The Smith River Valley

The Smith River Valley lies between the Big Belts on the west and the Castle Mountains on the east. In the 1860s and 1870s, gulches draining the west slope of the Big Belts were famous for gold placer diggings, and Montana Bar in Confederate Gulch was called the “richest acre of ground in the world.” The Castle Mountains were also well known for their quartz mines. Fort Logan, first established as Camp Baker in November, 1869, as a military outpost to protect mining camps and ranches to the west from possible attack by Indians, stood toward the north end of the valley. White Sulphur Springs, typical of Montana’s many thermal springs, were discovered in 1866 by Jas. Scott Brewer, and their water was said to be almost identical to that at the famous spa of Baden Baden, Germany.

Springdale Colony, Montana · United States