Ruby Gulch - Montana Ghost Town

RUBY GULCH

NAME: Ruby Gulch
COUNTY: Phillips
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 4
CLIMATE: Cold winter with snow and cool summer.
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Anytime.

COMMENTS: Not too far from Helena.
REMAINS: A few buildings still standing.

The mines and mills of Ruby Gulch, although silent today, could bring to the surface wealth in the untold millions if the price of gold would advance enough to make it pay. As recently as 1934, it was not uncommon for one sixteen and a half-ton ore car to give a net smelter return of over $10,000. The Ruby Gulch owners were in the process of completing a new mill of 300-ton daily capacity and with plans to enlarge it to 1,000 tons daily when disaster struck in the summer of 1935. On July 25th a forest fire that began near the town of Landusky swept over 23,000 acres of lodgepole pines and was finally contained on July 27th but not before three Ruby Gulch miners lost their lives. The very bright future for Ruby Gulch was snuffed out, probably for good, in 1942 with the U.S. Government order L.28 that forced all gold mines to close. Mining engineers estimated at least 10 million tons and probably closer to 15 million tons of milling ore remain. Submitted by Henry Chenowith.

The mines and mills of Ruby Gulch, although silent today, could bring to the surface wealth in the untold millions if the price of gold would advance enough to make it pay. As recently as 1934, it was not uncommon for one sixteen and a half-ton ore car to give a net smelter return of over $10,000. The Ruby Gulch owners were in the process of completing a new mill of 300-ton daily capacity and with plans to enlarge it to 1,000 tons daily when disaster struck in the summer of 1935. On July 25th a forest fire that began near the town of Landusky swept over 23,000 acres of lodgepole pines and was finally contained on July 27th but not before three Ruby Gulch miners lost their lives. The very bright future for Ruby Gulch was snuffed out, probably for good, in 1942 with the U.S. Government order L.28 that forced all gold mines to close. Mining engineers estimated at least 10 million tons and probably closer to 15 million tons of milling ore remain. Submitted by Henry Chenowith.

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