder1911 3 ай бұрын

If you like long form content, you’d enjoy the audiobook of Fire and Brimstone. It’s about the 1917 mine disaster in Butte. Before the Berkeley pit lol

@jillatherton4660 5 ай бұрын

The photographer did a good job on his drawings. 👍

@classic.cameras 5 ай бұрын

It's always amazing these huge towns that were all over the States and all of it was cleaned up and removed. Like where is this town? Where did it go? It's crazy!

@alexw.7097 Ай бұрын

It's especially interesting to me as someone half English, the US was formed less than 250 years ago, and we have places like this that popped up and were totally wiped away for the land to be used again and all that, when in many places in Europe, you can still find people living in houses *or Castles* and castle towns that were built well before the US mining settlements! It's interesting to think about the reasons why civilizations do or don't do something

@chrisloomis1489 5 ай бұрын

Phillipsburg looks beautiful , wonderful video and part off why I love the West ... is expressed by you. I thank you : Chris

@rebinred495 5 ай бұрын

Stay safe while exploring these ruins, what would we do without you ? ;) Lovely video, very nicely done.

@jimpantle3780 5 ай бұрын

The partial chimney was quit common in the late 1800s and the early 1900s. My family owns a house in western Ks that has one and another abandoned house in central Kansas has one as well.

@crowlangel9999 5 ай бұрын

Did you find any pieces of the silver stones laying around!? Looks like a fun place to visit, Thank you for sharing.

@WellRoundedWoodsman 5 ай бұрын

My wife, dog, cat and I explored Granite in 2015 on a cross country move from Florida to Alaska. It was one of the highlights of our trip and we spent an entire day between the Phillipsburg historical society and the actual visit to the town. Places like this are special to American history, and play an important yet underappreciated role in our story. Walking down the streets and what used to be streets, while holding photos like the ones you showed is a very surreal experience.

@frankmarullo228 5 ай бұрын

This video my friend is very comprehensive , I went there years ago , had plenty to drink in Phillipsburg at the brewery . I live east of granite for 34 years now . been to quite a few ghost towns in montana . love your work. PS. You should go to Bannack. THANK YOU FRANK FROM MONTANA......

@Arterexius 5 ай бұрын

This is one of the few really, really good historical channels on KZfaq. Every single one of your episodes are feature length, documentary quality films and I love them all. I have yet to watch a lot of them, but that's good, as I treasure these tales. This isn't just one of the best historical channels on American history on the tube. It's one of the best overall historical channels on the tube, due to the sheer quality of work you and the team put into these. Thank you so much for yet another great video, I am looking forward to hearing more of the US that once were.

@PartTimeExplorer 5 ай бұрын

Thank you for the kind comment!

@jamy8575 2 ай бұрын

The east coast of AmeriKa has 100's & I would bet near 1000 disappeared towns FAR FAR less remains of them.. MANY absolutely nothing.. A few remained on Google MaPS per 2008.. I would visit them.. Just a spec on the google maps and NOTHING there what so ever.. One, I remember because I grew up next to it.. It was a town called Heverly, Pennsylvania. As a Preteen there was an eerily old decrepit coal tipple there.. by mid teens is was torn down & NOTHING there for a decade.. By my mid 20's a Federal program came in and built a Half way home for ex cons. Maybe dozens reside there and a few workers... The place is 4 Miles on either side from any type of town civilization.

@Rachel-art-and-design 5 ай бұрын

So cool. Thanks for the fabulous video 🎉❤😊

@cokeysnose375 5 ай бұрын

Always quality

@rebinred495 5 ай бұрын

36:05 that’s definitely a strange chimney design, very interesting!

@scofab 5 ай бұрын

Well done as always, thank you again.

@SecretSquirrelFun 5 ай бұрын

“Big Slim” ❤ The size of some of those wooden beams is incredible. The trees that they were cut from would have be absolutely enormous. BIG ancient trees, amazing. I’m interested, did you notice any termite damage done to those surviving wooden structures?

