The Ghost Town of Comet, Montana

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This is considered one of the best ghost towns in Montana, but few have heard of it. It’s a small treasure hidden in the hills near Helena which twice in its history boasted a population of around 300 people, all working the silver mines and flotation mill on the hillside.
This video isn’t exactly giving away some secret. There are hopes to preserve this small piece of history as a sort of museum and they need help and awareness to do so. It’s on private property, but visitors are welcome if you respect the site.
Now, let’s explore the history of Comet, or Comet City, Montana, one of the most unexpectedly interesting ruins I’ve visited.
This is the third of four Montana ghost towns I filmed and documented in 2022, the first being Keystone and the second being Elkhorn. Next will be Granite. I also have another one, Pardee, that is exclusive to my Patreon subscribers (we didn't quite make it to the town due to forest fires, but filmed the adventure nonetheless!)
Visit the Jefferson County Museum www.jeffersonc...

[@user-gq2vn1xj2r]

I know KZbin is your medium, but these rival most PBS documentaries. I wish you continued luck.

[@nurseshark857]

His videos really are some of the best available! I jump on them as soon as they're published!

[@amandam8609]

Definitely tv quality 100%

[@josedasilva4433]

Well said.

[@tashachantal5711]

Absolutely! I'm a documentary junkie AND have a side obsession with abandoned places, regardless of how long they've been abandoned, haha. I just discovered this channel about a week ago (around my bday 🥳) and am absolutely enamored this channel (as demonstrated by my current, and future watching of past videos) and and blown away by the fact that these videos are put out by an independent/small creator! Astonishing 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@MattMcCormick502-4]

I wish you were Full-time explorer! I am-yet again- SUPER impressed by your documentaries. You are hands down THE BEST documentarian that I have been privileged enough to be exposed to. I sincerely appreciate all of the effort that you go through making your videos. Thanks for another great video, and please keep them coming!

[@SalMinella]

I always share the Wreck of the Atlantic video with people. If you haven’t seen it check it out.

[@apancher]

Well said, Matt.

[@p.k.5455]

I second this statement...hands down best!!!

[@Diaz-qv2xd]

I third that statement!!

[@sookieb_88]

Here here!!! Three cheers for Tom 😊

[@richardbeee]

That huge table in the assayers lab was for a scale. I'm a retired assayer and you had to have a huge well anchored table to weigh those tiny little bb's. Some of which were no bigger than the end of a needle. one milligram = 1 oz. p/t. Any vibration from passing vehicles, machinery, a light breeze, etc. would cause your balance to flop around. More than likely at one time it had a glass top around it, with doors that could be opened upon weighing your prill. Great explore. Wish i could help.

[@Eurobunneh]

Your style isn’t annoying, isn’t in your face, straight to the point. Exactly what I’ve been looking for, thank you!

[@justingoalie111]

I absolutely love how Part-time explorer is able to deeply research such niche and small points in history and create absolutely entertaining and informative documentaries on them every time.

[@cv5369]

Please don’t change your edits once you blow up. Your simple yet informative work speaks for itself.

[@spingleboygle]

yeah, we don’t need another overly-stimulating mrbeast clone

[@ElizabethBattle]

I love how you research before you narrate and explore. I get so tired of explorers going into places and not having a clue about the building, area, or historical time period. Well done!

[@Kurt-Wehde]

As a Montana resident, I was just there a few weeks ago! Looks a lot different covered in snow but I’m happy to say the hotel is still standing.

[@kaw8473]

Keep in mind that there are people alive today who have great grandparents that may have stayed at that hotel. Thank you for sharing this little treasure from Montana.

[@jeroberts7228]

A FB friend of mine shared your video of Centralia, PA yesterday. I was aware of the situation in Centralia, but there was SO much more about the fires, their origin, the so-called government interventions, and the town's history that I had no idea of. It was fascinating! I was captivated by that documentary, and I wanted to see more, so I subscribed. And I'm so glad I did - I truly enjoyed this documentary today, too!

