Bannack State Park. It’s like stepping back in time.
You will be very hard pressed to find a more complete or well-preserved ghost town than Bannack, Montana.
Bannack saw its first residents in July of 1862. Miners. Miners who struck gold. Within a year, Bannack had nearly 3000 residents and a boomtown was born.
Bannack at one time featured three hotels, four saloons, a grocery store, a billiards hall, three bakeries and its own Masonic Lodge with a schoolhouse on the lower level.
Bannack infamously known as the stomping grounds of corrupt Sheriff Henry Plummer and his gang of "Road Agents" who were allegedly responsible for countless robberies and murders as far away as Salt Lake City. Plummer was one of a handful of vigilante hangings that took place in Bannack. The jailhouse still stands and gives off an eerie vibe.
But from the dregs to the elegant, you need only walk down the block to come upon a gem of Bannack, the impressive Hotel Meade.
You can feel the energy of this remarkably restored building as you look down her halls or upon the beautiful spiral staircase. Yes, you can actually go inside the Meade as well as many of Bannack's historic structures.
Bannack served as Montana's first Territorial Capital for a brief period of time and was the first County Seat of Beaverhead County. But as the mines were depleted and more profitable ventures were found elsewhere, Bannack was eventually deserted with its last full-time residents leaving in the 1970s.
The good news is that Bannack has been remarkably well-preserved and is very accessible State Park with guided tours available during the warmer months.
Bannack is even dog-friendly as long as they are on a leash.
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