by Sarah Swan, reporter
Far away from the hustle and bustle of metro-America, but just close enough to somewhat larger civilization by Montana standards, lies the city of Boulder.
Surrounded by mountains, the small city of about 1400 people nestles in a lush valley filled with natural treasures that offer relaxation and healing to weary travelers.
Mornings in Boulder are easy going. The town is slow to get up and moving (but for the ranchers and farmers whose jobs are never done). By 7:30 a.m., aromas from one of the town’s three bakeries/ eateries release a mouthwatering blend that lingers around Main Street. A pastry from the Bear Claw or a hot breakfast from the Elkhorn Cafe to start the day also comes with a warm welcome.
Kathy Jackson, part-owner of the Bear Claw on Main Street, was born and raised in the Boulder area. She lived in Chicago for a few years, but eventually she and her husband came back to the Boulder area.
“We came back here because we didn’t want to be in the big city. We don’t want to live like that,” Jackson said, adding that the area is a better place to raise kids.
Being in the restaurant business and having a hot spot for visitors, Jackson said she’s heard lots of feedback about Boulder.
“I’ve heard that people really like the area and they can’t believe how much it’s growing,” Jackson said. “I think Boulder’s on the edge of a pretty big growth spurt.”
The majority of travelers who pass through Jackson’s eatery visit the health mines or stop off for a few days’ break between visits to Montana’s national parks.
“We have the Elkhorn old mining town, it’s kind of neat to see. There’s fishing and camping,” Jackson said. “It’s a pretty convenient spot to stop off and recoup before going off to the other parks.”
Dan Gosselin owns the O-Z Motel on Main Street.
His customers include people seeking relaxation and recovery at the health mines or the hot springs plus fishermen and hunters.
Gosselin says the people who stay at his motel, which charges $39 a night for one person, really like Boulder.
“It’s a good area,” Gosselin said. “I think it’s cheap and you’ve got all of the ghost towns around.”
Boulder may be a small town, but that’s what people like about it.
Kim Giulio owner of the Elkhorn Cafe located on Main Street gets a variety of visitors who share their opinions about Boulder.
“We are a small town. One of the last guys I talked to, he was from California and he just loved not having to deal with traffic,” Giulio said. “He was just dreading having to get back home to the heat and the traffic.”
One of the benefits of living in a small town is the strong sense of community. Jackson describes Boulder as a “tight” community. Anyone in need finds plenty of helping hands reaching out.
“For the most part I think everybody is pleasant,” Giulio said. “They’re honest and they’d do anything for you. I think we live in a pretty good atmosphere.”
Elkhorn Ghost Town
In the mountains above the town of Boulder sits what was once a bustling little town called Elkhorn.
Founded in 1875, the town soon boasted a population of 2500 people. Those days are now long gone as Elkhorn has become mostly deserted. A few people still reside there, and campers and tourists come to visit what many consider a ghost town. Locals prefer to call it a historic mining town. Whatever it is called, it offers a fun day trip filled with beautiful hikes and scenery.
A few buildings still remain intact and provide a wonderful ground for exploration.
Fraternity Hall, once the site of Saturday night dances for the bustling community, remains as a testament to Elkhorn’s heydays. Standing there, visitors can almost hear the tapping of toes as the fiddles play.
A short hike up a hill on a well maintained trail reveals the Elkhorn Cemetery. Here, beneath the once mineral rich ground, lies the proof that people lived and died in this nearly deserted town. A sad reminder of how tough a life they had are the many graves of children, often with headstones attesting to the whooping cough epidemic that struck with a vengeance in the late 1800s.
Travelers who love history, and perhaps a chance for a little ghostly thrill, should be sure to visit Elkhorn.
Boulder Hot Springs
Tucked against the Rocky Mountain foothills and nearly hidden by greenery, the Boulder Hot Springs contains some of the community’s richest history.
The hot springs were at one time a peaceful gathering ground for Native Americans, according to manager Barb Reiter, and has also been a hotel as well as a restaurant, a dude ranch and now a relaxing getaway.
Cruising up the bumpy, gravel driveway, visitors are greeted by a large building that looks more like a mission church than a spa. Its gray stucco and maroon-colored three stories make the building look historically old, and yet well kept at the same time.
As big as the building is, the area around it is surprisingly quiet and serene.
“People come here because they’ve heard good things about our facility: the cleanliness, the food and the atmosphere,” manager Barb Reiter said. “What many of them are looking for is really just a place to relax.”
The Boulder Hot Springs has four pools (three indoor, and one outside) filled with mineral water that bubbles from beneath the mountains.
Naturally warm, the water temperatures are controlled and give visitors a variety of options – for example, one pool is warmer than another – when deciding which pool they would like to dip into.
It’s a soothing therapy to those with chronic aches and pains or sore muscles from a long day of hiking. A local masseuse is also available to extend the escape from daily stress and a night’s stay in one of the fun and brightly decorated themed bed and breakfast rooms can round out the experience..
