Gold was discovered on Grasshopper Creek in 1862 and the town of Bannack would quickly sprout up nearby, eventually growing to a population of over 10,000 people. Named after the local Bannock Indians, Bannack would serve as Montana’s territorial capital for 2 years before Virginia City took over the role. During its heyday, Bannack boasted three hotels, three bakeries, three blacksmith shops, two stables, two meat markets, a grocery store, a restaurant, a brewery, a billiard hall, and four saloons. In 1864, Bannack elected Henry Plummer as their sheriff. Plummer was the leader of a gang of outlaws known, ironically, as The Innocents, which prayed on supply wagons making their way between Bannack and Virginia and Nevada Cities. Eventually, a posse was raised in Virginia City known as the Vigilance Committee of Alder Gulch or, more simply, The Montana Vigilantes. They tracked down Plummer and his gang and lynched him in the middle of Bannack without a trial in 1864. Bannack’s population would fluctuate over the next hundred years with the price of gold, but the last resident left town in the 1970s. Thankfully a group of local residents stepped in to preserve Bannack and today it is a Montana State Park. I also thought it was cool that the Masonic Temple is still in regular use. I really enjoyed my time wandering the streets of town and I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Bannack, a classic Montana ghost town.
