Neihart, Montana

Neihart is a town in Cascade County, Montana, United States.<ref name="Aarstad" /> It is located in the center of Little Belt Mountains.<ref name="Fifer77">Fifer, p. 77.</ref> The population was 43 at the 2020 census.<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">Template:Cite web</ref> It is part of the Great Falls, Montana, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

The town has a total area of Template:Convert, all land.<ref name="Gazetteer files">Template:Cite web</ref> Its elevation is Template:Convert.<ref name="Aarstad" /> Neihart is on U.S. Route 89, also known as the Kings Hill Scenic Byway.<ref>Federal Writers' Project, p. 270.</ref> Snow removal crews work throughout the winter to keep the road open. It is the only town between Monarch to the north and White Sulphur Springs to the south.<ref name="tent61" /> The Lewis and Clark National Forest surrounds the town.<ref name="tent62" /> The ski area at Showdown, Montana is nearby and takes advantage of the mountainous terrain.<ref>Enzel, p. 68.</ref> Just south of Neihart, Route 89 begins to follow Sawmill Creek.<ref name="Federal271" /> The highway then climbs toward King's Hill, a major pass through the Little Belt Mountains.<ref name="Federal271" />

Geology

The Neihart area is rich in mineral deposits.<ref name="tent61">Soderberg and Soderberg, p. 61.</ref> Gold, lead, sapphires, silver, and zinc have all been discovered and mined in the area.<ref name="tent61" /> Much of the exposed rock in the area is dated to the Precambrian era, or around or before 542 million BC.<ref name="tent61" /> Rocks in the area belong to what is known as the Belt Supergroup and rest against granitic gneiss.<ref>Rankama, p. 173.</ref> Amethyst and marine fossils are common in the area.<ref name="Federal271">Federal Writers' Project, p. 271.</ref> Pinto diorite, a red-and-green spotted diorite, is found in large quantities in the area.<ref name="Federal271" />

The area is one of only three places in the world where Neihart quartzite (a reddish, coarse-grained sandstone with interbedded dark-green sandstone and shale) may be found. The rock unit was named for the locality.<ref>Rankama, p. 189.</ref>

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Neihart has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.<ref>Climate Summary for Neihart, Montana</ref>

History

File:Old Building Neihart (8037155558).jpg

Old building in Neihart

On October 20, 1879,<ref name="Miller67">Miller, p. 67.</ref> E.A. "Buck" Barker and Patrick Hughes, two prospectors, discovered silver ore on Galena Creek in the Little Belt Mountains.<ref name="Fifer76">Fifer, p. 76.</ref> The mining towns of Barker, Galena Creek, and Hughesville soon sprang up in the area.<ref name="Miller67" /><ref name="Fifer76" /> Among the many small mining camps which were erected was Jericho, which soon went bust.<ref name="Miller165">Miller, p. 165.</ref> In July 1881, three prospectors from Barker—James LeRoy Neihart, John O'Brien, and Richard Harley<ref name="Aarstad">Aarstad, et al., p. 191.</ref>—discovered silver near the present-day town of Neihart<ref name="Miller67" /> and established the Queen of the Mountains Mine.<ref>Weed, p. 402.</ref> When the news reached Barker, several parties of prospectors headed for the area<ref name="Weed403">Weed, p. 403.</ref> and established a new mining camp on Belt Creek named Canyon City.<ref name="Fifer77" /> Canyon City was later renamed Neihart after the aforementioned James LeRoy Neihart,<ref name="Weed403" /> who was also an uncle of poet John Neihardt.<ref name="Federal271" /> The mining district was never formally organized, but for many yearsTemplate:Specify was called the "Montana District".<ref name="Weed403" /> More than 40 mines operated in the area over the next 75 years.<ref name="Federal271" />