@dalmatiangirl61 5 ай бұрын

The half brick chimney was common, it would have been used with a wood fired cookstove, or a wood/coal heating stove. A single wall steel chimney would have been used between the cook/heating stove and the brick chimney, and entered thru the small hole at base of brick chimney. Back then a brick chimney thru the roof was the best protection against chimney fires, the bricks being great insulators.

@vintagecapgunsatyourmomshouse 5 ай бұрын

It's a great explore! I've spent whole days there. Thank you for filling in so many blank spaces!

@mharris1957 5 ай бұрын

Great video! The Coolidge mine, nearby, is a lot more remote and lessor known. Very cool hike but with some mosquitos.

@katielin2379 5 ай бұрын

Thank you for a most interesting and detailed history of Granite.

@ladybugspritz 5 ай бұрын

clicked as fast as possible!! thank you for your work 😊

@Ironmerchant 5 ай бұрын

Ah yeah I like when I get a new part time explorer just in time for my lunch break

@apancher 5 ай бұрын

Doing the same right now!

@mdoutey 5 ай бұрын

finally a video from you, also a long one. looking forward to watching it

@ShaunUnderwoodx 5 ай бұрын

I absolutely love this channel.. it's a great production.. in-depth history.. everything you need all in one place.. thank you for all your hard work... It's always a pleasure to be here and always relaxed when watching your productions...10/10 Tom and Emma and co .. waiting for the next one.. I wish you all a very merry Christmas and all the best success for 2024.. Happy Christmas everyone.

@superbroadcaster 5 ай бұрын

This is my favorite side of Montana and I like to remind out of staters about it. Montana isn't a travel destination or a summer home, it's a grave full of broken dreams. So don't let it get any more expensive for the locals that do live here.

@StirlingLighthouse 5 ай бұрын

Outstanding presentation and location. Thank you very much 🙏

@DatPeteBoi 5 ай бұрын

Never clicked this fast before XD

@woodyreece5588 5 ай бұрын

Love the small into video...I absolutely love these videos ..very relaxing

@jeffreyhutchins6527 5 ай бұрын

Fantastic story. Really enjoyed it. I sure wish Tom and Emma could make it to a tiny ghost town in North East Washington State in Okanogan county Washington, called Bolster. Be very interested in a deep dive of that town.

@jessthemuse 5 ай бұрын

Thank you for the Western Places plug!! These are perfect Christmas presents for a very specific type of person. Love the channel.

@Ol_Durty_Badger 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing Montana with the world! There is so much history lost in our mountains. Hundreds of ghost towns returning to nature with little or no info on many of them. Nearby Butte MT is the City that electrified America with its copper. America enjoyed the growth of industrialization on the backs of our boys who pulled the valuable ore from deep in the earth. Much like mines all over the country.

@teribelleau137 5 ай бұрын

This was an exciting explore, since there are still many structures. Thanks for all the interesting information. ❤😊

@garyday5299 5 ай бұрын

Very interesting. And as always, so very well narrated. Thank you for what you do.

@someonewithballs 5 ай бұрын

Love your vids!!! Thanks for posting :)

@DragonDrop4758 5 ай бұрын

Who doesn't like Wild Bill, who built such an amazing snowman? Long may he live on

@grinderkenny 5 ай бұрын

Amazing amount of work went into this video. I enjoyed every bit of it.

@l.l.2463 5 ай бұрын

Another winner!! I love these explorations -- all the different types. But the ones about old mining towns are especially fascinating to me. My dad was a self-taught geologist/prospector/miner and so this sheds some light on my family history.

@MrTylerStricker 5 ай бұрын

Very cool, interesting & fascinating documentary! I've never heard of Granite or Phillipsburg before, but now I'm glad I have! As a complete newbie to archeology like this, I can understand why so many people enjoy visiting, exploring & learning about these kinds of places.

@jbstandsforjasonborne3847 5 ай бұрын

Oh cool, KZfaq likes to recommend this stuff to me instantly.

@BUFFALO1946 5 ай бұрын

Love your ghost towns Thank you

@Oneminuteman38 5 ай бұрын

Love to see you do one on the four towns that were destroyed to make the quabbin reservoir in Massachusetts

@davidthorne5715 5 ай бұрын

The ghost town videos are fast becoming my favorite series of videos that you create, thanks for all the work and time you put into these!

