Wedged into the bottom of a rocky canyon on the east side of the Pioneer Mountains is a small lake with a big history — Brownes Lake.
The lake was named after Joseph A. Browne, who arrived in Montana in 1862 during the gold rush days at Bannack. He mined several claims before establishing a toll road and bridge across the Big Hole River in 1870. Settling in Beaverhead County, he then established a large ranch.
According to a 1901 Anaconda Standard newspaper story, “One day (Browne) strolled up the creek and discovered as pretty a pair of mountain lakes as ever cause a reflection from the sun.”
Browne built boathouses, cabins, a dining hall and landings along the lake. The facilities were overseen by servants, watchmen and a gatekeeper who controlled the entrance. “It is an ideal pleasure ground,” the reporter wrote, “probably excelling those of any other part of the state. Butte (aristocracy including copper king William Clark) is the principal source of pleasure parties,” although European travelers also visited.
By 1911, however, the facility was being advertised to the public as a summer resort and an “ideal place to spend your Sundays or vacation” at the cost of $15 a week. What happened in between? Browne died and it appears his descendants opened the resort to the public. No sign of the old buildings remain.
Fast forward to June 1984 when two Washington campers were stranded at Brownes Lake after a 30-year-old concrete dam burst, sending a torrent of water down Rock Creek.
The 8- to 10-foot-tall surge of water wiped out two bridges along the road leading to the lake, and damaged a third bridge. When the dam burst, it was estimated the lake dropped about 5 feet in elevation.
The state bought the property around the lake in 1963. In 1998 the lands were part of an exchange with the Forest Service. As a result, the property is now part of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.
Thirty-six years later, the lake remains a popular spot for campers at undeveloped sites along Rock Creek. Remnants of the old concrete dam still litter the eastern edge of the lake that’s located six miles west of Interstate 15 between Melrose and Glen.
Although no trace of the historic resort remain, the lake is still a beautiful spot to swim, boat, fish and camp.
