Hecla, Montana
Hecla was a town in Beaverhead County, Montana. It has been designated as a ghost town with only a few ruined buildings remaining. It was notable at one time as the home of Blanche Lamont, who taught at Hecla's one-room schoolhouse.[1] Lamont would become the first of two murder victims of Theodore Durrant. Margaret Brown also lived there for a time.[2]
The Hecla Mining District was "on the side of Lion Mountain. Also referred to as the Glendale and/or Bryant Mining District, which was strung out along ten miles of gulches, the four towns included Trapper City, Lion City, Glendale, and Hecla."[3]
In 1881, the Hecla Company reorganized and came under the direction of Henry Knippenberg. Shortly after he assumed control, Knippenberg had the town of Hecla built a mile away from Lion City ... Transportation from the mine was improved with the construction of a four mile-long, narrow-gauge tramway from Hecla to the mill.
The town of Hecla grew to some 1,500 to 1,800 persons, with a water works system, fire protection, a church, a school for 200 pupils, and other businesses typical of a small mining camp.[4]
The General Merchandise operations in Hecla, run by H.W. Kappes, were "absorbed by the Hecla Mercantile & Banking Company in 1886. The Hecla Mercantile was a subsidiary of the Hecla Consolidated Mining Company based out of Glendale, Montana."[5]
The area "was hard hit when the Sherman Silver Purchase Act was repealed in 1893."[3][6]
"The district can be reached from I-15 near Melrose at Exit 93 on Trapper Creek Road. Glendale is about five miles and Lion City and Hecla, another 7 miles or so. A four wheel drive or ATV is recommended."[3]
Notes
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- ↑ Joseph Keppler, Hecla Mercantile & Banking Company Ephemera, Hecla, Montana Territory 1886
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External links
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- Photo showing the three communities of Trapper City, Lion City, and Hecla (scroll to bottom)
- A view of the Head House and other buildings located at the foot of Lion Mountain at Hecla, Montana
- Smelter in ghost town of Hecla, Montana
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Hecla (Historic)
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Municipalities and communities of Beaverhead County, Montana, United States
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