Townsite
The Monte Cristo Preservation Association (www.mcpa.us) made a wonderful map of the townsite, which this guide is based-on. View Download
#36 The western portion of Monte Cristo extended downstream to beyond (before?) the Monte Cristo campground, to the right of the trail. The LJF Erickson house was once here on the Sauk Lode mining claim. Erickson was killed in November 1894, after constructing his house.
#32 Just before the bridge into town, there is/was a building (residence) to the right on the old wagon road that was used before the railway (later a road, now the trail) was built.
Stop where the trail turns to the right to cross the bridge. The rail line would have continued then curved to the right over a bridge (now gone) and met with another rail line (that curves back to the campground)
#33 After the bridge, on the left is a large "cabin-sized" rock, useful in locating sites in old photographs. Is the rock that has the old metal signs the same rock we see in the photos?
#34 As the trail begins to curve to the left, to the right of the trail was a number of buildings. Washington Hotel (1894) and housing for the Japanese section crew hired by the Northern Pacific RR from 1900 on. This is the southern end of a street, possibly Government Ave.
#37, #38 at the end of the curve: on the left was the Rattler Saloon, and then the Ella Church and Seldon Ayers Building.
#35 If the trail had not curved, we might have walked to the Cleveland-Campbell saloon (1895). The grandfather of Donald Trump had his business office nearby. His business? Real-estate, of course.
South-west of the curve, or WSW of the stream crossing, was the Anaconda Mill Site
Cross the stream and you are now in what was the railroad yards, later a parking lot after World War 2, and now a field.
The power building was used to provide power to the red cabins (some of which still exist). Del and Rosemary Wilkie operated their resort business from 1951 to 1963 using these cabins and a hotel (which burned in 1983).
#29 In front of the turntable was the Water tower, for filling the boilers of locomotives.
Take a break! Have lunch at the picnic tables. If you rode your bike here, lock it up at the bike lock. Bikes are not allowed beyond the field (AFAIK).
#30 The railway turntable (1893) ... this was used to rotate the 4 locomotives. It still turns!
#31 The rail line continued through the turntable to the Railway Shed (1893), where rail cars, etc were repaired and serviced. A stream now flows across where the rail line went.
The Boston-American Mine is southwest of the Railway Shed.
Long 121 23 44 W Lat 47 59 05 N. 230 feet above townsite.
Accessed by a rough trail 600 feet SW from townsite.
#28 Across the field, in front of where the red cabin next to the river is, was a sawmill (supplying lumber to the town and mines) that was converted to a railway depot when trains arrived in September 1893.
Artifacts .... bits of this that and the other are here and there in the field. Don't stumble on things, look at but don't take or harm anything.
#27 Boston-American Mining Co. cookhouse. Built in 1917, later became the Monte Cristo lodge (of the metal sign fame). It burned in March of 1983. This fire, and the vandalism that followed it, led to the creation of the Monte Cristo Preservation Association the next month. Look for the decaying wooden sign lying ... somewhere.
#26 Boston-American Mining Co. bunkhouse (1917). Southwest of the cookhouse, across the stream
Head east, uphill out of town for more.
Go north, then east up Dumas Street
Or, go southeast to Poodle Dog Pass - Silver Lake - Twin Lakes Trail #708