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History of Bear Creek Valley
New book boasts more than 200 vintage images
by Jeff Edward McNeish
See also Smith Mine Disaster Chronicles
New from Arcadia Publishing and local author Jeff McNeish, in conjunction with the Carbon County Historical Society, is Bear Creek Valley. This volume is the latest in the popular Images of America series.
Memories of Montana's Bear Creek Valley flicker briefly to life each February on the anniversary of its darkest day. It is remembered as the site of Montana's worst coal mining accident, which claimed the lives of 75 miners, but the valley was so much more. For decades it was Montana's "coal basket," housing two towns, dozens of coal mines, and a population equaling that of neighboring Red Lodge. Businesses included a movie theater, dry goods store, grocery stores, hotels, hospitals, butchers, banks, bars, and union halls, all serving residents with pan-European origins. Its schools produced championship sports teams and community leaders. Gone, but not forgotten, Bear Creek Valley lives on in this book.
Highlights of Bear Creek Valley:
- The majority of the images were donated from private collections.
- Most buildings shown in the book no longer exist.
- Includes a chapter devoted to images from the Smith Mine Disaster of 1943, Montana’s worst coal mining accident.
Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or www.arcadiapublishing.com.
About the Author
Jeff Edward McNeish was born, raised & educated in Billings, MT. He holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Rocky Mountain College and works as a Software Development Manager. His hobbies include history or genealogy: both of which he shares with his father Jack McNeish, a Red Lodge native.
Jeff spent much of his childhood in Carbon County enjoying the outdoors as well as visiting with relatives whose families have resided in Carbon County for 100 years. The predominant occupation among these relatives was coal mining. Jeff is related to 11 members of the "The Underground Day Shift" on Feb 27, 1943. He has also lost 2 more relatives to the Smith Mine in the 1930's.
See more books on Mining History and Disasters from Amazon
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