Location: Beaverhead Country, Montana
Found: 1862
Bannack Ghost Town is a historic abandoned settlement located in Beaverhead Country, Montana near modern day town of Dillon. Bannack was originally found in 1862. At a height it reached a population that numbered in thousands. It was finally abandoned in 1970's. Today Bannack Ghost Town is a popular destination for history buffs and ghost hunters who believe Bannack is haunted by spirits of people that didn't quiet move on beyond their physical death.
Bannock, Montana was originally found in 1862 after a discovery of a major gold deposit in Grasshopper Creek and surrounding lands. The city takes its name form the local Bannock Indians that once lived here. The city quickly swelled with new settlers who tried to get rich quickly. Within few years it reached a population of ten thousand residents. In fact in 1865 it became the capital of Montana Territory until it gave its title to another current ghost town of Virginia City. Bannock had its own grocery store, four saloons, three hotels, three bakeries, three blacksmith shops, two meat markets, two stables, billiard hall, restaurant and even its own brewery. However as the gold rush subsided so did the population of Bannock. In the 20th century it was a small settlement until the last resident that left the city in 1970's.
Bannack Historic District was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961 and later Bannack State Park. Many people come here to catch evidence of alleged ghostly activity in the abandoned ghost town.
Founded in 1862 and named for the local tribe of Bannock Indians,
Bannack was the site of a major gold discovery in 1862 and served
briefly as the capital of the Montana Territory in 1864, until the
capital was moved to Virginia City, Montana for 10 years in 1865.
Bannack continued to be a mining town, albeit with a declining
population. The last residents left the city in the 1970s.
At
its peak, Bannack had a population of about ten thousand. The
extremely remote town was only connected to the rest of the world by
the Montana Trail. There were three hotels, three bakeries, three
blacksmiths, two stables, two meat markets, a grocery store, a
restaurant, a brewery, a pool hall, and four saloons. Although all
the shops were built from logs, some of them had decorative mock
fronts.
The founders of the city included Dr. Erasmus Darwin
Leavitt, a Cornish New Hampshire born physician who gave up medicine
for a time to become a gold digger. dr Leavitt came to Bannack in
1862 and alternated practicing medicine and mining gold with pick
and shovel. "Although a certain success crowned his work," according
to A History of Montana by Joaquin Miller, he soon found, "that he
was more respected as a doctor than as a miner, and that it was of
greater use if he allowed someone else to use his hoe." and wielding
a shovel while he went about his business". After that, Dr. Leavitt
continued on to Butte, Montana, where he devoted the rest of his
life to his medical practice.
Bannack's sheriff, Henry
Plummer, has been accused by some of secretly leading a ruthless
gang of street agents called The Innocents, with early reports
claiming that this gang was responsible for over a hundred murders
in the Virginia City and Bannack goldfields, as well as the trails
to Salt Lake City were responsible. However, with only eight deaths
historically documented, some modern historians have questioned the
precise nature of Plummer's gang, while others deny the gang's
existence altogether. In any case, Plummer and two compatriots - his
two deputies - were hanged without a trial on January 10, 1864 at
Bannack. Some of Plummer's associates were lynched, others exiled on
pain of death if they ever returned. Twenty-two people were charged,
informally convicted, and hanged by the Vigilantes Committee
(German: Selbstschutz-Komitee). A member of this vigilance committee
was Nathaniel Pitt Langford (1832-1911), who a few years later
became the first superintendent of Yellowstone National Park.
Bannack Ghost Town has its share of alleged ghostly activity. One of the common apparition that is claimed to live here is that of spirit named Dorothy. Local legends claim that she drowned accidentally in the Grasshopper Creek. She is seen hover over water and on some cases calls for help. Those who tried to help a mysterious women realised that she vanished into a thin air without a trace. Other ghost hunters claim that they heard sounds of children crying. Historic records indicate that about 14 infants died in the city throughout its history so this ghostly sound can be attributed to any of these unfortunate victims. Another paranormal activity includes sounds of horsemen and sounds of the military trumpet. These sounds of unseen charging cavalry are believed to be that of US cavalry under command of Oliver Otis Howard. They passed through the city in 1977 during their pursuit of Chief Joseph and Nez Perce Native American tribe who tried to escape north to Canada.
However the most famous ghostly activity is tied to the gang of outlaws that were executed by the city officials for various crimes. The leader of this ruthless gang of bandits was actually headed by sheriff of Bannack, Henry Plummer (pictured left). Criminals that he directed attacked gold miners along the Grasshopper Creek. Eventually they moved to Virginia City and beyond. They were accused of killing of over one hundred people through out their career. Eventually they were caught, tried and hanged in Bannack on January 10, 1864 along with two deputies that is said to have aided Plummer and his gang. Over the next few weeks twenty two men were caught and lynched by the Vigilance Committee of Montana Vigilantes. Historians are still unsure on the size of the original gang and if they were even involved in any of the crimes they were accused. Whatever might be be case many of the locals and guests of Bannack Ghost Town believe they saw Henry Plummer with unidentified men who accompanies him.
Sixty historic block, brick and frame structures
survive at Bannack, many in good condition; most of which can be
explored. The site, now the Bannack Historic District, was designated a
National Historic Landmark (NHL) in 1961. Currently on the city's
grounds is Bannack State Park. Although this site is not frequently
visited by tourists, it remains popular with locals and historians
alike.
Bannack days
Every year on the third weekend in July,
the deserted city witnesses a historical reconstruction known as Bannack
Days. For two days, Bannack State Park officials are hosting an event
that attempts to recreate the days when Bannack was a boom town by
recreating the everyday life of the miners who lived there during the
Gold Rush. An authentic, old-fashioned breakfast is served in the old
Hotel Meade, a well-preserved brick building that was the seat of
Beaverhead County for many years before Dillon, Montana became the
county seat.
description of nature
The mines surrounding
Bannack are located on either side of Grasshopper Creek, which flows
southeast through the district and empties into the Beaverhead River
about 12 miles downstream.