Working on a book project illustrating ghost towns for a Canadian publisher I had a chance to explore some of the backroads of southwest Montana. After spending a few days in the Pintler range photographing Southern Cross above Georgetown Lake and Granite just outside Philipsburg I ventured south toward Ennis and Dillon.
Here I delved into the more preserved ghost towns of Bannack State Park, Bannack State Park, www.bannack.org, Virginia and Nevada Cities, Virginia City Chamber of Commerce, www.virginiacity.com rich in the history of gold in unparalleled settings.
Interior Bannack Bar
Walking the boardwalks of Bannack or Virginia and Nevada Cities your first visions are that of the American west. Worn planks creaked beneath my feet just as they did a hundred and fifty years ago for the pioneers that came this way.
The pungent scent of sagebrush and weathered wood fills the air as you keep looking for the horsemen that should be riding into town for the proverbial gunfight or dance hall brawl.
You get the sensations of Hollywood’s cowboy movies, the one’s many of us grew up on. But beyond the thoughts of John Wayne or Jimmy Stuart facing off the bad guys in the street there is real tactile history here.
For thousands of years along the Ruby, Snowcrest and Gravelly ranges there were hunters and gatherers by the tribal names of Cree, Blackfeet, Shoshoni, Crow and Bannock. Then once the trappers, miners and ranchers came they displaced the native populations that had come before them.
Nevada City Street Scene
Montana’s biggest and richest gold strikes were located at Grasshopper Creek, near Bannack, and Alder Gulch just outside of Virginia City. It brought thousands of prospectors and those who serviced them to southwest Montana.
There were shootists, thieves and others that followed this path of land exploitation. In Bannack vigilante justice, Henry Plummer and the hangman left their mark just as gold mining did. As I photographed this historic location I could not help but wonder if ghosts still roam the backrooms of the bars and livery stables.
Frayed rope swings in the wind from the gallows just on the edge of town as you follow the path uphill toward a collapsed mine entrance. What stories could these ropes tell the modern day traveler?
Livery Stable
Now a State Park there is much to photograph at Bannack. During the summer months life comes to Bannack with all kinds of activities and a Pioneer Festival that is well worth attending.
The main thing for me was just getting lost in the history. I was intrigued by the interiors, especially the Bannack bar with sheer curtains blowing in the hot summer wind. What tall tales could these buildings reveal about the personalities that came this way? Beaverhead Chamber of Commerce – Dillon
www.beaverheadchamber.org
Virginia City is very much alive today. Most of it has been restored and seems frozen in time. Nearby Nevada City is an open air museum where everyone can explore even the interiors of the Victorian buildings.
Hot Baths 25 cents
From 1863 through 1868 the region was overrun with miners as gold was discovered in nearby Alder Gulch. Placer miners used pans, sluice boxes, hydraulic nozzles and gold dredges. Even hard rock mining left no stone unturned.
More than 90 million dollars worth of gold was extracted from Alder Gulch. The activity was supported by nearly 10,000 people as Virginia City replaced Bannack as Montana’s Territorial capital.
Nevada City looks like a movie set. In fact there have been films made here because of its authenticity. It is actually an assembled community with buildings brought in from various locations.
Meals lamp post sign
I investigated several buildings along the boardwalks photographing exteriors and peering into the windows checking out what furnishings they still had. I was drawn to the painted signs on a few of the structures. They seemed to say as much about the history as the log, plank and river rock shops themselves.
There are not very many places where man made history is so pervasive in the west as these three communities. They are impressive because they were real places that were inhabited with real people who lead rough lives and changed this part of the world.
For more information about these and other ghost towns in Montana please refer to these websites:
Montana Travel Department of Commerce
www.visitmt.com
Philipsburg Chamber of Commerce
www.philipsburgmt.com
Montana Ghost Town Preservation Society
www.ghosttown.montana.com
Montana’s Goldwest Country Travel Region
www.goldwest.visitmt.com
National Forest Service
(Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest)
www.fs.fed.us/r1/b-d/
Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
www.fwp.mt.gov
Related Post: http://www.myphotovisions.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/ghost-towns-of-western-montana-part-1
Photographs used in this post are copyrighted by Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography, 2009, All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited without the written permission of Wayne Scherr, Range of Vision Photography. My image catalog can be viewed at http://www.rangeofvisionphotos.com. You can contact me through this blog or through email at: wayne@rangeofvisionphotos.com
Nice post on Gold Rush Ghost Towns.