DescriptionThe town of Coolidge owed its existence to the Elkhorn Mine. Its deposits had been discovered in 1873 but not developed until William R. Allen and the Boston & Montana Consolidated Copper and Silver Mining Company acquired the property in 1913. Company president Allen organized the Butte, Wisdom and Pacific Railway (later the Montana Southern Railway) in 1914 and completed the narrow-gauge line between Divide and Coolidge in 1919. Allen named the new town for his friend and colleague Calvin Coolidge, thirtieth president of the United States. The Coolidge mill never ran at full capacity and operated only sporadically after the first few years, but nonetheless, in the 1920s, 600 people lived in Coolidge, which had a company store, school, and post office. In the late 1940s, gold, silver, and copper mining ceased altogether, and the town was abandoned shortly thereafter. The mill stood almost intact until 1975, when salvagers tore down nearly a third of the 2-acre structure, reselling the timbers. Later, the USFS granted a lease to a salvage company to tear down the remainder of the mill, which had become unsafe.Personal NamesAllen, William R.Coolidge, CalvinContributing InstitutionMontana Historical Society Library and ArchivesGeolocation[1] Elevation7420 ft.CountyBeaverhead County
