ADAMS HOUSE
Tragedy and Comfort Marked This Family Home

Tragedy marked the early years of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Adams, who settled here in 1904. First, a newborn son died in a Missoula hospital. Mrs. (Jennie) Adams then delivered a baby girl at home in 1909 and saved her from a living room fire a few months later, only to lose her to illness at the age of three. In an era before antibiotics and the polio vaccine, many children died. Mary Jane born in 1917, lived here with her parents in one of Garnet's more comfortable homes. Siding over the logs and a covered passageway to the outhouse were both indications of some prosperity.

Mr. Adams supported his family by more than mining. He ran a general merchandise store until 1918, then took up carpentry, and even built the first Union Peak fire lookout. Mrs. Adams also ran the post office out of their home for awhile. Failing health forced Mr. Adams to move with his family to Missoula in 1927. He died in 1928 at age 62, and his business partner took control of their two mines, leaving Mrs. Adams deeply in debt. Despite the blow, she kept her family afloat by running a boarding house in Missoula that sheltered several former Garnet residents, including blacksmith Billy Liberty.

Mary Jane Adams Morin, 1917-
"We brought our two trunks on the stage and left in a hurry. We had to leave most everything. I can still see my kitty on the porch, looking at me as we drove off." -Mary Jane Adams Morin

Other Stories
Gold In The Garnets
Chinese Presence
Town of Garnet Named in 1897
Family Living in a Gold Mining Town?
Riches Fade
Saving Garnet Ghost Town
Kelly's Saloon
J. K. Wells Hotel
Davey's General Store
Ole's Tavern
Dahl Cabin
Blacksmith Shop
Garnet School
Jail
Miners Union Hall
Honeymoon Cabin
Warren Park
Highlights from interview with Mary Jane Morin, June 11, 1999
Letter from Hills Bros. Coffee to Mrs. Adams

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Copyright © 2000, Garnet Preservation Association and Bureau of Land Management of Montana