They called it Castle Town because of the rock formations that rise like turrets above the old mining camp. But the Meagher County ghost town is now a fortress protected not with mottes or baileys but by private property rights. Castle Town, which is nestled in the Castle Mountains in central Montana, is one of Montana’s many ghost towns.
Its story is a similar one. Ore was found, the town grew, ore disappeared, the town faded. But Castle Town is different, because it’s all privately owned.
Many of Montana’s historic places — Bannack, Elkhorn, Granite, Garnet — are all State Parks, protected by the state and free to visit for residents. But try to explore Castle Town and you’ll see more “No Trespassing” signs than you will historic buildings and interpretive signs. Private ownership isn’t totally unheard of in Montana’s ghost towns.
When Pray was listed for $1.4 million in 2012, it was a big enough news story that CBS News sent a correspondent to the tiny Paradise Valley town to report on it. But Castle Town isn’t just one individual’s property.
Check out the town in Cadastral, the state’s property ownership database, and you’ll see a view that looks like any other city in Montana. It’s still broken up into a grid, with quirky, odd-shaped lots and equidistant streets between them all. It’s like someone is expecting Castle Town to spring back to life.
If Castle Town were owned by one person, you could call them up and get permission to explore. .
