BASIN, Montana Community Information

Basin, located 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 framed with a second-story false front, 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 fluctuating with 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. During boom times the town's population was nearly 8,000 people and today the town has a population around 200.

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.

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, eclectic feel.