Elkhorn - A Montana Ghost Town HD - Long Version - near Boulder, Montana MT
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- čas přidán 13. 10. 2015
- Elkhorn - A Montana Ghost Town HD - Long Version - near Boulder, Montana MT
Join me as I explore Elkhorn ghost town in the southwestern part of our state of Montana. Silver was initially discovered in the Elkhorn Mountains and over $14 million in silver was carried from the mines in the area. In 1890, the Sherman Silver Purchase Act passed, creating a high demand for Elkhorn's silver.
During this peak period, Elkhorn boasted 2,500 inhabitants, a school, hotel, church, stores, saloons, and brothels. Unlike most mining towns, Elkhorn was populated mostly by married European immigrants. In 1893 the Fraternity Hall was constructed for social gatherings, and still remains as one of the most well-preserved buildings in Elkhorn.
In the years following, the silver boom and Elkhorn's prosperity began to lessen as the desire for silver decreased. A diphtheria epidemic also struck Elkhorn, resulting in many deaths, particularly of children. Soon after, railroad service to Elkhorn was halted and only a fraction of the original inhabitants remained.
This was my second journey to Elkhorn ghost town. The first expedition was in 2001. I took a few pictures and made a slideshow • Elkhorn - A Montana Gh... Thinking back, I believe the town had only a couple of hardy souls living there.
Boy was I surprised when I arrived in town. Not only did I have a flat tire, but many cabins have been renovated and the year-round population is now up to ten! Most residents are descendants of early miners and shopkeepers.
Everyone I met was extremely friendly and related stories of relatives who worked, built cabins or were buried in the cemetery.
Elkhorn John was the first resident I met. He lives across the street west from the Elkhorn State Park, the smallest state park in Montana. The park consists of two buildings, the Gillian Hall and the Fraternity Hall.
Elkhorn John lives in a cabin built by his grandfather in 1892! He, along with his two friendly dogs, opened up the fire hall and aired up my flat tire. This did not fix the problem but it did tell us where the rock hole was! Replacing the flat with my spare was my next project.
I also met Tom and a friend of his. Tom lives across the street north of the state park. He assisted me in replacing my flat tire with my spare tire. His friend actually went looking for a spare when we were having difficulties removing my spare from under the truck. Tom filled the spare with his portable compressor since it was also low on air (a new tire but had not been checked for air since it was new, six years ago!)
Tom related a few stories about Elkhorn. As a teenager, he assisted in the Elkhorn Mine delivering dynamite to the blasters (at 500 to 1800 feet underground!) His grandfather built a cabin on the land where he now lives.
Tom recommended I visit the cemetery and also the old railroad water tower built in 1889 by the Northern Pacific Railroad. The water tower and short-line railroad from Boulder were active until rail service was discontinued in 1914.
The 48,000 gallon water tower is the last-known example of a first-generation Northern Pacific wooden water tank which, because of its 6,000-ft. altitude, included a wooden skirt around the tank supporting structure.
Another person I met was just leaving the cemetery when I arrived. She is from Helena and her great grandfather was buried here. He died during the Diphtheria epidemic that hit the town especially hard from 1884-1889.
Now, THAT’S a lot of history in my short four hour stay in Elkhorn ghost town! I just wish I had budgeted more time. The next sojourn will be sooner than 15 years from now, for sure!
This sequence was captured with a DJI camera on a Phantom 3 Advanced quad copter (aka drone or UAV) and a Canon Vixia HFS-100 camera. Post production utilized Adobe Premier Pro 6.
Music is "Unpromised" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Direct Link: incompetech.com/music/royalty-....
ISRC: USUAN1100603
© 2009 Kevin MacLeod
And "Wagon Wheel" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Direct Link: incompetech.com/music/royalty-....
ISRC: USUAN1500051
© 2015 Kevin MacLeod
And "Scissors" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Direct Link: incompetech.com/music/royalty-....
ISRC: USUAN1100781
© 2011 Kevin MacLeod
And "Trio for Piano, Cello, and Clarinet" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Direct Link: incompetech.com/music/royalty-....
ISRC: USUAN1100033
© 2007 Kevin MacLeod
All above music is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
#outdooradventure#westernmontana#ghosttowns#rockymountains
I just love this time of life. Life was so much better than that of today. thanks for keeps the history going.
Glad you enjoyed it. Dave.
I can just imagine the dance floor full of people. Thanks Dave.
