Maiden - Montana Ghost Town

MAIDEN

NAME: Maiden
COUNTY: Fergus
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 2
CLIMATE: Cool winter and summer.
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Anytime.

COMMENTS: Outside of Lewistown.
REMAINS: Not much.

Legend has it that the Judith Mountains of Montana are named in error. The story goes that Meriweather Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition wanted to make an impression on a certain girl by naming a mountain after her. He may have had her confused with someone else for her name was Julia, so the story goes. The town of Maiden is in the Judith Mountains where the first discoveries of gold were made in that part of the state. One of the early prospectors was a man by the name of Maden. At his site, he put up a sign that read "Camp Maden." The location eventually became the center of a town, the word "camp" was dropped and an "I" inserted to make the name "Maiden" and that became the name of the town, with or without female influence, so the story goes. Maiden was, of course, a gold mining town and reached a population of 1200 by 1888. However, it was not to last. As the ore began to run out, people began to leave and 1896 left only 200. The town is now empty. Submitted by Henry Chenowith.

Legend has it that the Judith Mountains of Montana are named in error. The story goes that Meriweather Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition wanted to make an impression on a certain girl by naming a mountain after her. He may have had her confused with someone else for her name was Julia, so the story goes. The town of Maiden is in the Judith Mountains where the first discoveries of gold were made in that part of the state. One of the early prospectors was a man by the name of Maden. At his site, he put up a sign that read "Camp Maden." The location eventually became the center of a town, the word "camp" was dropped and an "I" inserted to make the name "Maiden" and that became the name of the town, with or without female influence, so the story goes. Maiden was, of course, a gold mining town and reached a population of 1200 by 1888. However, it was not to last. As the ore began to run out, people began to leave and 1896 left only 200. The town is now empty. Submitted by Henry Chenowith.

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