The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1921-11-03
STERLING, GHOST
CITY OF THE PAST
BILL REEL, OLD TINE MON
TANAN, HAS TURNED TOWN
SITE INTO FARM
Was Once One of the Prosperous
Quartz Gold Camps of Madison
County; Town of Midasburg, a
Stones Throw Away, Was Its Wig
orous Rival.

OfOuS Rival.
A name; a few scattered building:
looming ghostly in their emptiness
and a history recorded only in the
memories of it's few surviving found
ers; this is all hat remains of Ster
ling, a once thriving gold camp tuck
ed away in a wild and lonely ravine
six miles south of Norris, in Madison
county. Long since deserted, its
crumbling walls now serve only as
a reminder to the old timers of the
days when its streets were teemine
with miners, pack trains and pros
pectors.
Even women found their way into
this lonely camp, as did the profess
sional gambler. Good and bad rub
bed elbows on its crowded streets, all
fighting and working for gold, which
in turn passed over counters and
bars like so much water. At night
the narrow streets were aglare with
lights from saloons and dance halls
while the neighboring cliffs resound-
ed to the shouts of hardy frontiers
men as they laughted or fought as
fancied their mood.
Stirring Times
Not infrequently were the hills set
echoing to the bang of the Colts As
as old grudges were "shot out" in
front of saloons and gambling halls.
Fights in those days went to a finish
and when the smoke cleared away
and onlookers ventured from behind
protecting corners, one of the COM
batants was usually found stretched
out in the street.
The history of Sterling presents a
brief, but stormy narrative. Like a
mushroom it sprang up over night
and then was abandoned by it's 500
or 500 inhabitants in favor of more
prosperous fields. The rush came in
1867, shortly before two New York
financiers erected a stamp mill for
the purpose of refining ore from the
nearby prospects. Several rich strikes
were reported on the Tobacco Root
range to the east, but with a few ex-
ceptions the ore turned out to be of
low grade.
Fortunes Sunk
The latter discovery, however, was
not made until several small fortunes
had been sunk in machinery and
other equipment, that was hauled in
wagon trains from the nearest rail
road point at Bozeman, almost 100
miles away. At one time five stamp
mills were working full blast, each
within a stones throw of the other
and owned and operated by different
companies.
About 200 yards south of Sterling
were the holdings of the Midas COM
pany. Less than 100 men were en-
ployed here, but they refused to be
considered a part of the neighboring
town and named their camp Midas
burg. Sterling, however, at one time
boosted a population Of 600 miners
and their families, with three sa-
looms, two hotels, a livery stable and
other business enterprises,
legitimate and otherwise.
Many Other Attempts
Still farther up the canyon are
numerous other prospects and mills,
which, like those at Sterling and
Midasburg, were run for a few years
and then shut down because of low
grade ore. Among these and the
most recently operated of the lot
was the old Galena mine. The mill
was located at the mouth of the tun-
mel, but inadequate equipment was
the u of its suspension of opera
lions. The ore taken from the ma
jOrity of the mines assayed between
SO and $12 a ton.
When the shutdown came, the
miners gathered together their few
personal effects and departed for
other camps. Gradually decay did
its work until sparrows have long
since found a veritable haven among
the Wondering ruins. Streets that
thronged with miners "fresh
from the diggings" are now browsed
over by herds of cattle roaming down
the mountains, while a worm
eaten pickhandle here and a piece of
rusted machinery there is all that is
left to tell the story of Sterling's
PALMER days.
He Owns 1t All
The present owner of the two
townsites is "Bill" Reel, who
with his parents arrived at Sterling
IN its most stirring days and who
refused to leave when the diggings
abandoned. Reels father was
~prospector, but in later years in adj
1ition to securing several rich claims
hey have also acquired large land
holdings.
Within plain view of the old ruins,
Reel has erected his modern ranch
and although he is still inter
in mining, most of his efforts
Ire devoted to r%anching. "For many
Reel said, "gold dust was the
'nly money known in this part of the
country. 1t was easy to get and
Easy to spend.
1T was no uncommon sight in
hose days for miners to walk up to
bar and drawing a well-filled sack
rom their clothing toss it carelessly
IN the bar and call to the house to