In 1882, the town was large enough for the United States Post Office Department to establish a post office there.<ref name="Fifer77" /> A road to White Sulphur Springs was constructed shortly thereafter, although ore was packed out by mule to Barker and smelted there.<ref name="Fifer77" /><ref name="Weed403" /> When the Barker smelter closed in 1883, a new smelter was built close to Neihart at the Mountain Chief Mine in 1885.<ref name="Fifer78">Fifer, p. 78.</ref> By this time, the town featured a blacksmith's shop, a boarding house, restaurants, two saloons, and stables.<ref name="Fifer78" /> About 50 houses had been built in Neihart, although many residents still lived in tents.<ref name="Fifer78" /> From 1882 to 1929, about $16 million in silver was taken out of the area around Neihart.<ref name="Aarstad" /><ref name="Fifer78" /> The Galt and Broadwater mines were dug in 1883, and a year later the Ball and Mountain Chief mines were in operation.<ref>Weed, p. 403-404.</ref> The M and I, Rochester, and Silver Dyke mines also opened near Neihart.<ref name="Federal271" /> Despite the area's rich ore deposits, investment in mining in the Neihart region remained low due to the expense of ore extraction.<ref name="Fifer78" /><ref name="Weed404">Weed, p. 404.</ref> In 1887, these early mines largely shut down, as most of the richest and easily accessible veins of ore had been exhausted.<ref name="Weed404" /> By 1890, Neihart was almost deserted.

On November 15, 1891, a spur of the Montana Central Railway reached Neihart, and a strong mining boom began.<ref name="Fifer78" /> Now even low-grade ore could be easily and cheaply shipped to the huge smelter in Great Falls.<ref name="Weed404" /> The Panic of 1893 wiped out the area's mining economy, but the town continued to exist.<ref name="Fifer78" /> This was largely because some mines, such as the Benton, Big Seven, and Florence, continued in operation.<ref name="Weed404" />

Neihart went through a series of booms and busts over the next half-century. Mining booms occurred during and after World War I, in 1929, and in 1935.<ref name="Fifer78" /> The 1935 boom was built primarily around zinc mining, and Neihart continued to be a major source for zinc during World War II.<ref name="Federal271" /><ref name="Aarstad" /> In 1939, the town's population was 168.<ref name="Federal271" /> After World War II, the rail spur was abandoned and the track removed.

Portions of Neihart have been abandoned, and ghost town ruins can be seen in the city's outer limits,<ref name="tent62">Soderberg and Soderberg, p. 62.</ref> among them being Wu Tang's former laundry and drug store.<ref name="tent62" /> The remains of Jericho can also still be found in Neihart.<ref name="Miller165" />

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census<ref name ="2010 Census">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2010, there were 51 people, 32 households, and 17 families residing in the town. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 170 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the town was 92.2% White, 3.9% Native American, and 3.9% from two or more races.

There were 32 households, of which 3.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, and 46.9% were non-families. 43.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 31.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.59 and the average family size was 2.06.

The median age in the town was 68.2 years. 2% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 5.9% were from 25 to 44; 31.4% were from 45 to 64; and 56.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 54.9% male and 45.1% female.

2000 census

As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 91 people, 44 households, and 27 families residing in the town. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 164 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the town was 93.41% White, 1.10% Native American, 1.10% from other races, and 4.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.10% of the population.

There were 44 households, out of which 15.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 2.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.36.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.6% under the age of 18, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 30.8% from 45 to 64, and 31.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54 years. For every 100 females there were 152.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 167.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,458, and the median income for a family was $25,625. Males had a median income of $11,250 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,266. There were 20.7% of families and 21.7% of the population living below the poverty line, including 20.0% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Bibliography

• Aarstad, Rich; Arguimbau, Ellen; Baumler, Ellen; Porsild, Charlene L.; and Shovers, Brian. Montana Place Names From Alzada to Zortman. Helena, Mont.: Montana Historical Society Press, 2009.
• Federal Writers' Project. Montana: A State Guide Book. New York: Hastings House, 1939.
• Miller, Donald C. Ghost Towns of Montana: A Classic Tour Through the Treasure State's Historic Sites. Guilford, Conn.: Two Dot, 2008.
• Enzel, Robert G. The White Book of Ski Areas. Washington, D.C.: Inter-Ski Services, 1998.
• Fifer, Barbara. Montana Mining Ghost Towns. Helena, Mont.: Farcountry Press, 2002.
• Rankama, Kalervo. The Geologic Systems: The Precambrian. New York: Interscience Publishers, 1963.
• Soderberg, Vicky and Soderberg, Ken. The Best in Tent Camping: Montana. Birmingham, Ala.: Menasha Ridge Press, 2005.
• Weed, Walter Harvey. Geology of the Little Belt Mountains, Montana, With Notes on the Mineral Deposits of the Neihart, Barker, Yogo, and Other Districts. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1900.