+Jim Hornstein Jim, yes and the player piano in the corner! What a way to socialize on the weekends. I can also hear the tunes and people enjoying each other. This was quite a family town, different than many mining towns of the west. Thanks for commenting! Dave.
my grandfather built a cabin there in 1972. so I spent every weekend there. it has changed a lot great memories. I have a ton of pics but enjoyed your video.
+Laurie Conner Laurie, thanks for sharing your experiences in and around Elkhorn. I know you had good times exploring around town and have a lot of stories. You know firsthand how the town has changed in the past 40-50 years! Your pictures (and this video) help us relive the past, one memory at a time! Thanks again for your comments. Dave in Montana.
My grandparents recently passed and I now have possession of most of the pics taken such great memories. There was a family that lived there. They had horses and we would ride all over the area. Their last name was Smith would love to try and find them again.
+Laurie Conner Maybe another viewer could help you locate the Smiths. I am so glad you have pictures since they stimulate our fading memories and remind us of all the good times! Priceless treasures. Dave.
+Matthew Wareham the kids names were Jill, Morse, Lori, their parents were Morse and Janette
@@voidposter5348 excuse me
Thank you for this wonderful offering. My father and his family lived in Elkhorn the early 1920s when the mill had been revived. He and his sisters went to elementary school there for a few years before moving to Boulder. I've visited Elkhorn many times and really enjoy your photography and the music. Thanks, again.
+Glen Cuchine Glen, many thanks for your kind words. Capturing, editing and sharing my experiences is a great pastime. Thanks again for your comments and sharing your connection to Elkhorn. It definitely is a small world! Dave in Missoula.
Awesome memories there. I love in the cabin across from the faternity hall when I was little.
+Wally Wilson Wally, what a small world! Thanks for sharing your connection to Elkhorn. This was my second visit. The population is increasing and the community has come together. They even have their own fire station now! Thanks again for sharing! Dave.
Tangible echoes of lives once lived. Lovely. Thank you.
Thanks again! I appreciate your comments. Dave.
This is so well done. I can't wait to see your other videos. I loved the music during the dance hall tour.
Joyce, thanks for your comments. I try to find music to help set the scene since I do not often narrate. Sometimes it works, sometimes not! Thanks again for watching and taking time to comment. Enjoy your summer! Dave in Montana.
This is absolutely brilliant - what a find!! So much atmosphere here keep them coming if you can. Reminds me of ''Lonesome Dove''!
Caroline, thank you for your comment! It is posts like yours that makes the extra effort of capture and editing well worth it! Thanks again for taking the time to comment on my video. Dave in Montana.
I LOVED THIS Place!!! It was so amazing even tho there were very few people
Thank you for viewing and commenting. There are so many amazing places to explore, capture and share. Happy holidays! Dave.
I absolutely love these videos .i cant seem to get enough of them but when i watch them it breaks my heart these towns seem so sad and lonely.
Fayellyn, all historical artifacts are preserved/displayed for the purpose of remembrance. Although sad to see, at least we can appreciate all the fun times families had in these old buildings. If the walls could only talk! It just makes us all appreciate how folks grew-up/lived in these places. Can you smell the fragrance of warm, baking bread coming out of the kitchen? And the kids running through the house! And don't forget the socials held in these buildings each Friday/Saturday evenings. What a sight that would have been, everyone dressed in their Sunday best. We all need to preserve the past since it is the foundation for our future. Thanks again for watching and commenting. I appreciate it. Dave.
To me, I rank this one in the top 10 of your video's. I guess it's because you take a subject that is near and dear to me (ghost towns/mining towns) and present it with grace and views we don't get to see very often. The music and shots seem to flow well. I will have to visit this place. You always do a great presentation. In the end, your final product seems well worth the time you spend editing, and to render. For doing all that, I say Thank you!
+AuggieDogProduction Ted, thanks for your words of encouragement. You know me, I am always trying to add a little extra to my videos for a positive viewer experience. The water tower was a bonus, a structure that most people overlook since it is off the beaten path. I am glad they found the money to stabilize it before it became a pile of rubble. I just HAD to get out and shoot something since these exceptional fall days will not last! Thanks again for your kind words especially coming from a professional like yourself! It makes the extra editing effort worthwhile. Dave.
Thank you for sharing , always top notch quality !
+UNFORGIVEN FOREVER Many thanks for you kind words. It was a beautiful fall day that was calling out to me! Dave.
