Yellowstone - Montana Ghost Towns and Geology

We leave Grasshopper Campground and Elkhorn Hot Springs refreshed and looking forward to what the new day has in store for us. Sally tells us Bannack State Park is open again after a devastating flash flood a month ago and is a "must see" for this part of Montana. Since Bannack was already on our list of possible places to visit, we set our navigation for it.

Rolled hay and what we believe to be a hay loader (?)

Entrance to Bannack State Park

Bannack is the site of Montana's first gold discovery in on July 28, 1862, which set off a massive gold rush into the area. By 1863, Bannack's population had grown to over 3000. However, with declining fortunes the town slowly dwindled until the last families moved out in the 1950's.

If you do visit Bannack, spend the extra $2 for a detailed guide to the different buildings. It's well worth the price.

Visitors' Center

Typical family home

Several of the family homes are open to the public for exploring. One was furnished in much like the period when people lived here.

The Parlor

Kitchen stove

Bedroom with dresses of the era

Bannack's one room school occupies the first floor of the Masonic Lodge building (Masons used the second floor). The chalk boards are filled with rules for both teachers and students:

Rules for Teachers  You will not marry during the term of your contract You are not to keep company with men You must be home between 8pm and 6am unless attending a school function You may not loiter downtown in ice cream stores You may not travel beyond the city limits without permission of the Chairman of the Board You may not smoke cigarettes You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man unless he is your father or brother You may not wear bright clothes You may under no circumstances dye your hair You must wear at least 2 petticoats Your dresses must not be any shorter than 2 inches above the ankle You must sweep the floor daily, scrub the floor weekly, clean the blackboards daily and start a fire at 7am so the room is warm by 8am

Rules for Students Respect your schoolmaster Do not call your classmates names or fight with them Never make noises or disturb your neighbors as they work Be silent during classes. Do not talk unless absolutely necessary Do not leave your seat without permission No more than 1 student at a time may go to the washroom At the end of class, wash your hands and face. Wash your feet if they are dirty Bring firewood into the classroom when the teacher asks Go quietly in and out of the classroom If the master calls your name after class, straighten the benches and tables, sweep the room, dust, and leave everything tidy

Hummmm - more rules for Teachers than Students. No wonder many pioneer teachers were humorless spinsters.

Masonic Lodge is two story building

School desks

Chalk boards with rules

The main business of the town was naturally mining. However, other businesses like a blacksmith shop were also important.

Mining equipment used at Bannack

Blacksmith's wall of brands

Double Bar S brand

The town's bachelors have their own section of single cabins and a saloon nearby, where they could get a haircut along with whiskey or beer.

Bachelor Cabins

Peter demos the saloon

Shave and a haircut - 2 bits

Of course Bannack has a jail for drunks, robbers, and never-do-wells. The jail sports a sod roof and sturdy bars. For horse thieves and gold robbers, the gallows at the edge of town stands ready for customers on their way to Boot Hill. Oddly the sheriff, Henry Plummer (who built the jail and the gallows) and his band of robbers known as the "road agents" met their fates on these very gallows for stealing gold shipments. Henry must have been the classical "Bad Cop."

Like all early mining towns, lawlessness ran rampant, until the formation of the Montana Vigilantes for the local citizens to take matters into their own hands. Over the next month, 24 men were hanged, including Plummer. Needless to say, the local towns calmed down a bit after these hangings.

Sod roofed jail house

Peter checks the bars

The gallows and Boot Hill are just beyond these buildings

For upstanding citizens and others seeking redemption, the Bannack church was the place to go.

The Hotel Meade, for Bannack's more prosperous residents and visitors, has recently undergone a $100K restoration. Although not a complete restoration, it's to easy to see the Meade was quite a place in its time.

Hotel Meade's grand staircase

Hotel Meade

Now that's a stove for cooking beans

Beaver swimming from Mon@rch's Blog

After spending a pleasant morning exploring Bannack, we're back on the road moving towards Yellowstone's West Entrance. We pass Beaverhead Rock, which really does look like the top of a beaver's head swimming through water. This landmark was identified by Sacagawea, while guiding the Lewis and Clarke Expedition, as being not far from her tribe's summer retreat.

Shortly afterwards, we drive through the charming town of Twin Bridges located on the Beaverhead River. It's a famous mecca for fly fishing.

Beaverhead Rock

Twin Bridges water tower

The Blue Anchor Bar and Restaurant in Twin Bridges

The next ghost town is Nevada City which was settled in 1863 after a rich gold strike. It's also known as a film location for western movies.

