During the 1860s, gold lured thousands of miners to Montana’s Garnet Mountains. In 1895, the town of Garnet was established. In 1898, Garnet had a population of about 1,000 and by 1905, only 150 remained. In 1934, gold prices were raised and, together with new technology, another gold boom began. By 1936, the population had increased to 250. With World War II, the boom disappeared and in 1942 the post office closed. By 1948, the general store had closed, and souvenir hunters were looting the town.
It was not uncommon for old mining towns to be built with little concern for permanence or planning. Often, the hastily constructed buildings lacked foundations. Today the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the Garnet Preservation Association maintain Garnet in a state of arrested decay. Due to the pandemic, the commercial buildings—the hotel, general store, and saloon are closed, but it is still possible to see inside some of the miners’ cabins. Shown below are photos showing the arrested decay inside some of the cabins.