Camping,
Hiking and Traveling in Montana
MontanaHikes.com
MontanaHikes.com
Hike Index
H=Hike
C=Camp
V=Visit S=SkiLivingston Area
Elephanthead Mtn. H
Paradise Valley
S. Fk. Deep Creek H
Pine Creek H,C
George Lake H
Passage Creek Falls H
Crow Mountain H
Big Timber Area
Boulder River H,C,V
Natural Bridge Falls H,C,V
Big Timber Creek Falls H,C,V
West Boulder Meadows H,C
Twin Lakes H,C
Bozeman Area
Chestnut Mountain H
Goose Creek H,S
Mystic Lake H
Lava Lake H
Central Montana
Little Belt Mountains H,C,V,S
Castle Mountains H,C
Central MT Railroading V
Crystal Lake H,C,V
Judith Mountains V
Judith Gap Wind Farm V
Moccasin Mountains V
Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness
Anvil Lake H,C
Moccasin Mountains
The Moccasin Mountains are two very small island ranges located just North of Lewistown MT. There are two distinct sets of mountains called the North and South Moccasins. Neither range is very large and the highest peaks are at about 5,400 ft. in the North Moccasins and 5,800 in the South Moccasins. As with the Judith Mountains, there is a road to the top of the highest peak in the South Moccasins where there are various telecommunications towers. However, this is not as extensive of an array as on top of Judith Peak and the access road is not nearly as well defined.
MT Hwy 81 splits the two ranges. This road, which runs east/west, connects a string of small towns which hint of the history of the area. Each of these towns has a large grain elevator and they are connected by railroad tracks. For more information about the historic rail lines in the area see Central Montana Railroads
Click
photo to enlarge
This tower stands tall within the foundation of a
collapsed building. There is good reason for this part to still be
standing as it is the former bank vault that held all of the money in
the community. Note the steel beams that reinforce the roof
The area has been maintained generally by the Boy Scouts whose K-M Scout Camp is nearby. The Camp is run by the Montana Council and for anyone interested visit their site at K-M Camp. Although a lot of people know of the Moccasins because of the camp, most are much more familiar with them (although perhaps not by name) for their gold mining. Since the late 1800's there has been mining in the area and Kendall was a vibrant gold mining town. Rather than write my another history of Kendall, I have reprinted here the account that is provided by the Montana Dept. of Environmental Quality at http://www.deq.state.mt.us/abandonedmines/linkdocs/techdocs/50tech.asp. This is an excellent summary that gives a great sense of what Kendall once was.
"The town of Kendall dates back to 1901 and the original development of the Kendall mines. It was laid out on a homestead of William A. Shaules, who staked out his land and sold lots to businesses and homeowners. In May of 1901 the town had several dwellings, a miner's union hall, a saloon and a restaurant. One other building was noted but not described; it held two stagecoach loads of prostitutes who had arrived before most of the businesses. In August, the town had a new livery stable, a general store and two more saloons. In October the tally of businesses included five saloons, three general stores, two hotels, two livery stables, a restaurant, a butcher shop, a tailor shop, an assay office, and a photographic gallery. Within a year the town had grown to rival nearby Lewistown and had its own newspaper, the Kendall Chronicle, to crow its virtues. Several of the new buildings were made of stone, including the R. C. Cook building which housed a bank and a fraternal hall, the H. V. Turner block of shops, and the Shaules Hotel at the corner of McKinley Avenue, Teddy Street and King Mill Road. The wedge-shaped building cost $12,000, was two stories high and held 26 well-appointed rooms.
This picturesque building is gradually crumbling but the
wonderful rock work walls show the solid construction that once made
this a formidable structure.
The town of Kendall faded away but the gold in the hills remained. During the early boom miners had found high quality ore that produced significant gold using the methods of the day. However, the high quality ore played out and the refining techniques they used made mining a money losing proposition. However, by the 1980's new refining techniques allowed corporations to profitably mine ores that historically were unusable. In 1986 a new corporation began to develop operations and Kendall began to see mining on a scaled never previously imagined. From 1987 to 1996 the Kendall mine produced 9 million tons of ore which was processed with cyanide to yield 300,000 ounces of gold and 135,000 ounces of silver.
Unfortunately, the use of the highly poisonous cyanide lead to massive environmental damage. Area ranchers sued to protect their waters and the Kendall mine closed, the corporation went out of business and Montana has been left with a lot of clean up expenses. The Kendall mine was a large factor in the voters of Montana deciding in 1998 to use the initiative process to permanently ban the use of cyanide in Montana mining. After many court phalanges it now looks as the ban will stand and it is unlikely that there will never be another Montana mine that will use the refining process that was first developed in the state.
Finding Kendall is not too hard. It is best accessed from US 191, if you are traveling from the north head due west on the gravel road that leads out of Hilger. This is actually called Kendall Road and it is an easy drive for about 2 1/2 miles until you reach a Y intersection. At this point the three roads are South Kendall, North Kendall and Kendall Road. Take the North Kendall Road and you will get to the old town site after about 3 more miles. Ruined structures lie on both sides of the road so find a place to park and enjoy your exploration. Just ahead the road runs on to gated property sealing off the mine site.
This was once the general store
that served to supply the booming town of Kendall
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