Located at Grasshopper Creek in Beaverhead County, Montana is an abandoned old mining town of Bannack. Bannack, which is currently a state park, was established in the 1860s and abandoned a century later. Like other old abandoned mining towns, some structures in the ghost town are currently preserved to prevent further decay.

Bannack’s early days

The town of Bannack which was formerly known as Bannock was established in 1862 when gold was discovered in the region. Like other mining towns, the mining boom attracted mining companies together with miners to the region. Five years into its existence, restaurants, banks, and post offices decorated the town, growing the population to a rocking 10,000 people.

The town of Bannack would have been the most peaceful mining town in the heydays since it had a low number of outlaws but this is not the case. The Sheriff at the time by the name Henry Plummer was known to be a shrewd lawman and a gang leader. He had a group of gangs that robbed, murdered, and terrorized people in the town as well as the neighboring communities. It is estimated that the gang killed at least 50 people in and outside the town during their reigning days. In 1864, Henry and his two deputies were hanged by vigilantes both from his town and the neighbors. Most of his minions were lynched as some were forgiven and banned out of the town with stun warning of death if they ever go back in the town. Despite the shrewd lawman Henry and his gang, the town of Bannack was a peaceful town with loving and caring people compared to other mining towns of those days.

End of an Era 

Wise man once said come easy, easy go and they were right. Bannack come to realize this the hard way when its death came as rapid as its establishment 10 decades prior. The rich gold mines that attracted the outrageous number of miners and service providers in the region showed no hope anymore. Majority of them had been exhausted by the mid of 1900s. Rendered jobless with families to fend for, miners from the town relocated to new flourished towns to look for jobs. When the railroad station and the post office were officially closed, the population which was already low dwindled even further. The town was declared a ghost town by the 1970s to date.

What is the state of Bannack town was it ever restored? 

Bannack town was declared a historic landmark in early 1961 and is now a state park. Surprisingly, most of the structures in the town still stand even though they were made of logs. Former residents of the town organized an annual celebration “Bannack Days” which is held in the town to celebrate the once vibrant town. Some sectors of the park were turned into a wildlife reserve with live animals. Bannack town and its environs are currently a state park in Montana and one can visit anytime. Small breeds of wild animals were introduced in the wildlife section of the park. Bannack state park receives over 16,000 tourists a year. Watch out for the mines are not that secure site to visit especially for kids.