@briannave7326 5 ай бұрын

Another great video, well documented.

@stephenwilkinson3588 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for another great video.Very interesting to learn the history and stories of these old towns.

@FastingStarChanelNo5 5 ай бұрын

I lived in a national forest area in NoCal years ago, first a log cabin, then what we called a frame house. That chimney with the wood under it is a fire waiting to happen. Snob Hill, lol. Usually one sees Montana as all hilly and prairies like. Mining is so dangerous even today, not an easy occupation and always dangerous. TYSM for this!!

@AZHighDesert2 5 ай бұрын

Really fantastic work Tom, well done!

@DCking14682 5 ай бұрын

So melancholic to see what our forefathers accomplished coming to ruin and decay.

@rockybernard2997 5 ай бұрын

Splendid study on the history of Granite. The overlays are always so fascinating. With so many of these old towns, there's always a 'big fire' ...and Freemasons, then the state takes over, making the area state or national park. Patterns? it's like watching a sheepdog herding a flock of sheep. just saying (stay in your 15-min city!)

@steveniksid5874 5 ай бұрын

Love your documentaries PTE. Here is a tragedy that I would like to learn more about if you are interested in doing a documentary. The East Cleveland Gas Explosion on October 20th, 1944 131 souls lost.

@edwardaustin740 5 ай бұрын

I stumbled across your channel about 6 months ago and I have enjoyed every minute of them. I instantly subscribed. I enjoy how you bring history to life with the way you explain it. Thank you very much.

@Raaaahhhhbbbie 5 ай бұрын

Great video! Your videos tell the most nuanced and engaging stories. Tom, if you’re ever around California’s Central Coast, the ghost town of New Idria is a special example of a mercury boomtown that had a huge impact on the industries of the west coast in the early 20th century, and I think it’d be right up your alley.

@strat1960s 5 ай бұрын

My wife and I were stationed at Malmstrom AFB for a few years. We did get out and explore, but not as much as I would have liked. We often spent weekends snowboarding at Showdown , a little past Monarch. There were several little hole-in-the-wall towns that we drove through on the way. However, after a full day on our boards and butts, there was little enthusiasm to check these historic towns out. Garnet was a neat town we visited once. My daughter and I explored a bit while my wife chose to nap in the car. Summers in Montana were incredible. We have since retired in North Central Texas. I am certain there are a lot of abandoned and historic towns and buildings. I drive through one sleepy little town called Clairette with three of its old buildings near the road. If only those walls could tell me their story is what often goes through my mind, and then quickly back to focussing on the road. One of these days I'll pull off the road and see what there is to see. Thank you for sharing your videos.

@fallenwatchers3441 5 ай бұрын

I love these videos you have done an amazing job!

@markclifton14 5 ай бұрын

What a beautiful old place.lots of interesting history, and fascinating to listen to. An excellently put together video as always. Very well filmed and presented. You really should be a professional documentary filmmaker and presenter. Well done keep up the great content.

@CHESTURCH 5 ай бұрын

You do an amazing job on your videos. The massive deadly rockslide video was one of my first ones I've watched. Now i just want to binge watch them all. Maybe if i get a sick day sometime soon i can do that! Thanks for the history lesson

@karenc4544 Ай бұрын

This is PBS quality (a big compliment, I think). It’s so good to find channels like this!

@Toyahsi2 5 ай бұрын

Your vids are top notch, thank you for sharing. Learned a lot today. Amazing what the miners did. Building that tram just itself in insane.

@josephpiskac2781 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for all your hard work. I find ruins also to be interesting. Amazing just how quickly these buildings vanished.

@fosterfamilyfaith 5 ай бұрын

I would just like to say that you're really doing an excellent job. The well put together combination of your footage coupled with the historical maps, drawings and photos makes the videos a pleasure to watch. Your narration is professional with just a smidgen of well placed humor. Always very interesting. Thanks for taking us along on your historical explorations. May your hardwork continue to bring you increased success.

