Neihart’s Silver Lining

Neihart is a wonderfully quirky little community in the heart of the rugged Little Belt Mountains. In the 1890s, Neihart’s population of four thousand rivaled that of Great Falls. Today, the twenty-five full time residents take pride in the town’s colorful past. Its roots date to 1881 when James Neihart and company discovered rich silver veins. There was gold in the district, too. Richard Oatey and his partners sold their silver mine at nearby Barker and headed to Neihart to celebrate. As they hiked back to Barker, hung over and sick, Oatey inadvertently knocked off a piece of outcropping and stuck it in his pocket. Several days later he took it out and studied it. Gold ran through it. The assayer valued it high in both gold and silver content. Oatey and his partners searched the hills and coulees for years, but they could never find the mysterious outcropping.

Scattered buildings recall Neihart's roots.

 By 1885, Neihart bustled. Even though the area was one of the richest in Montana, lack of transportation hindered further development until the arrival of a spur of the Montana Central Railroad in 1891. After the silver market crashed in 1893, Neihart’s mines operated sporadically. They never regained their 1890s momentum, but the Broadwater and Chamberlain mines continued to produce. In the 1920s, Neihart’s silver production was second only to that of Silver Bow County. The late 1930s to 1945 saw the last burst of activity when silver prices briefly increased. In 1945, Neihart residents took their last round trip to Great Falls. Upon their return that afternoon, the train ran no more and workers pulled up the tracks.

Mines and mills dot the hillside around Neihart.

Remnants of mines and mills dot the hillsides. Declared a Superfund site in 2001, the $11.8 million project will include removal of lead-contaminated soil.  Although the mining waste poses no immediate risk, the project will protect residents from long-term exposure. Neihart’s Main Street showcases the community’s individuality. A sign posted just outside town reinforces its resdients’ love for their unique community.  “Our small town is like Heaven to us,” it reads, “please don’t drive like Hell through it.”

The town has a wonderfully quirky personality.

Neihart, Montana

Neihart lies at the bottom of a densely timbered canyon along winding Highway 89. The tiny town traces its roots to 1881 when James Neihart and company discovered rich silver veins. By 1882, a crude wagon road connected it with White Sulfur Springs, and miners packed out the silver ore on horseback for processing at the Clendennin smelter twenty miles away. When the smelter shut down in 1883, ox-drawn freight wagons carried Neihart’s ore to Fort Benton where steamboats took it to distant ports. Even though the area was one of Montana’s richest, lack of transportation hindered development. In 1891, a spur of the Montana Central Railroad linked Neihart with the outside world. The new smelter at Great Falls processed Neihart ore, and the town became the undisputed hub of the local mining district.

Postcard courtesy Penny Postcards from Montana

Miners on payday flocked to the great mining camp to sample its saloons, play a game of cards, and visit the ladies in its several parlor houses. The bottom fell out of the silver market in 1893, but Neihart escaped the fate of most silver camps because its mines continued to sporadically operate. Total production of the Neihart mines up to 1900 included 4,008,000 ounces of silver and 10,000,000 pounds of lead. The 1940s saw the last burst of activity when silver prices briefly increased. By 1949, most mines closed permanently.

The remains of mining in Neihart

The mines and mills, whose remnants still dot the hillsides, helped lay the cornerstones of Montana’s economy. Six miles of underground tunnels lie beneath the hills surrounding Neihart. But today, above ground, it is tourism that boosts the local economy.