Smith Mine Historic District - Bearcreek, MT
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 45° 09.511 W 109° 11.341
12T E 642338 N 5002155
The site of Montana's worst coal mining disaster, much of the infrastructure of the Smith Mine still stands along the north side of Highway 308, 1½ miles west of the remainder of the little hamlet of Bearcreek.
Waymark Code: WMWWRB
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 10/23/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member Math Teacher
Views: 0
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The Smith Mine Historic District is comprised of 27 buildings and 12 structures, all ghostly remnants of what was, until 1943, a large and busy coal mine. That all came crashing to an end with the Smith Mine disaster of 1943, a huge underground explosion which took the lives of 74 mine workers and one rescue worker. The disaster, the worst coal mine disaster in Montana's history spelled the end for the mine, which never regained its former level of production, and essentially the end for the nearest town, Bearcreek.

Even before the explosion the town had been mostly dismantled and many of its buildings hauled to Bridger, Belfry and Red Lodge. The fortunes of coal mining in western Montana had, since the end of World War I, been on the downswing, by then being out produced by the more efficient and larger strip mines in eastern Montana. If the 1943 explosion had not occurred, the days of the mine, then the last of four large mines in the Bearcreek area, were probably limited in any event. After the explosion the mine continued in operation until 1953, when it became unprofitable due to dwindling demand and strong competition from strip mine operations. Officially beginning commercial operations on October 1, 1906, the mine lasted less than half a century.
Smith Mine Historic District The Smith Mine historic district has the "ability to evoke images of time, place and historical patterns" of coal mining through the preservation of many buildings and structures depicting various phases and functions of coal mining. The Smith Mine is the most intact coal mine in Carbon County.

The strength of the Smith Mine historic district is the, ability of the remaining buildings and structures to reflect the historic nature of the coal mining operation. The extant building and structures, constructed between 1906 and 1946, present a cohesive mixture that represents not just one stage of development but spans the lifetime of the mine. Some buildings have been altered to varying degrees while others appear unchanged except for neglect and deterioration. All of the buildings are strictly utilitarian in nature and constructed to be functional. Taken individually, they are non-descript lacking in any decorative elements. But taken as a whole, they are representative of surface workings for an underground coal mine that was established in the early twentieth century. Most mining properties present "a strong sense of feeling when viewed by contemporary observers." The Smith Mine best illustrates Montana's coal mining heritage, evokes the 1943 mine disaster, and is in fact a revered site in the state that stands in testament to the lives that were lost.

The Smith Mine industrial complex consists of a historic district of utilitarian architecture. Most buildings are primarily wood frame construction covered with corrugated metal on both wall and roofs. Even the few steel frame buildings also are clad with corrugated metal. Usage of corrugated metal dates to approximately 1916. Two powder magazines are constructed of locally quarried sandstone. The power plant displays both sandstone walls and bricks likely acquired from the Bearcreek or other Montana brick yards. All 39 buildings and structures within the Smith Mine Historic District are contributing to the historic district and date between 1906 and 1946. Most facilities are associated with the surface operations of mining and processing coal and include the power plant, tipple, coal processing plant, boxcar loader, two substations, two water tanks, miscellaneous sheds and outbuildings, powder magazines and an outhouse. A manager's residence and miner's dwelling are situated within the district. The historic district also contains numerous aggregate concrete foundation remnants in varying sizes scattered throughout the district. Three steel frame structures (possibly for electrical transformers) stand within the district. A small collapsed historic adit pierces the hillside above the buildings.

The Smith Mine industrial complex consists of a historic district of utilitarian architecture. Most buildings are primarily wood frame construction covered with corrugated metal on both wall and roofs. Even the few steel frame buildings also are clad with corrugated metal. Usage of corrugated metal dates to approximately 1916. Two powder magazines are constructed of locally quarried sandstone. The power plant displays both sandstone walls and bricks likely acquired from the Bearcreek or other Montana brick yards.

All 39 buildings and structures within the Smith Mine Historic District are contributing to the historic district and date between 1906 and 1946. Most facilities are associated with the surface operations of mining and processing coal and include the power plant, tipple, coal processing plant, boxcar loader, two substations, two water tanks, miscellaneous sheds and outbuildings, powder magazines and an outhouse. A manager's residence and miner's dwelling are situated within the district. The historic district also contains numerous aggregate concrete foundation remnants in varying sizes scattered throughout the district. Three steel frame structures (possibly for electrical transformers) stand within the district. A small collapsed historic adit pierces the hillside above the buildings.
From the NRHP Nomination Form
SMITH MINE HISTORIC DISTRICT

Thirty-nine corrugated metal structures mark the site of the Smith Mine, a ghostly reminder of a once vibrant mining district. The Montana Coal and Iron Company (MCI) began developing the Smith Mine in earnest after the arrival of the Montana, Wyoming and Southern Railroad, producing 8,000 tons of high-grade coal in 1907. MCI electrified its operation by 1915, completely mechanizing it by 1929. Throughout the 1930s, the company continued to invest in new equipment, building a new crushing plant, elevator, cleaning plant, coal sheds and scales, electrical substation, and other above-ground structures to support the underground operation. By 1943, miners working three shifts a day, six days a week produced almost 500,000 tons of coal annually, “to meet coal needs for a nation at war.” Investments in safety lagged behind other improvements, however, and in the 1940s many Smith miners still used open-flame carbide headlamps (as opposed to safer electric lamps). The highly gaseous mine also lacked good ventilation or rock-dusting equipment to control coal dust. On February 27, 1943, this proved a deadly combination, when a methane gas explosion in Smith Mine #3 killed seventy-four miners (and later one rescuer) in the worst coal mining disaster in Montana history. Only three of the men working that day survived. Although MCI closed the Number 3 adit after the explosion, it continued to work its other mines, raking in record profits through 1945. Declining demand, lower quality coal, competition from diesel and natural gas, and bad management led to the operation’s closure in 1953.
From the NRHP plaque at the site
Street address:
Highway 308
West of
Bearcreek, WY United States
59007

County / Borough / Parish: Carbon County

Year listed: 1986

Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture

Periods of significance: 1925-1949, 1900-1924, 1875-1899

Historic function: Commerce/Trade - Mining

Current function: Vacant - Heritage site

Privately owned?: no

Primary Web Site: [Web Link]

Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]

Secondary Website 2: [Web Link]

Season start / Season finish: Not listed

Hours of operation: Not listed

National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
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