Smith Mine Historic District
Smith Mine
The site of Montana's worst mining disaster, where 74 miners died in 1943. The weathered timber mine buildings still stand beside the road.
The Smith Mine lies beside Highway 308 between Red Lodge and Bearcreek. On February 27, 1943, a gas explosion underground killed 74 miners, the deadliest coal-mining accident in Montana's history. The site preserves the weathered timber offices, warehouses and equipment bases of the mine. A roadside memorial and interpretive signs record the names of the victims and tell the story of the farewell notes some of them left behind. The site is privately owned, so visitors should look and take photos from behind the roadside fence and stay out of the unsafe buildings. It suits anyone interested in mining history, and it pairs well with the Bear Creek Saloon and the old streets of Red Lodge to make a half-day mining-history route.
Opening hours
Open all day (roadside viewing only)
Nearby sights
- Bear Creek Saloon Pig Races
- Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary
- Red Lodge Historic District
- Red Lodge Mountain
- Beartooth Highway & Rock Creek Vista Point
- Twin Lakes & Beartooth Basin
- Beartooth Lake & Beartooth Butte
- Clay Butte Fire Lookout