Dillon, Montana

Dillon Montana is an old silver and gold mining town. The first ore was discovered in the 1860S...the last in the 1920s. During it's heyday, Dillon was "the" place to llive...and the folks who mined gold and silver in the nearby creeks and streams, built wonderful homes that still survive. Here are a few of them.

 

 

This brick Victorian is the best of the lot! What a beautiful way to say "I struck it rich!" And even today, 100+ years later, the new owners are showing off their pride and joy.    

In case you need a closer look at the gable end...here it is. Isn't she a pretty home?

There are others.  

Sitting on a corner, with a for sale sign no less, is this Victorian masterpiece. 

Tall, and proud, this Tri-color charmer welcomes you into the "good life" of 1900s Dillon. 

Look at the detail on the front entry.    

The gingerbread doesn't stop...the basement, the railing, the shingles, the door, the sunburst in the front porch gable, all show off the skills of the day and what it took to make a great home.

This little jewel is small in comparison to the other two, but look at the turret, the gables, and the wonderful porch. Definitely a pretty "little" Victorian. Maybe the original owner did not find the biggest vein of gold or silver, but he found something to crow about.    

Not as "splashy" as the others, this white home has a "Widow's Walk" on the second floor balcony. If your look carefully, you can see the rounded glass. That was super special at the turn of the last century. I wonder if anyone knows how to make rounded glass anymore?

Look at the beautiful side window on this tall Victorian. Can you imagine sitting in the niche reading a good book? Or, enjoying a quiet corner to look at the world. 

This home has been converted into a modern photography business. I wonder what it looked like when it was new. The stone turret is grand, and I did not see another in town. A little bit of the original gingerbread is still showing, but I'm guessing it was much grander "in the day."

The public library is still standing from the original days. I'm guessing it's an old Carnegie Library made of local stone. What a wonderful place to find the perfect book and then go back home, to read it on your porch? 

And I'll end with a snapshot of "downtown" Dillon. A brick building with a corner turret and a copper dome. When this   was made, it probably did not have electricity. Back when it was built, the street was not paved, and the horse was the common mode of transportation. If you go into soft focus, can you see the place to "park" your horse? Do you see the water trough? It's all there (at least in my imagination). Dillon is a cute town that has not embraced modernity. Thank goodness there are still a few of these towns left!