Beautiful job, Dave; WELL DONE ! We live close to Elkhorn, and go up there every couple of years or so. Lot of history and memories there - just being there, inspires folks to do some research about the life and times of Montana back then. You captured the FEEL of the buildings and the texture of the very materials used to make this town. The cemetery above the town has got its own sad feeling - of children who died of diphtheria in the late 1880's. This video is a remarkable jewel, THANK YOU!!!!
+Rick Wine Rick, many thanks for your kind words. I try to convey a feeling in my videos depending on how I feel about my surroundings. It sounds like I succeeded on this one! Thank you for taking the time to comment on this video. It makes all the extra hours of editing the production worthwhile! Thanks again! Dave in Missoula.
Thanks for these views . It gives me a better perspective . That was one spooky graveyard .The wood has still survived all these years on that one grave .
+Abandoned NorthJersey What gets me is that most of these mining towns in Montana had 2,500+ people living and working the mines. Once the minerals were depleted people moved on leaving these ghost towns. This one is having somewhat of a comeback with TEN local year-round residents! The cemetery was discontinued because of all the unmarked graves and an incomplete record of plots. Thanks for viewing and commenting! Dave.
Being a tire man I know best that nothing lasts forever Dave. However, with your films of the forgotten places of America , the past history of our forefathers will live on ! Thanks for another grand view of a place few will ever know exsisted without the guide of a steady and sure recorder of places and things forgotten or unknown to most.
There have been some changes since I visited in 1963.Then, there were no explanatory signs or maintained streets. It is a wonderful place to visit.
Milton, many thanks for viewing and commenting. I appreciate it! Dave.
Awesome, Dave! Please never stop. The delivery and presentation of these places is right on Q. ( You can make some of the people happy some of the the time) I am happy you are only trying to please yourself with what you do ,because , if your not happy with your own work, than what would be the point. Right? Keep these history lessons coming. The best is yet to come I am sure!
nice video.I got carried away By your wonderful choice of music
+Chaminade Kirstein Thanks for watching. I do spend a lot of time finding just the "right" music for my scenes. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. I am pleased the music works for you. Thanks again for your kind words! Dave.
David, thanks again for the wonderful vids! I wonder how much time you actually spend researching, planning, traveling, recording, editing, posting, responding ! Whew! Then doing it over and over again. It's amazing that there are folks like you out there. I'm still trying to figure out how to take just a couple of days a year to drive around our area and explore the old mining digs and shacks that still exsist here.(Ketchum and Wood River Valley area) There is a real connection in our area to the past and actually, it was not so long ago. Things they are changing and fading so it's best to do exactly what you and others are doing and record at least the scenes and areas of the work and living landscapes of those times and lives gone by. If your ever down this way, I'd be glad to show you around!
Richard, I should have read your comments from the bottom up! Thanks for all your comments. I am so pleased you have the same desire to explore. Yes, the past can and does slip away if people let it. I guess I am doing my little part by trying to capture and share the images of historic sites before they also fade! I love to travel, capture, edit and share my adventures. As you see in most of my videos, I do not narrate but try to tell a story with video and music. Most ghost towns and mining towns have been documented with text (see ghosttowns.com) and internet searches give more detail. I try to bring in an artistic element in my videos allowing the viewer to be on-site with me thinking about the way things were.Back to your first question, I capture what interests me since I need to please at least one person, myself! The editing process can be intense, 25+ hours for a 10-15 minute video! I feel it is worth every minute. I try to incorporate different capture techniques so you wont be totally bored with my videos! Lets see what next spring/summer has to offer for a sojourn around your neck of the woods. You are not that far so a long weekend could be fun! Please keep in touch! Just send me your email address with CZcams private messages. Dave.
beautiful old ghost town ı like that this video conquratulations wonderful work
4:45 through 4:07 are too surreal. My father was an artist and photographer and he would have been stoked as heck to have been in and around a place as full of contrasts and texture as this wonderful old town! Please keep the vids coming! And if you're in the neighborhood , come on down to Idaho. There is much to see and discover here that will be relevant in your quest to rediscover the past . Great work!