Spire House

Train Depot

Downtown Nevada City

Just beyond Nevada City is its sister Virgina City (odd - seems like every gold or silver mining area has a "Virgina City") settled about the same time. Virgina City does have about 150 full time residents year round, so it isn't technically a "ghost town," but it is one of the best preserved placer mining towns.

Adler Gulch - area of Montana's richest gold strike

Wells Fargo Office

Virgina City Opera House

From Virgina City we follow the western front of the Gallatin Range to Ennis MT. In Bannack, we met a man who had recently retired from Connecticut to settle in Ennis. He owns the local bar. We asked him why he had chosen Ennis and he replied that he liked the weather and the people. Surprised, we asked him about the snow in winters. He laughed and said southwestern Montana has fairly dry winters and doesn't get much snow. In fact, the town of Ennis doesn't even own a snowplow! We did have to admit the weather's been great since we've been in the area.

Gallatin Range

Lone Elk Mall with the Otter Banks Conservation center

Ennis MT

From Ennis, the road continues south along the Madison River, named by Meriwether Lewis and famous with fly fishermen worldwide. We then pass an enormous landslide caused by a 7.5 earthquake on August 17, 1959. This massive landslide moved 80 million tons of earth creating a natural dam on the Madison river. In less than a month the new 190 ft deep and 6 mile long Quake Lake was formed.

The Madison River runs alongside the road

Landslide that formed Quake Lake

Ghost trees drowned by Quake Lake

That evening we camp at Beaver Creek Campground overlooking Quake Lake. Since we're only 8 miles away from Yellowstone's West entrance, we hope to get into Yellowstone early and find a campsite for the next few days. Since we're next to the camp host, we ask her about the weather for tomorrow. She replies there's a 30% of showers. We shrug as there's a good chance of getting good weather. She just shakes her head and says no, it's more likely to rain at 30% as this summer has had an unusual amount of Gulf moisture moving up from the south. Normally Montana is too far north for Gulf moisture, but not this summer (climate change?). We cross our fingers and hope for the best.

Beaver Creek campsite

Sunset over the Gallatins

Moon rise through pink clouds

Yellowstone - Montana Hot Springs and History

We continue up the Lolo Pass into Montana. The Lewis and Clarke Expedition passed this way in September 1805 led by Old Toby through deep snows. They returned through the pass the following June on their way homeward.

Today, we glide through this treacherous pass in modern comfort and good weather as opposed to the hardships that Lewis, Clarke and their men endured in 1805. They got lost and even after finding their way again, got bogged down in heavy snow. We stop to camp that night at Lolo Hot Springs, a favorite stop by native tribes long before Lewis and Clarke passed this way.

Just over the summit at Lolo Pass

Lolo Hot Springs

Since it's a cool Sunday evening, we enjoy a hot meal and NFL Football in the Hot Spring Bar with some of the locals and fellow travelers. The woman bar tender/waitress is really nice and lets us hang out as long as we want long after finishing dinner and our drinks.

Bitterrroot River alongside our camp

Campsite at Lolo Hot Springs RV Park

Morning

The next morning we continue downhill through the Bitterroot Mountains into the beautiful Bitterroot Valley, home to Missoula and the Montana Grizzlies. The road leads us through a recent forest fire that raged through this region just a month ago. In fact, locals tell us the fire crews are still mopping up after this fierce blaze. We fuel up and buy groceries in Missoula, then head south through the valley where we pass many horse ranches and related businesses.

Recent burn from forest fire

Tack shop for riding horses

Classic Bitterroot Valley horse ranch

As we travel south along the eastern slope of the Bitterrroots, we notice many steep canyons cutting into the mountains. From listening to the excellent audio book of Undaunted Courage on a previous trip, we can see how Lewis and Clarke were stymied and frustrated by the many dead ends they encountered trying to get through the mountains. No wonder they had to rely on Old Toby to get through Lolo Pass.
We also learn a few things about the local Montana population now inhabiting the valley.

Log cabins of all sizes are common

They are outspoken

and they live in a beautiful place

We stop at the Bitterroot Ranger National Forest Station in Hamilton MT, where the rangers tell us  where the campgrounds are located and which ones are best for us. TIP: it's well worth stopping in the local ranger station office when looking for National Forest Service campgrouds. The rangers are always very helpful.  We end up at Jennning Campground on the East Fork of the Bitterroot River, where it's not only free of charge, but we're the only ones there.

