Red Lodge: from extracting minerals to 'mining' tourists

For our recent 80th birthdays my wife and I have been taking mini-vacations to places in Montana we've never visited. Our travel agent, Keri Hanson, helps the one making the travel plans to put together a trip and keeps it secret. The day after my 80th my wife announced, "We're going to Red Lodge."

On April 1 I turned 80. I wrote a story about the Yellowstone Kelly exhibit currently at the Blaine County Museum. When my wife mentioned another 'Montana trip" Keri suggested, "Steve's interested in Yellowstone Kelly and that grave site is on the rimrocks of Billings. Why don't you do a trip that makes a stop there, on the way to a destination I think you both would enjoy-Red Lodge, Montana?" When my wife shared the destination I admitted I'd heard of Red Lodge but had no idea where it was or what it was about. Here's some of what we experienced on our three-day visit to Red Lodge whose slogan is: "The Coolest Ski Town You've Never Heard Of."

First, a stop at Yellowstone Kelly's grave and interpretive site...

Our first stop on our trip southwest was in Billings. Luther Sage Kelly's grave and interpretive site is located in Swords Park on the rimrocks just off Airport Road. The interpretive site uses photos and narrative to tell the story of Kelly's life as a young soldier in the Civil War, a plainsman/guide and member of President Theodore Roosevelt's insider "tennis court." The site is accessible either by gravel road or a short hike along the paved hiking/biking trail that follows the rim. Parking is just off Airport Road. Though Kelly was buried atop the rimrocks nearly 90 years ago, the interpretive site was only completed in 2017.

Then on to Red Lodge for mining, skiing and tourism.

There's a lot could be shared about Red Lodge but I'm going to focus on its three main things that have attracted folks to the area for over a century. First, the town of Red Lodge was founded in the early 1880's after coal was discovered nearby. By 1889 the railroad had extended to the area and serious shipments began, much of it going to fuel the iron smelters in Anaconda.

Most of the coal mining was underground and underground complexes were developed around Red Lodge proper as well as the surrounding mountains. Shortly after the coal discovery gold was found and through the years, and even now, there is some mining of other minerals including platinum. With workers flocking to the area the population swelled to 5,000 by 1911, the heyday of mining,

In 1943 an underground explosion at the Smith Coal Mine, located near Washoe at the foot of the Beartooth Mountains, killed 74 of the 77 miners working that shift (the largest coal mine disaster ever in Montana). The old superstructure of the tipple (loadout facility) and some other surface buildings can be seen from Montana Highway 308 east of Red Lodge on the way to Belfry. One sobering part of the roadside exhibit explaining the disaster describes how some of the miners had barricaded themselves and before succumbing to the deadly fumes from the fire were able to scratch out 'goodbyes' to family and friends. By 1972 coal mining in the Red Lodge area had stopped.

One might speculate that the beginning of tourism in Red Lodge was the Beartooth Highway. The 68-mile highway connects Red Lodge and gateway towns serving Yellowstone Park. At its highest point, the highway is at nearly 11,000 feet. The scenic drive is open from Memorial Day to early October, closed much of the year because of snow. It's highly favored by motorcyclists who enjoy the challenges of the hills and curves of the highway.

The Beartooth Rally and Iron Horse Rodeo focuses on activities for motor cycle riders and attracts large numbers of cyclists in early August. Many riders make a stop for the event in Red Lodge on their way to the Sturgis rally in South Dakota. It was a warm spring weekend we were at Red Lodge and there were plenty of motorcycles riding up and down Broadway, the main north south street through Red Lodge that goes south to the start of the Beartooth Highway.

Also south of Red Lodge is another seasonal tourist attraction, Red Lodge Mountain, a ski slope opened in 1960. The ski slope was in its last two weeks of skiing when we visited. Overnight skiers can find lots of lodging in the town or Red Lodge, none at the ski slope. Even on a warm April day lots of visitors were getting in that last ride down the slopes. There are eight ski lifts accessing 2400 feet of vertical descent.

In early March the Red Lodge Ski-Joring Association hosts the national finals for ski-joring races, drawing teams of racing skiers pulled by a horse from all over the intermountain west. For snow enthusiasts less inclined to the challenges of downhill skiing and ski-joring the local Beartooth Recreational Trails Association's Nordic Center offers groomed cross-country trails and snowshoeing trails. Winter is a big deal in Red Lodge. But when planning a visit keep in mind summer is the busiest season.

For tourists looking for easily accessible things to see and do, Red Lodge is well laid out. Most of the artists' studios and galleries, candy and ice cream outlets, restaurants and lodging (from the basic to the elegant), boutiques and clothing shops are located along the main street and within walking distance of each other. The famed Pollard Hotel-a mainstay on Broadway since 1893 when it was built to accommodate visitors doing business with the coal companies.

One especially interesting stop for us was the Roosevelt Center, a repurposed two-story school building at the south end of Broadway. The old school building has been turned in to a facility where artists have space to practice and sell their art. Sherry was very excited to meet Nancy Dunlap, who runs Madwoman Sewing. Nancy's specialty is taking old garments and repurposing them. Nancy spent time sharing how she turns parts and pieces of old garments in to new, designer styled clothing.

On our last evening in Red Lodge we hiked the Rocky Fork Trail, a foot path from the valley to a bench along the west edge of the town. From there we could see some of the five mountain chains surrounding the town, the remains of the old chromium mine on the wall of the east bench and the layout of Red Lodge. It was a perfect way to end our stay in "the coolest ski town we'd never heard of."