Jardine, Montana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jardine, Montana
Census-Designated Place
Jardine in 1969
Country	United States
State	Montana
County	Park
Area
• Total	14.75 sq mi (38.21 km2)
• Land	14.75 sq mi (38.21 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	47
• Density	3.19/sq mi (1.23/km2)
FIPS code	30-39175

Jardine is a small, unincorporated village located in Park County, Montana, in the United States. This means it's a community that doesn't have its own local government, but is part of the larger county. The village sits just north of Gardiner, a town close to the famous Yellowstone National Park.

Jardine is built on inactive travertine terraces. These are special rock formations created by hot springs, much like the ones you can see at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone. For a long time, the main activity in Jardine was gold mining. The village was named after A. C. Jardine, an important person in the mining business who helped develop the area.

A Golden Past

Jardine has a fascinating history, especially when it comes to gold! In 1892, a prospector named Joe Brown made an exciting discovery. He found "placer gold" near where the town is now. Placer gold is gold that is found in loose sand or gravel, often in riverbeds or streams, rather than deep underground in solid rock.

The Jardine Mining Company

Later, in 1917, a company called Jardine Mining Co. was formed. This company brought together many of the smaller mining operations in the area. They worked hard to extract valuable minerals from the earth. By 1943, the mine had produced a huge amount of resources.

What They Mined

The Jardine mine was very productive. It yielded about 4,403 kilograms (or 9,700 pounds) of gold. But gold wasn't the only valuable material found there. The mine also produced 347,000 kilograms (about 765,000 pounds) of tungsten. Tungsten is a very strong metal used in things like light bulb filaments and tools. They also extracted 5,722,000 kilograms (over 12.6 million pounds) of arsenic, which is a chemical element used in some industrial processes.

Population of Jardine

Like many small mining towns, Jardine's population has changed over time. According to the 2020 United States Census, the total population of Jardine was 47 people.