[@jamessignorelli852]

I grew up there and lost relatives to the fires . The fires are burning because of the town

[@sharonroberts3397]

REALLY ENJOY SEEING OLD TOWNS AND BUILDINGS. IT IS LIKE STEPPING BACK IN TIME GREAT VIDEO!!!!

[@sirrliv]

My best guess for the Great Boulder Conspiracy (tm) is that maybe it came tumbling down from the hillside to the left, reached the bottom of the valley and turned toward the bunkhouse, then right before impact it hit something, a small rise or another rock, that made it bounce into the air, allowing it to fly through the wall (hence no damage to the sill), which absorbed most of the momentum and slowed it down enough that it bounced off the side wall and came to rest where it is. If you look at it, it looks to me like that boulder would fit the hole in the wall if it flew through vertically and came to rest on its side. That's my best guess, anyway.

[@Fvpigpen26]

Sorry you're wrong. It did come from a long way, but snow and ice gave it the lift and lubrication to slide in where it now rest.

[@ItsBunnyBuns]

I was thinking vertically too!

[@flashwashington2735]

@@Fvpigpen26 You're all wrong. After long and careful study, and remembering some conversations with my highly esteemed colleagues at the the time. I have come to the sobering opinion that it fell from a cliff. Rolled up hill and down hill. Dodging left and right. Bouncing up and clearing obstacles such as that threshold, finally stopping where you now see it. If they manage to lift it one day the secret will be revealed for all to see, making perfect sense. Yes, the remains of Wile E. Coyote. May he rest in peace. All those Saturday afternoons studying the historical documents with my friends and brother. The sacrifices have finally paid off. I now have an agent booking a lecture tour and shopping publishers with my draft. Remember, you first heard it here. God bless.

[@MajesticalHonky]

You're all wrong. It was definitely aliens. 👽

[@swissmiss6696]

Boulders are not perfectly round like a bowling ball and unpredictable. Plus the size of that one had a lot of momentum to travel very far. My expertise: Witnessing rocks roll down a hill

[@thatkid82]

As a life long Butte resident it's neat to see these well produced and presented Montana history videos. Keep up the great work Tom.👍👍

[@Fvpigpen26]

My great grandmother migrated from the Montana copper mines and garnett mines and moved to Snohomish Valley in the 1920's.

[@Emily_Paris]

I get enjoyment out of how you narrate these videos with good detail. I love the story behind the history of your videos so I really appreciate the time and effort you put into them. Thank you!

[@connorredshaw7994]

When I am able to visit the US I've always wanted to visit old ghost towns just like this one great video Tom great job 👍

[@geese5170]

You must put Coolidge Montana on your list. There is a house that is halfway sunk into a river

[@spingleboygle]

@@geese5170how did it get there? did it get uprooted by some storm and thrown into the river without being damaged?

[@geese5170]

@@spingleboygle one commenter made a good observation that it could have been an ice shed for storing cold goods. The way it was in there, it had definitely been washed down the river a bit, though

[@geese5170]

@@spingleboygle I wish I had the knowledge to tell you :( as far as I know, the history of the town was brief and not well kept. I’ll upload a video on my KZbin so you can see it and help me formulate a theory!

[@BlairAir]

You know, if someone had just maintained the roof of the Daley Hotel the FLOORS would still be around in some form, helping the WALLS and DOORS that hang precariously over... well, nothing. Horizontal dimension has moved on leaving vertical world to hang on for dear life! Thanks for documenting the last stages of daily decay of the Daley

[@anna-lisagirling7424]

As always, your videos are both informative and romantic. You respect the individuals who made these footprints on our world so much. It always leaves me wondering how much of our history remains unknown due to the natural processes of rot and decomposition. ?? Makes me crazy sometimes. My Dad worked a number of silver mines during the Depression, mostly in CO and BC, Canada. When I was 17 our family retraced some of his journeys and exploits, even to places no longer "there". Two faves were Park City, UT before it became a boujie ski resort region and when the two of us bellied into on old culvert near Dolores, CO where he and a couple buddies scratched their names and dates on the inside of a culvert! All the while as we drove, hiked and otherwise almost bushwhacked into these places, he regaled us with his stories. I know each and every person who was included in this period of massive expansion and wealth extraction in this hemisphere had stories. I could listen to them all!

