Wildfire forces closure of Garnet Ghost Town

MISSOULA — Garnet Ghost Town, a popular Montana tourist attraction, has been closed due to a wildfire.

The federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced on Friday that due to a wildfire burning about a mile east of Garnet, the historic site and surrounding area are temporarily closed.

The closure order takes effect immediately for BLM lands in most of the southwestern portion of the Garnet Mountains from Elevation Mountain on the northeast to I-90 on the south.

This closure does not affect the Copper Cliff area, the Chamberlain area northeast of Elevation Mountain, lands to east of Douglas Creek, or BLM-managed lands within several miles of I-90.

The Anderson Hill Fire was reported on Thursday afternoon and is now estimated at 1,000 acres. It’s burning in Missoula, Granite, and Powell counties.

From the BLM website: "One thousand people called Garnet home in the 1890s as they scoured the mountains for gold. Largely abandoned 20 years later when the gold ran out, today the town is well-preserved and offers a glimpse into the struggles of those early miners and homesteaders. The visitor center has information about 19th century life here."