The Bitterroot Valley is not the part of Montana that most people associate with hard-rock mining. The valley's reputation rests on its agricultural character, on the orchards and farms that the early settlers planted in the rich bottomland between the Bitterroot River and the mountains, and on the scenic grandeur of the Bitterroot Range that forms its western wall. But the mountains that frame the valley on both sides contain ore deposits, and the men who prospected those mountains in the territorial era found enough silver, lead, and copper to justify the development of several small mining districts in the hills above the valley floor.

The Curlew Mine, located in the Curlew Mining District of Ravalli County near the town of Victor, was one of the more productive of these Bitterroot mining operations. The mine was initially discovered in 1887 by the Helena Victor Mining Company, which recognized the potential of the silver-lead veins in the limestone country above the valley and began development work on the property. The location, at an elevation of approximately 3,740 feet in the hills west of Victor, was accessible enough to permit regular ore shipments and remote enough to require the development of a small supporting community.

The Curlew Mine's primary commodities were silver and lead, with the silver content of the ore providing the main economic incentive for development. Prior to 1911 the mine was worked exclusively for silver and lead, with the ore shipped to smelters in Butte and Anaconda for processing. The mine's production during this early period was consistent enough to sustain operations but not spectacular enough to attract the large-scale investment that would have transformed it into a major producer.

The character of the Curlew operation changed after 1911, when the mine began to produce copper, gold, and zinc alongside the silver and lead that had been its original focus. The expansion of the ore's commodity mix reflected both the development of deeper ore bodies with different mineralogy and the changing economics of the mining industry, which made it worthwhile to recover metals that had previously been discarded as waste. The mine installed a seventy-ton flotation concentrator that allowed it to process the complex sulfide ores that carried the copper and zinc values, and the operation became more sophisticated as a result.

The Curlew Mine was active through the first half of the twentieth century, with production continuing into the 1940s. C.A. Tout, who operated the mine as a lessee, ran the flotation concentrator throughout 1943, processing both silver-copper-lead-zinc mill ore and gold-silver ore. The mine's longevity, spanning more than five decades of intermittent production, was unusual for a small mountain operation and reflected both the genuine quality of the ore bodies and the adaptability of the operators who worked the property through changing metal prices and market conditions.

The community that grew up around the Curlew Mine was a small one, limited to the miners and their families who lived in the immediate vicinity of the workings. The proximity of Victor and the other Bitterroot Valley towns meant that the mine's workforce did not need to build the full range of commercial and social institutions that characterized more isolated mining camps. The men who worked the Curlew could shop in Victor, attend church in Stevensville, and send their children to school in the valley, and the mine camp itself was primarily a place of work rather than a self-contained community.

The Bitterroot Valley's agricultural economy provided a context for the Curlew Mine that was different from the context of the mining camps in the more remote mountain districts. The farmers and ranchers of the valley were the Curlew miners' neighbors, and the social world of the Bitterroot was shaped by the interaction between the agricultural majority and the mining minority in a way that was not possible in the isolated camps of the Pioneer Mountains or the Judith Mountains. The Curlew Mine was part of a mixed economy rather than a single-industry camp, and its history reflects that difference.

The mine closed at some point in the mid-twentieth century, when the combination of declining ore grades, low metal prices, and the exhaustion of the most accessible ore bodies made continued operation uneconomical. The flotation concentrator and the other surface infrastructure were eventually dismantled or abandoned, and the site reverted to the forest and brush that characterize the hills above the Bitterroot Valley.

What Remains Today

The Curlew Mine site retains evidence of its long history of operation, including the remnants of mine workings, waste rock piles, and the disturbed terrain of the various development activities that took place over more than fifty years of intermittent production. The site is located in the hills west of Victor in Ravalli County, accessible via forest roads from the valley floor.

The Bitterroot Valley's agricultural landscape and the scenic grandeur of the Bitterroot Range provide a beautiful setting for the mine site, and the combination of natural beauty and historical interest makes the area worth exploring for visitors interested in the less-publicized aspects of Montana's mining history. The Ravalli County Museum in Hamilton maintains exhibits on the history of the Bitterroot Valley, including the mining districts of the surrounding mountains.

Visiting

The Curlew Mine is located in Ravalli County in the hills west of Victor, accessible via forest roads from US Highway 93 in the Bitterroot Valley. The site is on national forest land within the Bitterroot National Forest, and the Stevensville Ranger District can provide information about road conditions and access. Victor is the nearest community with basic services, and Hamilton, the Ravalli County seat, is located approximately fifteen miles to the south on US Highway 93.

The Bitterroot Valley is one of the most scenic areas of western Montana, and visitors to the Curlew Mine site will find the drive through the valley and into the surrounding mountains rewarding in its own right. The valley's combination of agricultural landscape, mountain scenery, and historical depth makes it a worthwhile destination for visitors exploring western Montana.