J.K. WELLS HOTEL
A Touch of Elegance in the Wilderness
"The WELLS HOTEL, New, Neat, Clean and Comfortable Headquarters for Mining Men and Transient Visitors"
--advertisement in the Garnet Mining News, Dec. 8, 1898
Mrs. Wells believed in luxury. She designed Garnet's finest building as if it would be gracing the streets of Helena. Carved moldings, stained glass, printed wallpaper and chandeliers added frills to a solidly constructed, three-story hotel. The Garnet community celebrated the hotel's opening with three nights of music and dancing. The streets were muddy, but the Wells Hotel was elegant.
Poor miners walked up the stairs past private, wallpapered rooms and soft beds to the top floor. There, they stretched out their bedrolls. The 1 X 2s that sectioned off each man's rented space are still nailed to the floor. Even these simple quarters offered an amenity found nowhere else in Garnet. The miners lay on their backs and gazed at stars shining through skylights.
In 1930, Frank Davey bought the Wells Hotel almost for a song. The owner of Davey's mercantile settled in the safety of the kitchen. There, he could feed the wood stove from his bed, one stick at a time. Davey harbored a deathly fear of fire; several of his homes in Garnet had burned down.
The Story of Anna Lindahl
One day at the century's turn, a Swedish immigrant named Anna Lindahl walked into the kitchen at 5 a.m. ready to serve guests their breakfast. The day before, she had boarded the train from Missoula for Bearmouth. Unfortunately, the Garnet Stage had not waited for any train passengers. Unfazed, Anna hiked the steep, 12 miles to town in the dark, arriving just in time to start her new job.
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
Davey's General Store
Ole's Tavern
Dahl Cabin
Blacksmith Shop
Garnet School
Jail
Miners Union Hall
Adams House
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