Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Charlie Russell Chew Choo
One of the best ways to see and appreciate the area is aboard the fabulous and kitschy
Charlie Russell Chew Choo
(406/535-5436 or 800/912-3980,
www.montanadinnertrain.com
,
selection of Sat. evenings June-Sept., special events in the
fall and Dec. holidays, $90 adults, $50 children 12 and under), a 56-mile, three-hour ride
that takes visitors on a narrated tour through the mountains and prairies of the region aboard
an elegant 1950s passenger train. A full-course dinner featuring prime rib and all the fixings
is served. There is also entertainment in the form of musicians, cowboy poets, and the oc-
casional good-natured train robber. The boarding station is a 40-minute drive from Lewis-
town.
Ghost Towns
There are three primary ghost towns outside Lewistown, all of which were gold-mining
towns around the turn of the 19th century.
Maiden
(off U.S. 191, northeast of Lewistown,
406/535-5436) was home to some 6,000 people in 1881 and produced more than $18 milli-
on worth of gold in its heyday. By 1896 the population had dwindled to 200, and after a fire
destroyed every building in 1905, Maiden was never rebuilt.
The town of
Kendall
(on U.S. 87, north of Lewistown, at the base of the North Moccasin
Mountains, 406/535-5436) took off in 1900 with the advent of the Kendall Gold Mining
Company. It was among the first mines to use the cyanide process for separating gold and
mined an average of $800 worth of gold daily in its prime. At its height, Kendall had a
23-room hotel complete with hot running water, hot-air heating, and electricity. There was
also an opera house, several saloons, two churches, four stagecoach lines, and a number of
other businesses. By 1920 the town had died, the mines were closed, and many of the build-
ings collapsed into the mine shafts. Today only three stone buildings are left standing, and
interpretive signs guide visitors at the ruins.
In 1900,
Gilt Edge
(off U.S. 191, 20 miles northeast of Lewistown, 406/535-5436) was
considered to be among the premier towns in the country. Calamity Jane was a frequent vis-
itor, and not unlike Jane herself, who grew quite familiar with the town's jail, Gilt Edge's
residents experienced a host of legal problems. The mine manager, Colonel Ammon, was
eventually tried and convicted of stealing $25,000 worth of bullion intended as wages for
the miners. He ultimately served time in New York's Sing Sing prison for stock swindling.
Before you seek out any of the ghost towns, call the Lewistown Chamber of Commerce
(406/535-5436) for precise directions and information about private lands.
