Welcome To The Radersburg, Montana Tour
Welcome to the Radersburg, Montana picture tour. Join us, as we explore the town of Radersburg, the Radersburg Cemetery and the nearby Elkhorn Wildlife Management Area. Driving along Highway 287 near Toston, Montana you would never guess you are in the heart of a huge gold mining district that produced roughly 600,000 ounces of gold, which at today’s prices would be valued at over $700 million. Placer and lode deposits were discovered in 1866. Mining around the Radersburg area continued intermittantly in operation through 1956.*
Experimental Pyritic Smelting
Gold-rich pyrite ore was hauled twelve miles by wagon (See picture from the Toston Smelter information sign), to the Toston Smelter. In addition to gold, the Radersburg ore was also high of iron sulphides. The iron sulphide was the fuel used to heat the blast furnances to the required 1,000 degrees needed to oxidize (roast) the ore. Next, using the water from the Missouri River, the hot ore was dumped into water causing the gold to separate from the ore. See a demonstration here.
The Radersburg area got “lucky” for a time
Using the process detailed above called, “Pyritic Smelting,” the was no need to use environmental harmful chemicals like cyanide and hydrochloric acid that was commonly used to separate gold from the ore. Unfortunately, the process was only used for a span of two years (1885-1887) before it was converted to a traditional smelter. After the introduction of railroad connections to the Butte or Great Falls smelters in 1883, the traditional smelter was forced closed, in 1891.
Radersburg Cemetery – Headstones Almost Talk
Ever visit a cemetery and wished the headstones could talk, so you could learn more about the surrounding area? The Radersburg Cemetery is one site where the headstones are silent but the Cemetery’s public visitor center contains a wealth of local history. The center contains newspaper accounts of Radersburg residents from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. After you read the fascinating history, you can go outside of the visitor center to see the final resting place of the people featured in the newspaper articles.
Below are Radersberg Cemetery views.
Elkhorn Wildlife Management Unit
Want some fun? Continue north out of the town of Radersburg by following the Crow Creek road to the Elkhorn Wildlife Management Unit. The area is generally closed to all public access from December 1 to May 15 each year to provide critical winter range for big game. Park your rig and walk into the surrounding hills. The FWP 2024 population report says there are 1,700-2,300 elk in the surrounding area. A visit in November will reward you with unforgettable views of elk. Who knows, with a little luck, you might run into other types of animals. Don’t worry the intense winter sunlight and thin snow cover makes a 34 degrees (farenheit) feel balmy as you explore the hills.
Below are Elkhorn Wildlife Management Unit views.
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