Richard, your words are too kind! Many thanks for watching and commenting. I love textures and try to incorporate them in my videos. I am terrible at narration so I try to tell a story with visuals and music. All of our western states have ghost towns worth exploring, capturing on video and sharing. Some of our sites are preserved for future generations, some are left to fade away. Wouldn't it be great to preserve all of the past? I guess we need to support those who's mission is to preserve and educate.What part of Idaho are you familiar with? I have explored and captured a few mining ghost towns in the Wallace district but have not explored further. Too much to see, so little time! The story of my life!Richard, thanks again for taking time to comment on my video. Words like yours make the extra hours of editing video well worth while. Thanks again! Dave in Montana.
Great video (and your own modern tire story). The fraternity hall music was fun. The building with the U.S. Geological Survey marker cornerstone was unique. The cemetery was a fitting end. Best regards for your exploring. Keith
Keith, I appreciate your comments! I spend a lot of time capturing, editing and sharing my adventures. Comments like yours makes the extra time all worth while. It sure is exciting to capture new (old) sites and realize that people built, lived, worked and died in these old mining towns. Many thanks again for your comment. Dave in western Montana.
What an idyllic spot for a town 🤘😎
Keith, these ghost towns sprung up due to the rich minerals underground. I agree, the mountain setting is awesome! Dave.
Good ole Days Mining Town. Say I know a fellow whom would be hired to go from Rapid city to Montana Namely The PIANO GUY and he showed me some of the most awesome pictures I ever saw of a Mining town up their some wheres. I think he still lives in Rapid City, S.D. He tuned my wives new piano and thats how I met him. He's a Famous Turner ! Well known in the USA. the Music you used reminded me of him and the Pictures he shared. Some where very old piano's and the other types too.
He was having left hip issues where he was close to get Surgery last I seen Him.
+1BlueStarRisin It is amazing how music can spur memories just like pictures and video. I guess all of our senses are on standby all the time just waiting to trigger memories of the past. Great memories need to be enjoyed and shared! Dave.
would be cool to live around there and explore
My father's mother was born in Elkhorn, Montana in 1893.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing. Dave.
Very pretty scenery
+Tom Larkins Tom, thanks for viewing and commenting. Dave.
May those people rest in peace, thank You.
Thanks for your comment. Yes, there were many hardships back then. A miners life is a tough life, back then and also now. Dave.
"You can make some of the people happy some of the time" Just glad you do it for your own satisfaction. If not, what's the point? Thanks Dave. RC
GOOD DRONE FOOTAGE
Thanks! It is always fun to see another perspective. Thanks for viewing and commenting. Dave.
I was really hoping for commentary.
Excellent! I'm in the UK, we don't have stuff like this. Oh sure we have castles and mansion. They cost an arm and a leg ($$$$) to get in them!
I love castles although I have never been in one. I can see that some attractions are priced out of this world! Thank goodness for professional documentary videos! Thanks for viewing. Dave.
I have been to this place three times I think. My last time there as leaving I also got a flat tire. It was from a nail that probably hadn't moved in a hundred years.
+Dave Moore Dave, it is nice to know that others have experienced some of the same adventures (or ordeals!) It really didn't put a damper on my exploring or shooting video. It gave me an opportunity to meet people who came to the rescue! I thought it was a rock that punctured the tire but it ended up being a nail also. Now, you did take that 100 year old nail with you, didn't you??? Thanks for watching and telling your story. I feel like I have just joined an exclusive club! Dave.
looks to be dirt road how long would you say as we will be riding motorcycles thank's for any info trying to do the whole loop this year well the one's were roads not to bad
Connie, Elkhorn is only 18 miles from Boulder, MT. The last 8 miles is good gravel road, suitable for motorcycles. Enjoy your trip! Dave.
thank you so much
I only been to Elkhorn once. Stopped in there I remember being so sick with a hangover i had to puke 3 times. That was in 1976 so I don't remember much about it
Too funny! It is amazing any of us lived through the '70's! Oh, the stories I can tell (well, I should keep most of them to myself!) Thanks for the laugh! Dave.
Beautiful place tho
It really is!
so can you go inside the buildings
Yes, the two buildings that comprise the smallest state park in Montana are open to the public. Thanks for asking! Dave.
Your camera work is very good but there is a lot of motion jitter and the frame rate seems too slow for the motion.
Jasminder, thanks for your comment. You have a good eye! Yes, I shot the video at the North American standard of 30 FPS but I accidently transcoded and uploaded at 24 FPS. It must have been one of those "late night edits" where most mistakes (for me) occur! Thanks for pointing this out and taking the time to comment. I do appreciate it! Dave.
