German Gulch
History
History of German Gulch
From the excitement of first gold discovery by German miners in 1864, to the slow decline of the mines throughout the 1890s, German Gulch was a significant part of local and state history. Dominated in the 1860s by Euro-American miners, German Gulch's population shifted to Chinese beginning in the early 1870s. By the 1890s the placer gold was gone and mining shifted to hard rock deposits. Regardless of the area's decline, German Gulch and its inhabitants have left an indelible mark on Montana's landscape. Please follow the link to learn more on the history of German Gulch.
Archaeology of German Gulch
Beginning in the 1980s, archaeologists with the United States Forest Service began to investigate German Gulch as there was a resurgence of mining in the area. Excavations by GCM Inc., a private archaeology company, in the 1980s and 1990s uncovered thousands of artifacts relating to both the Euro-American and Chinese occupation of German Gulch. Artifacts included Chinese ceramics and food, firearms, and a diverse variety of bottle glass and personal items. These items provide archaeologists an important window into the past and help us understand how these miners lived and worked in German Gulch. Please follow the link to learn more on the archaeology of German Gulch.
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History of German Gulch
Archaeological History of German Gulch
Locale 48 was mapped by archaeologists in the 1980s and was where most of German Gulch's Chinese population lived in the late 1800s.
