Welcome to Basin, Montana

Basin, in the Boulder River Basin, was founded in 1880 by two miners named Lawson and Allport. A small settlement called Cataract pre-dated Basin, when prospectors found gold there in 1862. Important mines were working and sending ore to Butte by 1880, and Lawson and Allport started a trading center. Most of the buildings are frame with the second-story false fronts, which were common to nineteenth-century camps. (from Cheney's Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company)

Throughout the years Basin's smelter has been opened and closed due to high smelting charges and low silver prices. On the edge of town stands a reminder of Basin's activity, a huge mill dating back to the 1900s. The town fluctuated in size, holding nearly 8,000 people during boom times, and as few as 220 as today.

Basin has suffered several fires over the years. In 1893 the Katy mill had been expanded, successfully completing a run of ore, but fire broke out and destroyed the hoisting plant and the shaft. In 1896 the concentrator at the Hope gold mine caught fire, suffocating seven miners to death. Even today Basin doesn't have a firehouse. A saloon owner tore down his building, which was connected to the fire station. When the saloon fell, a wall of the firehouse came down too.

Today, the area is well-known for its radon mines which are now marketed for their reputed health-giving benefits. Over the past few years, Basin has attracted artists and musicians, giving this tiny town a lively, electric feel.