[@kellyharper367]

Old disabled house bound dusty rusty rockhound here: Thoroughly enjoyed this video!

[@NNDTirish]

I really appreciate how respectful you are of the sites you visit.

[@brenda5511]

Just moved to Montana and your video popped up! Thank you for this - I will be putting Comet City on my list of places to visit.

[@jazzrat2000]

I grew up in South Dakota, Montana and Alaska. One of my favorite things to do as a youngster was what you're doing, finding ghost towns and exploring. Our piano came from one of these ghost towns. What you look for is what I would look for. And it saves me the trip :) Your style of narration is getting better and better.

[@ColinBache]

I absolutely love this channel!! Amaaazing videos that are not only so well filmed and produced but also so atmospheric and really capture the humanity of these profound insights into the darker human experiences. Thank you for all your amazing work 🙏

[@melaniepeck582]

We really appreciate and enjoy you clear, concise history.

[@Orpilorp]

That is Amazing how the wall in the hotel had no more floor, but it still hung there! This brings back many memories of my childhood. Back in the 60s my grandparents lived in Central City Colorado. I remember hiking around in the mountains visiting old mine sites. Telluride was a ghost town when I wandered around in it. My great, great grandparents owned a silver mine with their partner. They struck a vein, earning them a large amount of silver. Their partner was robbed of their joint fortune, and killed. That is a strange boulder from nowhere in the boarding house. Thank you for your excellent documentation of these old treasures. The fallen boards reminded me of giant toothpicks.

[@NWFProductions]

Absolutely Great Video. Suburb editing, and narration. As someone who was born in Montana who has a love for all things history and railroad, I really appreciate people like you who document this stuff with knowledge and care. Most people online these days just f around the whole time and you can tell they are clueless. Great Job. Definitely Subscribing.

[@WereRea3807]

That's a nice boulder, I like that boulder.

[@rubyjean]

2:39 I love seeing the man riding, seeming to carry a baby, with someone riding behind him also holding a possible baby, maybe groceries, pushing a cow. That made my night!

[@dubltap7216]

I grew up a little north of Comet. In the early 70's I did some placer drilling in the tailings of Comet for a company looking for gold. I guess they didn't find enough to pursue it,as nothing came of it. I loved the area.

[@ct7473]

Your respect for the history of the area and continuing the story of such areas is something I love. I can think in many years, people will watch these videos the same as we are now to learn about things that used to be on the places they now live or are near.

[@laracraft82]

Its amazing how you get the old footage and photos the research you do never fails to amaze me. Interesting thank you for sharing ❤️😁 as an artist I can see some real interesting aspects here of the ruins especially with that door hanging and the walls but no floor

[@stephenspecialboy1087]

Great job, I lived in Missoula for years and really enjoyed the history!

[@ericcutler5463]

I was there with a friend approximately 12 years ago. My question that I’ve always had is where is the cemetery? Did they not have one there? Someone does need to reserve this wonderful location. Thank you for such an incredible video!

[@rafaeltorre1643]

They buried them in their back yards back then if no cemetery.

[@mb_]

these videos highlight the tragedy of life. One may have spent their entire, or a good portion of it, life's work into a town, or a job like this, only for a few decades later to turn to complete decay. Imagine everything you worked for in your life, one day all being gone after your time is up. Maybe a picture or two remains, but otherwise completely forgotten about.

[@kjfish2706]

Yessss, no one ever talks about Montana! You guys make the BEST content 😁

[@evank.5135]

Your Centralia video inspired me to visit it myself. I live about 2 hours away from it so I made a day of it with a friend telling him about the history and stuff. The steam vents were the coolest/warmest part of the visit.

[@savethedandelions]

i imagine heavy snowfall, winter after winter, decade after decade, wears buildings down somewhere like montana too.

[@GolddenWaffles]

I subbed to your channel yesterday and you put this video out! It feels like a welcome party, I love your videos!

[@caffeinatedcat7861]

Thanks! Love the quality and care you put into making these vids capturing these places before they disappear.

[@PartTimeExplorer]

Thank you very much!