Reiter said they tried to restore and reuse as much of the antique furniture as they could from when the building was a well-known hotel, and the names and themes of the rooms honor the local area.
Pool hours vary from winter to summer and room prices for a bed and breakfast room are $109-139 a night, including breakfast. For the cost conscious, the Boulder Hot Springs also has smaller guest rooms that are priced at $65-85 a night.
With breathtaking surroundings and easy access to hiking, fishing, camping and sightseeing, the facility offers a memorable getaway for a day, a week, or even longer.
Free Enterprise
A short, yet steep drive about four miles from Main Street brings visitors to the Free Enterprise Health Mine.
Overlooking the Boulder Valley, the health mine is one of four or five popular radon health mines in Jefferson County.
An old uranium mine, the Free Enterprise was opened for health purposes in 1952 when visitors said their aches and pains were miraculously cured by the mine.
Via an elevator ride that is eerily quiet in the minute and a half it takes to travel 85 feet below the surface, visitors descend into what some say is a healing atmosphere.
“Our purpose here is for health,” owner Pat Lewis said. “We are a health or healing retreat for autoimmune disorders. Younger people without illnesses, it’s kind of a good preventive and there's nothing wrong with doing it. We’re a health retreat, a health destination.”
An earthy smell and soft glow of light greets visitors as the elevator door opens. Uneven, rocky walls make up the tunnels that are covered with writing from hundreds of visitors from across the country.
The 400 feet of tunnel is lined with leather recliners, benches and tables where visitors repose.
Laughter echoes from one end of the tunnel where a group of five visitors are playing a card game.
They, just like every person throughout the mine, each have a story to tell about why they came to the mine – arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome or just because they saw how much better it made their friend feel. They also come to enjoy the Boulder area.
“For us, I think one of the draws, coming from a big city, is just the mountains; just being able to get up in the morning and feel that breeze,” Jim Dykstra from Grand Rapids, Michigan, said.
One of the mines’ “miracles,” Jim Gatschet from Pleasant Hill, Missouri said he and his wife Jo stumbled upon the mine as a sort of last hope. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, Gatschet was getting worse, and doctors told him he would end up in a wheelchair, he recounted.
While at the hospital Gatschet’s wife overheard people talking about health mines in Montana. After making phone calls around the country to hear testimonials from people who visited the mines, the Gatschets headed to Montana.
“I had nothing to lose,” Gatschet said.
Since first coming to the mine in 1990, Gatschet has defied the odds and said he hasn’t taken so much as an aspirin in the last three years.
He credits his recovery to the health mines and both he and his wife continue to visit just about every summer.
Having come to the Boulder for just about every summer the Gatschets say they’ve come to love the area.
“We’ve always been treated extremely nice in any of the restaurants or the stores,” Jo said. “I can’t think of anything negative [about the town].”
Gatschet echoes her comment, adding that they have made lifelong friends both in the mine and in Boulder.
Back above the surface, Lewis and her husband moved to Boulder from Seattle in 1994 to take over the business at the mine.
She said the switch from busy city life to Boulder has been wonderful.
“We don’t look back,” Lewis said.
She credits Boulder’s geology for drawing so many people seeking relaxation.
“It is the geology of the area, the rock structure,” Lewis said. “You’ve got the hot springs and their healing water and you've got the health mines with their healing air, and then, of course, those attract other complimentary modalities like massage, body works and wellness things. It’s just a matter of having natural resources in this area.”
The Free Enterprise Health Mine offers hotel accommodations and also has RV hookups. A therapy package, which is 10 days of unlimited mine use, is currently $150.
“Most of our guests are repeat guests,” said Lewis. “They get to know the business owners in town, they eat at the restaurants, they shop at the stores. They’re very supportive of Main Street businesses, and not only that, but they do tourist things around the area.”
Among those “tourist things” are an annual “down home” county fair like grandma recalls, where blue ribbon pies are a source of pride, a rollicking rodeo that attracts nationally-ranked cowpokes the last weekend in August, and car shows, a farmer’s market and other events. The 1888 courthouse, built as a lasting symbol of civic pride with elaborate decor lovingly maintained, is also on the list of “must see” places. The courthouse square is surrounded by Victorian houses and a church from the same era that still conducts Sunday services.
A blossoming Heritage Center offers tribute to the area’s rich history as well.
With hot springs, health mines, ghost towns and wildlife, Boulder offers a variety of natural beauty accompanied with rest and relaxation. It’s the perfect escape from the big city life.
“I just think it’s the atmosphere of Boulder that makes it so great,” Barb Reiter said. “It’s a small town atmosphere and I think the people are very friendly.”
Boulder beckons
Wednesday, August 9, 2006
Copyright The Boulder Monitor, 2006. All rights reserved.