David visited elkhorn montana and was walking up stairs in one of the building and on the wall it said beware of the ghost on second floor and David ran out of there.
Too funny! I walked up those same stairs but didn't see any ghosts. Then again, I wasn't really looking! Thanks for the laugh! Dave.
NP -4W = Northern Pacific f W =for water
Bill, thanks for commenting! When I shot this video I assumed Northern Pacific but I didn't know what the W stood for. You clarified this for me. You must be a historian or a RR or waterworks expert. Any idea what the 74 means between NP and W? I wish they could find the funds to restore this relic of bygone days. It has been stabilized but it could use more TLC. Dave.
@@davidegg22 yes it was for water tank for locomotives that were steam driven. great shot of the bands as they were tightened the the tanks were filled with water. they lasted until the went dry ; then they fell in on themselves. i am a historian and geographer. my father worked for the CB
&Q in Kansas City
Happy to meet you. thanks for the video.
@@billbye2427 Awesome Bill! I knew this was a water tank for a steam locomotive that serviced the mine but didn't know the casting markings of the band hardware. It sits in a forest of trees that have grown up over the right-of-way. It is hard to see where the rail line was, but you can see where it must have been based on level ground going to the tank. This tank was at the end-of-line and would have stayed together if it always had water in it to keep the wood expanded. Once abandon, it unfortunately fell into disrepair and went down-hill quite fast, starting with the roof. I have seen a lot of round metal bands laying on a pile of rotted timber signifying an old water tower. So sad to see. Thanks for the answer! Dave.
@@davidegg22 Always remember "hard rock mining" also used water to cool the drill hammers to keep down the dust, that way the miners didnt get lung diseases etc. was the dia. of the tank about 24-25 ' in diameter?
I would watch the rest of this but the music drive me crazy PIX11 music I don't play any
Great footage, why that annoying music? No commentary
Sad
Now that's AMERICAN, built to last.
I am in total agreement Joel! Thanks for your comment. Dave.
Meet Mr. John Green. Here's his headstone at the 8:00 mark on this awesome video.
John Green in the 1900 United States Federal Census
John Green
Age:
59
Birth Date:
1 Feb 1841
Birthplace:
Sweden
Home in 1900:
Elkhorn, Jefferson, Montana
House Number:
1
Sheet Number:
18
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation:
311
Family Number: 315
Race:
White
Gender:
Male
Immigration Year:
1883 (age 42)
Relation to Head of House:
Head
Marital status:
Married
Spouse's Name:
Endrena G Green
Marriage Year:
1873
Years Married:
27
Father's Birthplace:
Sweden
Mother's Birthplace:
Sweden
Years in US:
17
Naturalization:
Yes
Occupation:
Farmer
Months Not Employed:
0
Can Read:
Yes
Can Write:
Yes
Can Speak English:
Yes
House Owned or Rented:
Own
Home Free or Mortgaged:
F
Farm or House:
F
Household Members:
Name
Age
John Green
59
Endrena G Green
49
Olof B Green
24
Thanks to Ancestry.com
Mike, thanks for the detailed info for John Green. I never knew information like this was available. It’s wonderful that some of these ghost towns can “come alive” with comments like yours. It is always great to honor the past by knowing part of their history and what some of these people had to do in order to make a living. Thanks for viewing and especially your comment. Dave.
This is cool, BUT.....these buildings have been established as a State Park and it is illegal to fly your drone here. For the sake of other drone pilots who want to fly legally, and to ensure that stricter laws are not established due to other drone flyer's carelessness, PLEASE respect and follow the rules as to where you can fly. One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.
Kristyn, thanks for watching and commenting. You are right; these buildings in Elkhorn are in a Montana State Park and each state regulates drone usage in their own state parks. I captured this video in 2015 a year before Montana enacted a new regulation. I have been flying drones responsibility and legally since 2013 and will continue to do so. I always “respect and follow the rules as to where you can fly”.
12.8.816 UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS AND MODEL AIRCRAFT
(1) Launching or operating an unmanned aircraft system, drone, or model aircraft from a state
park is prohibited unless:
(a) use is authorized by a commercial use or special use permit; or
(b) use occurs within an area specifically designated for such use by the park
manager.
History: 23-1-106, 23-1-111, MCA; IMP, 23-1-106, 23-1-111, MCA; NEW, 2016
MAR p. 825, Eff. 5/7/16.
davidegg22 Thanks so much for the clarification. Happy flying!