Regardless of the truth of Stuart's assertion, many eager folk followed in his footsteps, and by the time Montana became a state in 1889, gold and silver camps had sprung up all over the region. By 1893, there was enough of a population that the state legislature took land from Deer Lodge County to form Granite County, naming Philipsburg as its seat. The County's very first official census, 1900, counted 4,328 residents. Since then the number has waxed and waned, and the 2010 Census showed 3,079 people living in the County.
Granite County Court House
Philipsburg, Montana
February 27th, 2010
According to the Philipsburg Chamber of Commerce website, the town got its start in 1867 when it was "officially registered," and was incorporated in 1890. A German immigrant working at an area mine gave the town his name, his first name, that is, Deidesheimer being seen as too clumsy to use as a place name. Philip Deidesheimer, born in Darmstadt, Hesse, studied at the Freiburg University of Mining, before heading to California in the early days of the gold rush there. From California, it was an easy jump to the Comstock claims in neighboring Nevada, where Deidesheimer invented the square-set timber system which allowed deep hard rock mining world wide. In Montana, he supervised the building of the first silver amalgamation mill, but he was important enough in the history of the West that he even had his own story told as a Bonanza episode--although the script writers made him Dutch instead of German.
Phillipsburg today is a small town, probably best known for its "painted ladies," its rich history, and what is arguably the best candy store in Montana, The Sweet Palace. Drive down Broadway, the main shopping street in town, and you'll find one beautifully painted storefront after another. There are lots of choices for dining as well, and the community hosts a variety of festivals throughout the year. Just off Broadway is the Philipsburg Opera House. Originally built in 1891 as the McDonald Opera House, the theatre claims to be the oldest continuously operating theatre in Montana. Across the street from the Opera House is the Courtney Hotel, built in 1918, now home to the Granite County Museum and Cultural Center. The Museum exhibits include several displays of the mining heritage of Granite County, including a replica of a silver mine, many household furnishings donated by pioneer Granite County residents, and the Ghost Town Hall of Fame. There's lots to see and do in Philipsburg, but if you're coming for the candy, don't bother visiting on a Saturday. The store, and its next door neighbor, the Sapphire Gallery, are closed on Saturdays. Open Sundays, though!
Georgetown Lake with the Anaconda Range as Backdrop
June 26th, 2011
It's probably fair to say that most visitors to Granite County do not come for the theatre, the museum or the candy. This is a recreational paradise. Rock Creek, on the western edge of the county, is a blue-ribbon trout stream that draws anglers world-wide. I would be hard-pressed to think of I time I haven't seen fishermen out on Flint Creek as I drive Montana Highway 1, the Pintlar Scenic Highway (originally known as US Highway 10 Alternate). Photographer David Williams has a beautiful page of photos he took along the route on his Bondpix website. Also alongside Route 1 is Georgetown Lake, where Granite and Deer Lodge (# 30) Counties meet. Some of my earliest memories include boating on Georgetown Lake while my father fished. It's hard to imagine that this vast lake is a reservoir first formed in 1885 when Flint Creek was dammed just above the waterfalls that lead the stream down into the Flint Creek Valley. And the lake and surrounding area is a four-season playground, with one of Montana's best ski resorts located just a few miles from the lake shore at Discovery Basin. With deep powder on the runs which overlook the lake below, skiing at Discovery reminded me very much of skiing at Heavenly Valley looking down at Lake Tahoe. Or during the Summer, do as I have and find your own sapphires at the Gem Mountain Mine on the road to Skalkaho Pass.
Swinging Bridge over Rock Creek
(Look for adult fisherman in photo for a sense of scale)
August 23rd, 2008
At the northern end of the county the Bureau of Land Management oversees Garnet Ghost Town, a site they call "Montana's best preserved ghost town." Be forewarned, the drive up from the Bearmouth area off Interstate 90 is not for the timid. A much easier drive is from the north, turning south off Montana 200 just west of The University of Montana's Lubrecht Experimental Forest at Greenough. If you should feel up to the southern approach, you'll pass the remnants of many other 19th Century mining camps as well, but none can approach Garnet which was home to over 1,000 people once upon a time. Today, there are a few privately-owned cabins, but many of the original buildings remain for visitors to get a peek into history. And if you are a Montana resident, you can even put Garnet on your car in the form of a license plate promoting "Explore Montana Ghost Towns."
Aside from Philipsburg, there are three other communities in Granite County. Eleven miles north of the county seat is the small town of Maxville with 120 residents. There is a privately owned campground and restaurant along Highway 1, but that venue has been through many changes in ownership in recent years, and I cannot vouch for it being open when you drive by. Nine miles north of Maxville you'll find Hall with 358 people according to the 2014 estimate. Note that that is over 100% more people than were counted in the 2010 U.S. Census. Finally, seven miles further north, where Montana 1 meets Interstate 90, sits the only other incorporated town in Granite County, Drummond, with their "World Famous Bullshippers." For those travelers who never leave the Interstate, Drummond is probably all of Granite County that they will experience, but it's worth the visit, if only to choose which of over 100 different burgers you want for lunch at Parker's.
View from Interstate 90
West of Drummond, Montana
September 23rd, 2010
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