Bannack, Montana

NOTE .... Thank you to the many that sent donations to Alicia's House this past week. Your efforts help feed over 200 families, families that, under the present circumstances, would not have had a Thanksgiving dinner. The Holiday season is a special time of year for most of us, and it gives us a chance to be a giver. Please remember Alicia'a House in your thoughts as they continue to help those that need.--Percival

In the mid 60's, while traveling between Butte, Montana and Pocatello, Idaho, I had a day off between bookings and decided to do some sight seeing in the beautiful Beaverhead National Forest. Exiting off the road near Dillon, I drove nearly 20 miles into the majestic landscape in search of a ghost town called Bannack, which was divided by a creek and mountains in the distance.

In 1862, a little over a hundred years before, gold was discovered in the waters where Bannack stands today. The creek was originally named Willard Creek by the Lewis and Clark Expedition when they came through in 1805. But, due to the large grasshopper population in 1862, it was renamed Grasshopper Creek.

Word spread quickly that Bannack's gold was unlike other gold. Grasshopper Creek’s gold was 99-99.5% pure, compared to most gold at 95%, and miners continued to flood the area. The camp originally was called home to more than 400 prospectors.

The people who rushed to Bannack were not only miners; they also included many deserters of the Civil War, outlaws and businessmen intent on profiting from the many newcomers. These early settlers arrived by wagon, stagecoach, horseback, steamboat, and even by foot, in search of their fortunes. Not anticipating the harsh Montana winter, many came ill-prepared and lacking supplies, creating a great hardship for these early pioneers.

I had done a lot of reading on Montana and it's past and was pretty educated on the subject and ready for the trip. Coming into the town, I began to count the huge buildings that housed many different subjects. Hotels, saloons, Masonic Lodge and Methodist church. There were also private dwellings that still had occupants in them that guarded the town from vandalism and the harsh winter weather.

I found the local general store and bought enough food to last me two days and asked if I could camp out nearby. I was pointed to an area about three blocks from downtown and headed there to begin my first night in Montana under the stars. I was happy it was summertime and the weather wasn't too cold yet. I had read how many people froze to death during the harsh winters of 1860 while seeking gold.

The next morning, I arose to the beckoning of the bright sun, and, after a breakfast of beans and eggs with home brewed coffee from a burlap type bag over an open fire, I decided to wander back into the town to do some looking around. I am always inquisitive about history because we learn so much by it. I found by reading the small book I had bought at the general store that Bannack at one time was the territorial capitol before being moved to Virginia City when Bannock was no longer large enough to accommodate it.

The very large Meade Hotel, owned early on by Dr. Meade, had some of the finest things like linen tablecloths and fine china plates used in the dining area. They were host to the upper echelon as well as the common miner looking to spend some of his hard earned gold on the better of life's living habits.

In addition to its reputation for gold, Bannack also quickly gained a reputation for lawlessness. The roads in and out of town were home to dozens of road agents, and killings were frequent. In January 1863, Henry Plummer arrived in Bannack and, just months later, was elected sheriff in hopes that he might bring some peace to the lawless settlement. What was not known by the citizens of Bannack was that Plummer was the leader of the largest gang of the area road agents.

Henry Plummer, Sheriff and later found to be a ring leader of bandits who robbed violently and killed many hauling gold between Bannack and Virginia City.

This group of bandits referred to themselves as the “Innocents” and grew to include more than 100 men. His contacts as sheriff gave him knowledge of when people were transporting their gold, which he would pass on to his gang. By December 1863, the citizens of Bannack and Virginia City had enough of the violence. Men from Bannack, Virginia City and nearby Nevada City met secretly and organized the Montana Vigilantes. Masked men began to visit suspected outlaws in the middle of the night issuing warnings and tacking up posters featuring a skull-and-crossbones or the "mystic" numbers "3-7-77." While the meaning of these numbers remains elusive, the Montana State Highway patrolmen wear the emblem "3-7-77" on their shoulder patches today.

In 1874, with the need for a larger school, a two story Masonic Temple was built by the local and state Masons, and it became the new school house in the daytime on the first floor and served as a lodge for Masonic business by way of the second floor stairway on the outside of the building. School was suspended in 1951 due to the lack of students. About a decade later, just a few years before I arrived, the outside entrance to the upper floor Temple collapsed. An interior stairwell used for emergencies was used until it was painstakingly restored to its original beauty and grandeur by statewide Masons who wanted it's beauty to remain for generations to come.

A lot remained to be seen, but, as my schedule was impending in Idaho to wrestle, I had to bid Bannack farewell. I hope someday to go back and visit the past again but wanted to remember it today in this week’s column. This and other great ghost towns of the American West still wait to be looked at by yours truly.

Today, Bannack survives under the watch of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and is open mostly in the summer months but has ice skating and nearby skiing available through most of the winter months.

Percival A. Friend, Retired
The Epitome of Wrestling Managers

2003 BWC Hall of Fame Inductee
2004 CAC Hall of Fame Inductee
2006 LWA Hall of Fame Inductee
2007 TCCW Hall of Fame Honoree