Well, we embarked on yet another family outing. This time Mr. Historian/Ghost Hunter wannabee wanted to see a real (live) ghost town. So, we set out for Missoula, MT. The girls were much easier to persuade to get in the car, as this trip was only 1.5 hours. (At least I don't have to worry about them running too far away from home.)
As we drove along Hwy 12/I-90, we were enjoying the beautiful scenery. Then I saw a sign that made us do a double take. It seems that like many small towns that have a festival/claim to fame, Clinton, MT. has one too. But I have to give it to them, theirs really stands out loud and clear. Here is a picture of the billboard. (You can make your own comments)
Thank goodness the girls were asleep or otherwise occupied to ask questions.
Okay, back to the trip. We detoured before we got to Missoula to a little ghost town in Garnet, MT. This town was, as many were, a gold mining town. It differed in the fact that many families lived here, not just the miners.
As we followed the directions to get there, there was a sign that should have made us turn around. It stated that there were portions of the road that were unpaved and very steep. Bart said he could handle it (does anyone remember the blog about the mountain passes????) The first 6-7 miles were okay. Then the fun set in. We began climbing (literally) up the mountain. If we had been in a Jeep, I wouldn't have been too worried. The elevation of the town is about 6800 feet, so you can guess about the "scenic wonders" that we were supposed to enjoy. (By the way, I also need to mention that this is also the time that Julia decided that she was soo hungry that her tummy was going to burst, and she screamed and cried about it during the entire climbing adventure.) This was also single lane only and NO GUARDRAILS. If I prayed for anything that day, it was for no oncoming traffic. (Thank you God!!)
Well, we arrived (maybe a little deaf, thanks Julia) and began to explore. The first building we went in was the old Saloon. Go figure, Bart would want to go to the bar first. This is the remnant of the classic saloon bar. According to some reports, people have heard saloon music coming from this room. (Booo000!!)The town got it's start around the 1850's and finally went "ghost" in the early 1940's.
Bart told the girls that we were going to move here and this was our new home. They weren't having any of it. They couldn't figure out how anyone could live here without floors, windows or electricity. 
Here is the hotel in town. Apparently the town had a series of mishaps. I believe that they had 3 separate incidents where fire took out many buildings.
We also learned why the door is like that on the second floor. I assumed that maybe there was a porch. Wrong! This was the door in which they would lift the guests trunks through. (Notice the pulley above the door). I hope nobody ever walked in their sleep or was drunk and opened the door to step out for fresh air.
Here is a view of one of the 10 guest rooms. You are seeing the entire width of the room. (The girls said they wouldn't complain about how small the hotel rooms we stayed in were anymore. I tend to agree.)
As we got ready to leave, we discovered that there was an alternate road out of the area. I am so proud of Bart. He actually still uses my advice about 3rd and 2nd gear. (It is now his best friend, too.)
We traveled on to Missoula. It is a town of about 57,000 and was very nice. It is a college town, University of Montana - Grizzlies). The restaurant choices were a little more versatile then Helena. The girls wanted chicken, so we went to a little place that serves really good Buffalo Wings (Hooters). Julia noticed that the waitress' outfits were a little small, but then she piped up that it was summer and it helped them stay cooler. We just let it ride.
All in all, it was a fun day. A few mishaps, but what is life without chaos? Boring!!!
And our 3 girls keep life anything but that!!!!!
