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The town is named for the Comet Mine, which was developed in 1883 by the Helena and
Livingston Smelting and Reduction Company, based on a discovery made in 1874. Ore was transported to another mine in Wickes for processing. This operation shut down in 1897. Operations were revived in 1900 under the
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Montana
Consolidated Copper Company; in 1927, the Basin Montana Tunnel Company took over the property and built a processing plant on the site for both this mine and the nearby Gray Eagle mine. The company was the largest producer of base metals in the state, outside of
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The Comet mine was richest mine in the district, producing $ 20 million in ore; ten times more than the Gray Eagle mine, which produced over $ 2 million. Ores produced included lead, zinc, copper, silver, and gold.
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project was begun to alleviate pollution caused by toxic metal leachage from the
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Guide to the Basin
Montana Tunnel Company Records at the University of Montana
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located approximately twenty miles (32 kilometers) south-southwest of
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from the
Montana Department of Environmental Quality website
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DEQ Abandoned Mine
Reclamation Project Earns National Award
388:"Comet ghost town: Silent witness to a thunderous past"
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Former populated places in
Jefferson County, Montana
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337:"Comet, Montana – Silent on the Eastern Slope"
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377:Comet Mine Reclamation Project, Phase I
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386:Lincoln, Marga (September 9, 2007).
18:Ghost town in Montana, United States
341:Legends of America: Montana Legends
303:Geographic Names Information System
278:Department of Environmental Quality
436:Municipalities and communities of
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308:United States Geological Survey
373:press release from Montana DEQ
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642:Mining communities in Montana
114:Show map of the United States
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222:6,388 ft (1,947 m)
78:Location of Comet in Montana
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439:Jefferson County, Montana
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111:Comet (the United States)
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381:Montana State University
365:High Ore Mining District
632:Ghost towns in Montana
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143:46.31083°N 112.17000°W
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610:United States portal
497:Jefferson County map
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124:Coordinates:
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397:December 10,
395:. Retrieved
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346:December 29,
344:. Retrieved
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561:communities
549:South Hills
544:Rader Creek
454:County seat
264:Remediation
193:Established
146: /
134:112°10′12″W
626:Categories
268:In 1997 a
233:ghost town
214:Comet Mine
131:46°18′39″N
33:Ghost town
484:Whitehall
219:Elevation
210:Named for
201:Abandoned
187:Jefferson
569:Alhambra
519:Cardwell
274:tailings
529:Elkhorn
479:Boulder
461:Boulder
298:"Comet"
247:History
175:Montana
160:Country
589:Wickes
584:Donald
579:Corbin
524:Clancy
182:County
574:Comet
514:Basin
471:Towns
284:Notes
254:Butte
231:is a
229:Comet
170:State
105:Comet
72:Comet
506:CDPs
399:2014
348:2012
204:1941
196:1883
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
