DescriptionMiners began developing ore deposits in the Rimini area as early as 1867, when John Caplice established a claim he called the Lee Mountain Mine. As miners poured into the area, most of them Irish, the camp came to be known as Young Ireland. Seeking support from Territorial Governor (John) Schuyler Crosby to establish a post office named Lee Mountain, several residents traveled to Helena in the summer of 1883. The petitioners found Crosby attending the play Francesca da Rimini at the Ming Theater. Crosby informed the visitors that postal officials did not like names of more than one word, but, inspired by the play, the governor suggested the name Rimini. The application was approved, and the name became official in 1884. In 1886, the Northern Pacific Railroad constructed the Rimini–Red Mountain branch line to haul silver, lead, and zinc ore to the smelter at East Helena. Area mines generated about $7 million (1864–1928), but the town’s fortunes waned as mining tapered off. In 1942 the U.S. Army established the War Dog Reception and Training Center at Rimini to train sled dogs to support the 10th Mountain Division’s proposed invasion of Norway. When the military scrapped the Norway invasion, Camp Rimini became a training center for dogsled teams of the Air Transport Command’s Arctic Search and Rescue Units. The U.S. Army closed Camp Rimini in 1944. Personal NamesCaplice, JohnCrosby, John SchuylerOther Name(s)Young IrelandLee MountainContributing InstitutionMontana Historical Society Library and ArchivesGeolocation[1] Elevation5214 ft.CountyLewis and Clark County
