Red Lion dates back to about 1875 when gold was discovered. A mill was built by the Red Lion Company in the late 1890's. Another mill was constructed in the early 1900's. Nearly 200 men worked in the two mills. The population of Red Lion reached about 500. Submitted by: Kevin Heaney

The Red Lion Strike was made in the late 1880's. By 1890, there was a
mine and a stamp mill at th site. The property was leased to the
"Walkers of Philipsburg" in October of 1890. A 'six foot vein
of gold' was discovered by the Walkers. The vein, and surrounding ore,
was plentiful enough to run the mill at Red Lion, night and day, for six
months. The publicity surrounding the Walkers' discovery led to the
discovery of four additional mines - the 'Hannah;' 'Modoc;' 'American
Flag;' and the ' Golden Eagle.' The Red Lion mining camp, run by the
Golden Eagle Company, came into being at the turn of the century. The
years of 1902–1908 were the most productive years in the Red Lion area.
A 3,800 foot tramway was built to connect the mines to the mill. The
'Hannah' mine produced gold, iron and copper. The mines were played out
by 1913.

[Sources: "Ghost Towns & Mining Districts of Montana" by Terry Halden;
"Montana Ghost Towns and Gold Camps" by Wm. W. Whitfield; and original
research by the author.]