At the end of the end of this week I will be moving to
Montana for a few months. The area I’m going to is now known for tourism, but
in the early 1900s coal mining was what brought thousands to this mountain area
of the state. On a drive around the area, I found a piece of history.
In Carbon County Montana, there’s a small town consisting mainly of a U.S. Post
Office and a saloon. Plotted in 1905 by
George Lamport and Robert Leavens, in its heyday during World War I, Bearcreek
boasted a population of nearly 2000 people. Ethnically diverse the town
included Serbians, Scotsmen, Montenegrins, Germans, and Italians. There were seven mercantiles, a bank, two
hotels, two billiard halls, a brickyard and numerous saloons.
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| Old merchantile in Bearcreek (photo by Kirsten Lynn) |
The town also had concrete sidewalks and an extensive water
system. Something odd about Bearcreek, for a Montana town, no church was ever
built in Bearcreek.
Many of the buildings were constructed from the sandstone
quarried in the nearby hill. The local
railway, the Montana Wyoming and Southern carried coal from the mines through
Bearcreek where it was shipped to communities across Montana. The Lampert Hotel, once located there, was
built in 1907 and was described as, “well furnished…the beds being especially
soft and sleep producing. The meals are served
with a desire to please the guests and no one leaves without a good impression
and kindly feelings for the management.”
However, not all times were good in the bustling town. The Smith Mine is the site of the worst
underground coal mine disaster in Montana history. The decaying buildings that
still stand are a memorial to 74 men who gave up there lives in the mine on the
morning of February 27, 1943.
Smoke pouring from the entrance to No. 3 vein was the first
indication of trouble, “There’s something wrong down here, I’m getting out,”
the hoist operator called up. He and two nearby miners were the last men to
leave the mine alive.
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| Smith Mine (photo by Kirsten Lynn) |
Families of the men anxiously awaited as rescue crews came
from as far as Butte and worked around the clock to clear debris and search for
survivors. Their efforts in vain as
there were no survivors. Some men died
as a result of a violent explosion, but most fell victim to the deadly methane
gasses released by the blast. The tragedy sparked investigations at the state
and national level that resulted in improvements in mine safety.
Long before any other markers or historical posts marked the
site, a simple marker was left by two miners trapped underground waiting for
the poisonous gas they knew would come. “Walter
and Johnny. Good-bye wives and daughters. We died an easy death. Love from us
both. Be good.”
The tragedy at the mine hastened another death…that of the
town. Many buildings were moved to other communities or demolished. The
railroad tracks were removed in 1953 and the last mine closed in the 1970s.
The tragedy of the mine has stirred some plot bunnies for a
story I’d like to write while living in the area. The rise and fall of
Bearcreek is not an unfamiliar tale, but a part of the history of Montana and
the region that should never be forgotten.
I hope that over these past few years since I have been a
part of this amazing group of storytellers that I’ve been able to give you all
a small glimpse into the history of Wyoming and Montana. It has been an absolute pleasure and honor to
be a part of Sweethearts of the West.
Unfortunately, while new opportunities arise something has to end. Thank you all for reading and commenting on
my posts, for sharing the information you’ve found in research, and for your
support. Hope to see you on the trail
soon!
Fascinating about Bearcreek. thank you. I wish you the best in your time there.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Savanna! Glad you stopped by!
DeleteMining for coal has never been an easy or risk free way to make a living. My maternal grandfather was a coal miner in Shamokin, PA when he was a young man.
ReplyDeleteI can see why a town would die after such a tragic catastrophe in the mine.
The story of this real life mining tragedy reminds me of the Hallmark Channel series "When Calls The Heart" which apparently takes place in Wyoming or Montana, but there are Canadian Mounted Police there. What's that about? Kind of confusing. Was Montana once part of Canada?
Great article, Kirsten. That was a very touch and sad story about the two men who left notes to comfort their families when they knew they would die. Hard to imagine how they must have felt. Just heartbreaking.
Thanks Sarah! I actually think When Calls the Heart takes place in Canada, at least the books did. But I know the episode you're referring to and it is similar to the real tragedy at Smith Mine. Thanks so much for stopping by!
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