Coloma

Coloma is a ghost town in Missoula County, Montana, situated in the Garnet Range. Its origins are murky — the settlement appears to have been established around 1893, and relatively little historical documentation survives.

Gold mining drove activity here, with records showing significant extraction beginning in 1896. Estimates put the total gold pulled from the area at somewhere between $200,000 and $250,000. A later burst of activity came in 1916, when a mill was constructed and surveys of the ore veins were undertaken, though those efforts appear to have yielded little.

Reaching Coloma requires a capable 4x4 vehicle, and the site is best visited in the summer and early fall months when mountain roads are passable. Expect the kind of sparse, weathered remnants typical of small Montana mining settlements — the historical record is thin, and visitors should come with modest expectations and a genuine curiosity for the landscape and its past.