[@andreawilliamsruff1550]

I’ve found your channel and I’m addicted You do awesome at this!

[@G.F0RD]

I'm never disappointed by these videos. So well done and always interesting

[@johnrichards244]

So many memories lost to time.

[@perseus32366]

Was just thinking about your channel and was glad to see you posted! Excellent work as always, thanks Tom.

[@urfavguitarist]

Another amazing video Tom! Keep up the great work!

[@colleenhelminiak1429]

To me, there is no sound comparable to the wind sighing its way through an abandoned building. Thank you for this informative and thoroughly researched video. Places such as this need to be taken care of and have a chance for their stories to be told. If I could, I'd give a big donation to get the preservation wagon rolling. Unfortunately, my budget doesn't all for such a project - but should I come across a windfall, I'd love to get this show on the road. Thanks again! 👍👍💖💖💖

[@darlenelang3681]

I have always been Impressed with your Videos. Just wanted you to know.

[@MaxDemone]

Amazing video! Disappointed I didn't know about this spot when I was in Butte last month.

[@urfavguitarist]

Wait it says 19 hours ago and this was released just 6 mins ago

[@MaxDemone]

@@urfavguitarist Patreon bonuses:)

[@urfavguitarist]

Ahh, ok, thanks for your clarification

[@tortugalisa4748]

I really enjoyed this video of Comet City, Wikes & Basin💯 Such amazing history of the cities, people, jobs and building identification throughout the city of Comet City. Great visual history shots & video👍

[@131dyana]

Thank you my Sister lives in Montana.

[@edwardwalker3280]

Was to this town in 1990's . Also wondered about the boulder in the house.

[@strodey123]

I have to say that as amazing as the pictures and videos are, the effort and the story of the backgrounds of the buildings, who owned them etc is amazing. Great video.

[@jenniferholden9397]

It’s so beautiful, you can feel the inhabitants.

[@4exgold]

great docu....yr a fine historian and filmmaker, man.

[@20thCenturyManTrad]

Another wonderful Documentary Tom, I love all of these, keep up the great work!

[@RafaelSouza-xq6vw]

I have been watching your videos for quite some time and love your storytelling, pace and views! More recently my ten year old daughter has been binge watching all of them! She absolutely loves to see the old towns and more recently the history of sunken ships. One imagines that such stories and "old topics" would never catch up with the younger generations, but here is one example for you. Congratulations on your videos! We both love and watch together whenever we can.

[@Cabbage_Town]

I’ve been watching your channel now for the last couple months. Came here because of the titanic, but I love history, just about like you do. I love your style of sharing with us, and this is now one of my favorite KZbin channels of all time.

[@kelsofox369]

Montana resident, Thank you for bringing respect to our history and asking permission. A word to people going onto to Montana private property without asking- neighbors are eyes and ears and everyone knows everyone. Anyone thinking they can sneak into places like this are woefully incorrect. I hope this videos do more good by recording and teaching history than attracting unwanted attention with more vandals.

[@RaAndTheGodsOfLoveFire]

13:40 My parents have that same bread box, though it's not painted.

[@BlackCat-aka-Jewels]

I really love when you do ghost towns. We were not far from Comet and didn't even know it! Want to go back! Thankyou!:)

[@Skoog.]

I'm from Sweden and i find your videos very intresting.!!

[@MirandaBilbrey]

If you haven't already been, I would *love* to see you visit Bannack, MT! It's a fantastic ghost town!

[@susanstefonowicz6668]

Bannock was the first capital of Montana and has a lot better preserved buildings than these videos have. Garnet, Montana is another mining ghost town that has a number of well preserved buildings also.

[@The_Modeling_Underdog]

Another absolute smasher of a documentary, mate. Well done, Tom and Emma. I wish the place was put under conservation, but my guess is the cost must staggering. Thanks for sharing these outstanding bits of History with us.

[@Space_calamity]

These videos; this one in particular,, are absolutely incredible. I find them incredibly emotional and they touch on so many incredible bits of history. Seeing the hotel in particular made we want to drive down there. Its about 6 hours from me and I’ve always wanted to see a ghost town. You make such wonderful videos and I’m definitely going to show this one to my mother. We both love history, but I’m very particular about who I listen to and watch and your voice is really great. I can’t say enough how much I love your channel!

