In 1894, the first ore was sent to the smelter in Everett. But the constant repair needed on the tramways and the railroad slowed things considerably. Yet no one left the area until the usual winter exodus. The following year was the only one in which labor troubles threatened the mining operation. Miners on the Mystery mine threatened to walk out if boarding conditions did not improve. Then the men demanded a raise from $2.50 to $3.00 a day as miners in other states were getting. The owners gave in to their demands.
Severe weather over the next two years impaired the ability of the district to get its ore down the mountain. But by March of 1897, ore was being crushed at the concentrator and sent on to Everett for smelting. Severe flooding that fall wiped out the railroad and stranded some miners in Monte Cristo. They ended up having to walk 30 miles to Tunnel No. 1, where a train could take them the rest of the way to Everett. After that disaster the railroad decided not to rebuild it as it required too much maintenance.
Things didn't look too promising. Without a way to get the ore out of the basin, there was no point in mining. Finally the "45" company started building the railroad. It used concrete to reinforce the hazardous areas. In May 1900, the railroad finally opened. But the Monte Cristo buildings were so dilapidated from neglect that it took all summer just to repair the town. But by the following summer it looked as if mining would support the town one again.
In 1903, Rockefeller sold the rest of his interests in the area. Everyone wondered what the new owners would do. What they did was shut down the mines with no promise to re-open. The railroad was still plagued with floods and avalanches. Finally in 1907, ore started being processed at the concentrator once again. But in 1909, the Northern Pacific decided it would no longer run the train into the area. Mining stopped again. Only minor activity was being carried out on Weden Creek, the Sydney mine, and the Eclipse in Silverton.
It looked like the train would be operable in 1912. Miners and developers started coming in anticipation. But the town was severely damaged by the previous winter and by vandals. The hotel finally closed its doors. Much of the machinery was sold for scrap. In March a huge avalanche destroyed most of the remaining buildings, including the sawmill. Engineer John F.
