Not West Virginia. We are talking about remote Montana. White Sulpher Hot Springs attracts visitors from as far away as Bozeman, Helena and Great Falls. It’s a perfect getaway spot with just enough things to see and do in a relaxed way.

Imagine back in the early 1900s the town was expected to become a big tourist draw and the only way to reach it was via rail. Lew Penwell, the promoter and builder of the railroad the White Sulphur Springs and Yellowstone Park Railway envisioned that White Sulphur Springs would boom as a tourist center. the Montana daily record reported that $3,000,000 would be spent developing the Smith River valley and build a grand hotel at White Sulphur Springs.

Times change but keep in mind that many of the highways we travel on today, were once railroad lines bringing people out west and cattle and crops back to the cities.

We drove out from Bozeman, Montana. The first photo stop along the way was the small town of Wilsall, Montana.

Wilsall is nice little way station with some interesting sites including an old general store, grain silo, some old cars on the street and a bar and restaurant. If you are traveling from Livingston or Bozeman, this would make a fine lunch stop and a halfway destination for a day trip.

Ringling, Montana with a population of 35 is the next stop.

There is a post office, an old church on the hill (converted into a house recently I believe) and a general store/restaurant steakhouse. People like to stop here on the way to White Sulfur Springs to grab some grub. For some reason, the reviewers choose to order shrimp a lot in this spot that is probably the furthest point from any ocean or even any airport that would bring in seafood. That’s ok, most shrimp is frozen anyway.

One reviewer mentioned that a few years back the owners were so mad about NFL players kneeling to protest social injustice and systematic racism that refused to show any NFL games in the bar. I guess some people in the remotest spots in America just don’t want to forced to think about racism – just “entertain us and shut up” I suppose is their viewpoint.

Kind of stupid in my opinion. Like poking your eyes out with a hot poker because you don’t want to see something that makes you uncomfortable in your white privileged lives.

Bekemans says the players have a right to protest, but he sees kneeling during the anthem as disrespectful to the flag and military.

“Without that anthem or that flag, we wouldn’t even have a country, much less a country that gives these athletes the opportunity that they get. “

Except unfortunately that inanimate “flag and anthem” don’t guarantee the equal protection of rights that the US Constitution claims should be enjoyed by all American citizens, not just the white ones. The Constitution also guarantees the right to protest injustice by its citizens.

And that military – minorities provide a disproportionate amount of military service yet don’t get the same opportunities to move up in rank.

…those with higher ranks—generals in the air force, army, and marine corps, and admirals in the coast guard and navy—are disproportionately white. There is an even greater ethnic disparity in the top ranks.

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/demographics-us-military

So rather than seeing the protest as disrespectful to the military, how about seeing it as calling out the systematic racism within the military?

Moving on…

Not much to see in Ringling but I managed to find some interesting photographs during my short stay.

On to White Sulphur Springs, Montana. The main attraction today and back then is the hot springs of course. In the 1900s people with means and with health issues would seek out the “healing” properties of the hot springs.

White Sulphur Hot Springs is pumped up from a 35-foot-deep well.  The temperature of the source is 130-degrees.  White Sulfur boasts 3 hot spring pools.  The 30-foot by 35-foot outdoor hot springs pool is about body temperature.  The indoor 10-by-15-foot hot springs pool is kept around 105 degrees.  The new outdoor hot springs pool is kept around 103 degrees.  No chemicals are used.  Pure hot spring water is used.  Pools are cleaned nightly.  

Other sights to see in White Sulfur Springs, Montana

Castle Museum and Carriage House – The Castle is a Victorian mansion built by Byron Roger Sherman, a prominent businessman, in 1892. The imposing granite structure is a landmark on the hilltop overlooking the town of White Sulphur Springs. The museum is furnished with antiques and other memorabilia from the area ranging from household items to mining equipment as well as an impressive collection of buggies and wagons all donated by local residents.

Historic Railroad Depot –

Castle Ghost Town – South of White Sulfur Springs is the ghost town of Castle which surrounded the North Carolina silver mine and once counted Calamity Jane as one of its inhabitants. CASTLE is one of many towns created and ruined by the silver rush in the late 1800s. NOTE: The camp is located on private land, and close inspection of the property requires permission. However, a public road runs near the town which provides a number of nice views. The old camp is located off of Highway 294 between White Sulphur Springs and Martinsdale, Montana.

Backroads, Montana