Ghost Town

Castle Town, or at least its remains, are nestled in the Castle Mountains located near Martinsdale. The ghost town rests at an elevation of 5,987 feet. Castle Town, or alternatively “Castle City” was first settled in 1887 during the silver mining rush that was occurring during this period. Castle Town, at its peak, was home to 2000 plus people. A whopping amount of saloons (fourteen) were located in the small town, along with a slew of businesses, including seven brothels. A jail, a schoolhouse, and several trading posts were located along Main Street of the now ghost town as well. Calamity Jane, a famous American frontierswoman, was probably Castle Town’s most well known resident. She lived in the remote town for a short stint. While residing in Castle Town, the tenacious woman attempted and failed to open a restaurant. She soon moved out of the Meagher area following her business venture’s failure. The mining sites near Castle Town produced high and valuable amounts of silver and lead. However, the remote location of the town was an impediment to the exports of the mining production. Transportation of goods quickly became an issue. Wagons led by teams of horses were the only way that supplies could come in and out of the small city. To mediate this problem, a railroad line was eventually made to come through the mining town, but the project was only completed after the silver crash of 1895, a time where many mines were severely weakened or shut down. Castle Town continued on, but never recovered enough from the hard times to reach the population or export amount it had garnered during its booming period. The Cumberland mine, Castle Town’s main producer, closed down around the year of 1950. This signaled Castle Town’s movement into a ghost town. The town sits in its original location and is a National Historic Landmark. Some buildings can still be seen standing. However, the small town and its establishments were hastily built to house the influx of miners moving into the region. As a result, the majority of the historic structures have already crumbled. Meagher County’s vicious winter weather and windy conditions continually wear on the remainder of the ghost town. It, unfortunately, won’t be long before Castle Town is completely deceased.