@sufficientphrase7769 5 ай бұрын

I love the tours around the ruins and the old pics and drawings.

@donmarion8808 3 ай бұрын

I was able to visit P Burg when we were assigned to a forest fire near there in 1988. We were from southern Arizona and felt like we stepped back in a time machine. What an amazing place. Thank you for the great videao. What an amazing history

@staceyrenner5418 5 ай бұрын

Wow, what a place!! Reminds me very much of Sandon, B.C. If you ever make it up to Alberta or B.C. again I highly recommend checking out the Kootenays and more specifically, the valley of the ghosts between Kaslo and New Denver.

@Kennerunderground 5 ай бұрын

I do a lot of mine exploring, but sometimes its hard to find detailed historical documentation behind some of the locations. This is pure American history, thank you for giving us this fascinating story

@TheShowgirl25 5 ай бұрын

Cool video. A step back into history. I love this stuff! Thank you.

@OGRocker1 5 ай бұрын

Great explore and history lesson, thank you for taking us along. ... Merry Christmas🎄

@brixen0623 Ай бұрын

Your videos have inspired me to re-explore my own family history. My grandmothers aunt was Bernice (bitsy) Dombroski. One of the first 3 women to work in a mine in Oceola Mills PA. She recently passed away. Idk why im so fascinated. But i am. Thank you for your hard work and inspiration to those of us who just watch.

@susanstefonowicz6668 3 ай бұрын

Garnet, Montana is a great mining town also. Buildings that are safe to walk through, a photographer’s dream location. Bannack, Montana was another ghost town that had a lot of character and safe accessibility. Bannick was the first capital of Montana.

@jeroberts7228 5 ай бұрын

That was so interesting, even fascinating! How I do love your channel, Tom.

@rebzdomine 4 ай бұрын

A very high-quality and informative video. I've always been interested in the history of such mining towns in the US, greetings from Russia!

@lynchmobfc 5 ай бұрын

I have traveled many places in the world yet never had time to visit you make that much easier thank you

@jonsymmonds1120 5 ай бұрын

What an amazing video! You did a wonderful job of documenting Granite. The research alone put into the video must have taken a very long time! Thanks so much for sharing it with us!

@janewittmayer9281 4 ай бұрын

I love this video of Granite.. I've tramped thru that area for quite a few summers. Love that whole area.

@TheCuriousCat07 2 ай бұрын

Wow, your videos are addictive. Script and narration is so captivating. This is one of my favourite channels in all of KZfaq.

@RED-cy7ig 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for taking us along on your trip. Very Interesting.

@maizie9454 5 ай бұрын

love the photography. and, well , everything else! THANKS!

@SecretSquirrelFun 5 ай бұрын

That little photo book you showed is such a treasure. Wow. I’m not sure of my math here, but that price, in around 1885, of $2.50/month to rent the land to build your house upon, is just over $79.00 in today’s money 🙂 Thanks for another fascinating video essay. Brilliant. 🙂🐿🌈❤️

@curtisv7114 5 ай бұрын

Outstanding video!!! Incredible history. Thank you for what you do Tom and Emma!!!!

@joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536 2 ай бұрын

Another great video. Always thank you very much to everybody of your crew.

@cet6237 2 ай бұрын

Really awesome video. I LOVE all the video and info on these old towns.

@sodium9920 5 ай бұрын

Brilliant, superbly paced and narrated, fantastic, 10/10

@paulam408 5 ай бұрын

Really enjoyed another video. Would love to see this place in person. Thanks for posting.

@dalekundtz760 4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the great history trip of Granite. Love videos like this one.

@E_Sunbro 5 ай бұрын

These videos are incredible. The attention to detail and the emphasis on history make them a step above. You guys do amazing work.

@badmoon5249 4 ай бұрын

I really like the way you faded to old photos into the current view. Also the drone view superimposed on the old plat map. Very well done!

@JustLou71 5 ай бұрын

I love this channel and all the true history, and that just what they want us to learn in school. But the true engineering and design that went into all of this back then is truly fascinating. This is day before codes, and permits and the such. And look at how much is still standing today. Truly fascinating!