right|thumb|Site of the Smith Mine disaster In 1943 tragedy hit Smith Mine #3 near Bearcreek, the area's largest remaining mine.The Darkest Hour: A Comprehensive Account of the Smith Mine Disaster of 1943, 2nd ed, by Gary D. Robson and Fay Kuhlman (2003). An explosion trapped and killed 74 men with only three of the workers in the mine that day escaping, making it the worst coal mine disaster in Montana's history. The mine was shut down shortly thereafter but was reopened in the late 1970s. The Red Lodge cemetery contains a memorial.
right|thumb|Site of the Smith Mine disaster In 1943 tragedy hit Smith Mine #3 near Bearcreek, the area's largest remaining mine.The Darkest Hour: A Comprehensive Account of the Smith Mine Disaster of 1943, 2nd ed, by Gary D. Robson and Fay Kuhlman (2003). An explosion trapped and killed 74 men with only three of the workers in the mine that day escaping, making it the worst coal mine disaster in Montana's history The mine was shut down shortly thereafter but was reopened in the late 1970s. The Red Lodge cemetery contains a memorial.