Today we headed for the ghost town of Elkhorn so that we could snowshoe to the old Elkhorn cemetery, which is on a hilltop about a mile outside of town. The nearest town to Elkhorn is Boulder, Montana, a little town with – I noticed today – some great old signs:
Not sure how old this sign is, but you can still go to the Boulder Rodeo at the end of August
Sig's Bar is no longer there, but this great sign lives on.
The "Health Mine" is actually a radon mine: good for your arthritis. That's what they say, anyway. Not planning to spend too much time there, myself.
The country outside of Boulder is pure, wonderful, Montana:
Antelope are common, for sure, but this group struck me as particularly handsome:
Elkhorn is at about 6500 feet, so there was plenty of snow for snowshoeing. We parked at the edge of town, and started off through the trees.
The trail to the cemetery is only a mile, but it’s a steep climb in places.
Does this look steep? If not, you just need to believe me!
The view of the town from the top is worth it, naturally:
Of course, all cemeteries have an element of sadness, but the Elkhorn cemetery is particularly poignant because of the number of children buried there. After the hard winter of 1888-89, a diphtheria epidemic tore through the town, taking many of the children with it. I suppose it is a sad destination for a day trip, but I like to think that remembering the suffering of these poor families gives these short lives a little more meaning. Here are some of the gravestones we saw today:
Off the Beaten Path: Hikes, Backpacks, and Travels 
The cemetery in the snow provides such interesting photos
It does, doesn’t it? Even on a gray day.
Great shots
Love the old signs, although you could be onto something questioning their age. I write about these Ghostsigns on this blog: http://www.ghostsigns.co.uk
I knew I was stretching the truth by calling them ghost signs – just wanted to use that term! Enjoyed looking at your blog. Thanks for the comment.
Would love to add some of these to my growing map (http://www.ghostsigns.co.uk/map) if you can recall specific addresses for any?
These are all right in Boulder, Montana, on streets that intersect Main Street. Sorry, don’t have a more specific address than that.
They are all great photo’s, thanks for sharing…
Andy O.
And thanks for checking them out!
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