Miners pushing a cart in a dark mine shaft - mining history sites

Self-guided · metro area, Montana

Mining History Sites in Great Falls, MT

Mines, smelters, quarries, kilns and company towns, the places where the ground was worked and the towns grew up around it.

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Photo: The New York Public Library on Unsplash

The Great Falls, MT metro area has about 85,029 residents, ranking 376th in the country. Mining History Sites are spread across the country in places most people would not guess. The list below shows how close the nearest ones are to Great Falls, MT.

A miner wearing a headlamp and dirty overalls - mining history sites — Photo: The New York Public Library on Unsplash

Man holding basin - mining history sites — Photo: Matt Seymour on Unsplash

A person views a tunnel entrance in the woods - mining history sites — Photo: Alice on Unsplash

On the record near Great Falls, MT

The 6 nearest

6 listed sites on the record match mining history sites within 200 miles of Great Falls, MT, out of 22 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles.

Grant-Marshall Lime Kiln Historic District, The72 miles from the center of Great Falls · District · Helena · listed 2017National Register of Historic Places
Stewart Mine, Mineyard Headframe118 miles from the center of Great Falls · Structure · Butte · listed 1966National Register of Historic Places
Anaconda Copper Mining Company Smoke Stack123 miles from the center of Great Falls · Structure · Anaconda · listed 1987National Register of Historic Places
Coal Creek Patrol Cabin127 miles from the center of Great Falls · Building · West Glacier · listed 1999National Register of Historic Places
Gildersleeve Mine179 miles from the center of Great Falls · District · Superior · listed 2002National Register of Historic Places
Bridger Coal Company House189 miles from the center of Great Falls · Building · Bridger · listed 1987National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Great Falls, MT. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Mining History in Great Falls, step by step

1
Read the short history of the period for this area
2
Open the map filtered to the sites from that chapter
3
Visit the nearest site and read its full record
4
Ask what the marker leaves out and look for the rest
5
Add the site to a route that follows the period in order

What people in Great Falls, MT ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Great Falls, MT?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are the hard parts of this history included?

Yes. The record is shown as published, and the stories behind the markers include what happened, who it happened to, and how it was remembered. Leaving the hard parts out would make the stop less worth the trip.

Why are there so many of these sites near Great Falls, MT?

Most areas have more than people expect, because the registers list every surviving building and site tied to a period, not just the famous ones. The list on this page shows exactly what is on the record nearby.

How a visit works in Great Falls

Step 1
Find the place
Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Great Falls, MT the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.
Step 2
Read the story
The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.
Step 3
Get there under your own power
Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Great Falls, MT are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.
Step 4
Collect it and come back
Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.