Haunted Ghost Town: Government Searching For Fearless Souls To Take Up Old Digs In Ghostly Garnet, Montana

Have you ever wanted to live in a haunted house that’s isolated, high up and out in the lonely, forested wilderness? How about a whole haunted mountain ghost town?

Well, now’s your chance, as the U.S. Government’s Bureau of Land Management is seeking a full-time resident to take up digs in historic, very rustic and old-timey, Garnet, Montana, reports the Montana Standard.

One characteristic one might want to have before moving to to the Garnet, Montana ghost town, however, is a healthy non-fear of ghosts, apparitions and other things that go bump in the night.

Particularly since — as explained by a U.S. Bureau of Land Management Ranger in Garnet, Nacoma Gainan — Garnet can be a lonely ghost town, quite cut off from the rest of the world, especially when guests leave at the end of the day or when they’re gone for the season.

“It’s primitive, to say the least. It’s for people who love the outdoors and want to give back. There’s no electricity, no Wi-Fi and no running water. But there are trails to explore, artifacts to inspect. Volunteers are really left to their own devices after the visitors are gone.”

So unlike the warped family in The Shining who at least had a fully working haunted kitchen and communications radio, the Garnet, Montana folks don’t have such luxuries and can’t be skittish about the reportedly paranormal happenings that often begin as night falls.

The Huffington Post reports that the hauntings and strange happenings in Garnet are well-known among Garnet historians, this according to one of those Garnet historians, Ellen Baumler, who notes some buildings in the ghost town that are particularly haunted.

“I have heard several people tell about experiences in the hotel. Allan Mathews (a Bureau of Land Management historian) and others have seen a woman (in) one of the upstairs rooms in the hotel, gazing out the window.”

Along with the ghost woman in the hotel, Baumler has also written extensively about the ongoing haunting experiences people have in Garnet. In her book, Montana Chillers, Baumler relates some of these, the ghostly residents of Garnet often most active in the winter.

“Late at night, the spirits of Garnet come out to play in the moonlight. Sometimes, in the deep winter quiet, a piano tinkles in Kelley’s Saloon and the spirits dance to ghostly music. Men’s voices echo in the empty rooms. But the moment a living, human hand touches the building, the noises stop… Winter visitors tell of transparent figures, clad in old-fashioned clothing, wandering the streets and footprints in fresh snow leading into buildings but never come out from them… they cause no trouble and anyone who visits the deserted town in the dead of winter should be prepared to meet them. They hide in the shadows, laugh in the wind, and come out when you least expect them.”

So if you’re fine with ghosts and living in a spooky old mountain ghost town like Garnet, the U.S. Government will provide your room and board, but as word has gotten out, there are apparently a lot of haunted ghost town enthusiasts that are ready to pack and move to Garnet, so you’ll want to get your name on the list quick.

Also, though the position does come with food, a roof over your head, and the Garnet ghosts, there’s no paycheck included.

“We rely on volunteers to do much of our day-to-day stuff,” said the BLM official, Nacoma Gainan. “We can’t hire full-time personnel or even seasonal personnel. But we have all the stuff you need to live there.”

Still interested in hanging your hat in the haunted old ghost town of Garnet, Montana? Give Gainan a call at (406) 329-3735 or shoot her an email at ngainan@blm.gov.

[Image via Wikipedia Commons]