Continuing on from
Post 1...
On Sunday, we had the meeting at Keith and Myrtle's home and then headed into Dixie's place for a lunch of leftovers with the relatives who were still in town. It had been a fun stay with Keith and Myrtle - they were great!
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| Us with John and Susy |
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| Keith and Myrtle |
After lunch, three carloads of us set off for an afternoon of exploring a ghost town and soaking in some hot springs!
Originally Ben and I had hoped to visit a particular ghost town that had been recommended to us by Chantelle and Bree, but that one was 3 hours from Helena. Once we found out that the others were planning a trip to the hot springs, we said we'd do that instead, in order to maximise our time with the rellies. However, they then suggested a different ghost town that was on the way to the hot springs, and they all came with us! It was a great solution, and fun to have others to go with.
Elkhorn is a ghost town that dates back to 1868, when the Elkhorn mine started producing silver, gold and lead. Up to 2500 people lived in Elkhorn in the 1880s. The boom ended in 1892, and the population of Elkhorn dwindled to the handful of people who live there today. As the town is surrounded by mountains and situated at the end of a dirt road a half hour drive from the highway, it really did feel like we were in the middle of nowhere. It was very quiet and peaceful.
Most of the old wooden buildings were deserted and dilapidated, but there seemed to be at least four inhabited houses. We got talking to one man who had moved from Los Angeles back to his family's home in Elkhorn in 2001. He's pictured below, and so is his three-legged, part-wolf dog!
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| The town hall - love this faรงade! |
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| An Elkhorn resident |
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| Three-legged dog |
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| 2500 people lived in this town and there was only one bath! |
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| Ken and Liesl |
Some of the group walked up around the mountain to the Elkhorn cemetery, but Ben and I turned back halfway as I didn't have the right shoes for walking in snow. We played a card game and ate some chocolate with Ken and Liesl while we waited for the others to get back to the parking lot.
Then, we all drove to the
Boulder Hot Springs, where we soaked in the pools for an hour or two.
From there we said our goodbyes to most of the crew before driving to John and Susy's home for our final night in Montana. John and Susy live in a gorgeous A-frame house, surrounded by snowy mountains, near the town of Silver Star (population 30). We loved visiting their home and having the opportunity to get to know them a little.
After breakfast the next morning (Easter Monday), it was time for the 13-hour drive back to Vancouver. As we drove across Montana, the mountain scenery was simply stunning. We're looking forward to getting back to Montana soon!