Camped at Jennings

Time to drink beer and watch the river flow

Looks like a good place to fish

The next morning dawns to a glorious day and we are off to an early start. We drive by Lost Trail Hot Springs, but decide not to stop, although we admire their natural weed control system.

Long horn cattle relax in their pasture

Out building at Lost Trail Hot Springs

Natural weed control system takes a break

The next stop is Big Hole National Battlefield, the largest battle in the Nez Perce War. If you have a chance to visit, the 20 minute video in the Visitors Center auditorium is excellent.

Entrance to Big Hole Battlefield,

where we spot biker teddy bear mascot

owned by a couple from Minnesota.

Big Hole Battlefield - the Nez Perce village is located on the left

Empty teepee poles mark the spot of the Nez Perce village

The Nez Perce originally signed a treaty in 1855 with the US Government to maintain control of their ancestral lands for "as long as the waters flow and the grasses grow." However, in 1862 gold was discovered in Bannack MT bringing in a flood of white miners and settlers into Nez Perce terrority.

Giving into pressure from the settlers and miners,  the US Government amended the Nez Perce treaty to reduce their territory.  This new treaty was signed by the chiefs who were not affected by the new boundaries.  However, those chiefs whose lands were impacted, refused to sign and furthermore refused to move to the now much smaller reservation in Idaho. For awhile they were ignored; however, in June - October 1877 US Calvary led by General Oliver O. Howard and Nelson A. Miles relentlessly pursued the non-treaty Nez Perce. After several skirmishes, the Nez Perce thought they had eluded the US Calvary as they settled into camp in the Big Hole Valley.

In a terrible pre-dawn attack the US Calvary killed over 90 Nez Perce, mostly women and children still sleeping in their teepees, while suffering only relatively minor casualties.  The survivors fled northward hoping to join Sitting Bull in Canada. However, after leading his tired and starving peoples to within 40 miles of the border, Chief Joseph surrendered to General Howard giving this famous speech:

"Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever."

In an 1877 editorial, the New York Times wrote:
"On our part, the war was in its origin and motive nothing short of a gigantic blunder and crime."


After exploring Big Hole, we continue driving through classic Montana ranches with wide pastures of Black Angus feeding in front of a mountain backdrop.

Black Angus cattle

Hairpin Ranch

Classic Montana scenary

A driveway to a modern ranch in the Pioneer Valley

We drive over Big Hole Pass and then turn off the main road onto the Pioneer Mountain Scenic Byway (Montana Hwy 484) towards the small town of Polaris and Elkhorn Hot Springs.

Byway entrance sign

Wow - this really is a scenic byway

We made it to Elkhorn!

We claim a campsite at Grasshopper then return to the hot springs. About 10 head of free range cattle are milling about the parking lot as we arrive. Hey - this is Montana after all.

Half grown calf acts like s/he owns the place

Then watches us from the safety of the spruces and Mommy

Ahhh... this is more like it

Peter gets a back massage

A local dragonfly rests on the side of the pools

After a nice soaking in the hot springs, we return to set up camp at Grasshopper NFS Campground.

Our Grasshopper camp

Entrance to campground

A small stream runs by our campsite

Since the afternoon still has plenty of light left, I wander off to explore the area and to meet the campground hosts - Joe and Sally Johnson. They have an usual RV I'm curious about it.

Joe's off helping a friend put a new roof on a cabin, but Sally's at home. She explains that Joe used to work for Union Pacific as an diesel engine mechanic. He build their RV mostly out of discarded railroad siding and plywood. The truck/flatbed that carries their RV, Joe cobbled together from two different surplus military trucks (the engine and cab from a 1955 truck and the flatbed from a 1957).  They have been campground hosts at Grasshopper for the last 15 years.

Joe and Sally's home away from home

The 1955 cab and engine

Sally is glad to have some company and is happy to show me around their RV, and even shows me photo albums of their family. Their RV is quite spacious inside. They have a queen sized bed over the cab, plus a large kitchen/dining room, a separate media room and a small bath room - all of which Joe built himself during the first year of his retirement.

Sally at the front door

Kitchen/dinning room

Ohh - a real pantry!

Happy face on toilet

Most of the time, I'm skeptical about people boasting about their accomplishments, but Joe deserves it! What he has built out of discards is truly amazing - an unmatched pioneer recycle artist.
It's a lovely evening, so we enjoy a campfire after dinner to watch the stars and UFO's streak across the night sky.