[@juppa]

Great video! I love all of your videos about ghost towns so far. Sad to see that the large cluster of houses in the Northwest were torn down.. would have been interesting to see.

[@blackmonday738]

Montana is just beautiful, i love old mines, caves, forgotten places, such words spoken just from a visual. Thank you for Sharing.

[@blaynefrey9839]

Superb video Tom!! I enjoy learning all this rich history. Keep it up my friend!!!

[@ikedaclaudio]

Your videos are simply amazing. The way you speak is so clear and this makes it easier to understand by anyone. Thank you and greetings from Brazil.

[@leighsayers2628]

I have watched lots of your videos now ..I have to say you are now my favourite story and vision teller ..absolutly love your channel ..far superior to many others . Cheers from Australia.

[@Mr107sam]

A beautiful production, as always!

[@milkmanchristian9859]

Love seeing these ghost town videos! Keep up the great videos, they always get me thinking of the past.

[@Me97202]

Best completely untouched ghost town I’ve seen in any video. Loved your dissolve with before and after photos.

[@mileshigh1321]

What an incredible place and history! Too bad this place wasn't started to be preserved like 20 yrs ago.!

[@wintersprite]

It could be interesting if they took a small part of the town, remade some buildings, and turned it into a living history museum, similar to others like Mystic Seaport in Mystic, CT or Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH. I was wondering about arsenic in the green paint on what looked to be a fireplace toward the beginning. Also re: boulder: Plot twist. The boulder was in that spot since day one.

[@VintageLPs]

I’ve lived 30 minutes away from this ghost town since the mid-sixties and this is the first I’ve ever heard of it! I’ve been to Wickes and Basin but have never taken the road between them. You are never too old to learn something new. 🥴

[@loganh1998]

Thank you for documenting these places before they are completely gone!

[@geese5170]

Part-Time Explorer, there’s a sort of hidden ghost town in Montana called Coolidge. It was an old iron mine and refinery with a huge portion of it’s concrete superstructure still intact. The town stretches super far into a deep Forrest and requires a hike of about a mile on a flat dirt road through that same forest to enter. There’s a portion of the town where an entire house is halfway sunk into a flowing river. Truly one of the most astonishing places I’ve been and I’m sure you would have the same reaction. I’m not sure how often you see comments like this, so I’d like to reach out by email with some more information on the town to peak your interest. Keep exploring!

[@tearainey1]

The house that rests within the creek was actually sort of a fridge-house, they used the cold water of the creek (and ice in the winter) to keep food fresh for longer. No one lived in the structure. This was told to me by an old gentleman who had spent a great deal of time researching the stories of the town, he's gotta be in his nineties now. The 'mayors' house is one of the last standing houses in the area, though a few outhouses still litter the forest, most of which have been on their sides for many years now. The concrete superstructure was part of a lumber mill as well, that area pumped out an astonishing amount of finished lumber and then dispersed it all around the state. Unfortunately Coolidge hasn't received any attention, and so much of it has been lost to time. Comet still has a chance, with enough money and whatnot they could restore the standing buildings enough to suit tourism, and I think it would be pretty amazing to get the hotel patched up and get some old timey stuff in there to make it look frozen in time it'd make a very unique tourist attraction.

[@flashwashington2735]

Thank you for your labors and insights that are fruits of your nurtured associations, woven into the tapestries that are these videos. God bless you and yours.

[@lilwil-ns3uo]

Just found your channel. I love history. Your presentations are well prepared and narrated with a sense of professionalism. I have subscribed and am looking forward to watching more from you.

[@callsignbones775]

Thank you for this. My dad loves old ghost towns and when he comes up this summer, I'm going to make sure I take him here.

[@kimberlylamantia7794]

I love your narrations and videos of ghost towns. Keep up the great work! "Smells like a thrift shop in here" 😂

[@edwardaustin740]

Stumbled across your channel a few months ago and I appreciate what you do and how you do it. Instantly subscribed.

