Philipsburg in Granite County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Philipsburg
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, July 23, 2011
1. Philipsburg Marker
Inscription.
Philipsburg's early-day fortunes ebbed and flowed with mining. Today, its historic district is one of Montana's best preserved late-19th-century mining towns, with commercial, public and private buildings dating from the boom period of silver mining. Silver was discovered south of here in 1864, and only three years later Philipsburg (at elevation 5,270 feet) was growing at the “rate of one house per day,” an area newspaper reported. That same year, the St.Louis and Montana Mining Company sent Philip Deideshimer (for whom the town was named) to Philipsburg to help develop and manage its mines and stamp mills. Only two years later, the nearby Hope Mill shut down and Philipsburg was largely deserted. A revival of mining activities from the mid-1880s to mid-1890s led to Philipsburg's greatest growth, when tens of millions of dollars worth of silver bullion, ore and slag were shipped to out-of-state markets. The wooden, false-front buildings on Broadway were replaced with masonry structures. When silver mining was curtailed in 1893, recently discovered sapphire deposits helped stabilize the local economy. That year also saw the creation of Granite County, with Philipsburg as county seat. During World War I, Philipsburg was the largest supplier of domestic manganese, which led to another boom for the area. After that boom, Philipsburg has slipped into a stable existence based on agriculture, government, logging, limited mining and tourism.
Philipsburg's early-day fortunes ebbed and flowed with mining. Today, its historic district is one of Montana's best preserved late-19th-century mining towns, with commercial, public and private buildings dating from the boom period of silver mining. Silver was discovered south of here in 1864, and only three years later Philipsburg (at elevation 5,270 feet) was growing at the “rate of one house per day,” an area newspaper reported. That same year, the St.Louis and Montana Mining Company sent Philip Deideshimer (for whom the town was named) to Philipsburg to help develop and manage its mines and stamp mills. Only two years later, the nearby Hope Mill shut down and Philipsburg was largely deserted. A revival of mining activities from the mid-1880s to mid-1890s led to Philipsburg's greatest growth, when tens of millions of dollars worth of silver bullion, ore and slag were shipped to out-of-state markets. The wooden, false-front buildings on Broadway were replaced with masonry structures. When silver mining was curtailed in 1893, recently discovered sapphire deposits helped stabilize the local economy. That year also saw the creation of Granite County, with Philipsburg as county seat. During World War I, Philipsburg was the largest supplier of domestic manganese, which led to another boom for the area. After that boom, Philipsburg
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has slipped into a stable existence based on agriculture, government, logging, limited mining and tourism.
Location. 46° 19.913′ N, 113° 17.662′ W. Marker is in Philipsburg, Montana, in Granite County. Marker is on South Sansome Street near East Broadway Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 102 South Sansome Street, Philipsburg MT 59858, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Philipsburg, Montana. (Submitted on July 29, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, July 23, 2011
3. Philipsburg, Montana
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 585 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 29, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. 3. submitted on July 30, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.