[@mariosxrusostomou5503]

Good mpravo nice video.😮❤

[@Duececoupe]

Must be a fair few ghost towns along the old Milwaukee Road, Great Northern and Northern Pacific railroads.... Most excellent video! 🏆🥇

[@PartTimeExplorer]

I did one on the small town of White Butte, South Dakota - that's along the Milwaukee Road. I also shot a brief tour of a Milwaukee Road heritage museum in Minnesota but have not had a chance to edit it yet.

[@Duececoupe]

​@@PartTimeExplorer I think that watched that one.... I'm a HUGE Milwaukee Road fan, have nearly 100 books about and by the company, an old lantern from when they were called Chicago Milwaukee & St Paul, between 1874 and 1925, if I remember correctly....this is funny, being a Swede living in Glasgow, Scotland! I can NOT say enough how much I enjoy your videos, regardless of what theyre about, they're absolutely top quality all of them! Eagerly waiting for your next video.... Much respect and hat's off to you! 🍻

[@conemadam]

Another spectacular video. Your documentaries are some of the best I have ever seen. Every new one is such a treat, both visually and historically.

[@marygoodsell3602]

Fantastic video!

[@hannad2279]

I only recently found your channel and I am already a huge fan. Your productions are so professional, intriguing, and educational. You help preserve our quickly fading history. Thank you ao much for providing this amazing content

[@keithpeterson6108]

You're extremely talented at doing all of these vids. Better than anything on TV. Very well done. ....& I think that boulder bounced into the building/room.

[@DeeDeeGreen]

Please don't ever change how you present your videos. Love your style.

[@joelkoonce8559]

Thanks again Tom . This is the second time I've watched this great documentary. 😊

[@floortap]

I think you must get more done in a day than I do in a year. Another great video!

[@joshweinstein5345]

Love your videos! The cinematography, music, thoughtful and knowledgeable narration, they all add up to make this one of the best historical channels on KZbin. Thank you for this. A solution to the boulder mystery? What if it happened during winter, in a high snow? A small avalanche could've sent the rock tumbling down and at a higher lever than you can see when there's no snow on the ground. Snow and ice melt away next spring, leaving the boulder a mystery rock!

[@BTScriviner]

Another great, informative video about the history of the USA.👍

[@YolandaPullman]

Congratulations a new baby! Very interesting video.

[@ficheye00]

Such a great video. You really do your homework. Sadly, with many old mining towns, they seem to have a legacy of poisoning the water and the people. It made me sit up right there at the end. I'm glad they fixed it.

[@frankmarullo228]

This is a AWESOME video my friend ! I live in MONTANA for 33 years now , I go every summer to ghost towns all around the state but never been to comet ,my favorite ghost town is Bannack , then Elk Horn , love the history in montana THANK YOu Frank Marullo. PS do more of this type video. If you did already please let me know.......

[@marvwatkins7029]

Between ship wrecks and ghost towns Tom covers a lot of relatively lost history "that should be remembered" to quote Lance, THG.

[@byrongilbert3720]

you do amazing work. i really enjoy your videos

[@Ramcharger85]

Been really enjoying this playlist. Need more. Your really good at this. 😊

[@simplydynamicmx502]

Ah, yes, the mysterious boulder. I’ve been up to Comet a number of times, mostly between 2016-2020 while I was attending MSU in Bozeman. It’s crazy to see how much has changed in such a short time. Many of the hotel’s steps were still in place the last time I went, and the engine in the upper building was still propped up in the back of the room. People used to leave glass bottles and other old artifacts they found in the lab, I imagine there’s not much left at this point. Loved the video and seeing what condition the town is in now!

[@CraftopiaDigitalDesigns]

What an awesome place. It be so wonderful to restore the town. Salvage what wood is in good condition. Tag it to the specific building. Then restore each building, home etc. Wow. That would be a monumental dream of mine.

[@kaisakev4468]

I’ve just discovered you and I think you are a breath of fresh air your passion for history really shines through I look forward to watching all your videos ❤

[@bonniekaye]

*Awesome video!* 🙂👍