Bannack (MT) Lodge & School -- Big Sky Nights

John White discovered gold on Grasshopper Creek in 1862, the the rest is history. The town of Bannack boomed has prospectors and businessmen arrived seeking for...
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John White discovered gold on Grasshopper Creek in 1862, the the rest is history. The town of Bannack boomed has prospectors and businessmen arrived seeking fortune in Montana's gold rush. In 1864 Bannack was named Territorial Capital of Montana. A short time later the capital moved to Virginia City, where gold was discovered in 1863. At its peak Banack boasted of a population over 10,000. The town acquired a lawless reputation, until Sheriff Henry Plummer arrived in town to clean-up the city through any means necessary. Bannack was largely abandoned by the 1950s, the mining operations played out and the few remaining residents departing the area.

Montana State Parks now maintains the ghost town, with 60+ buildings still standing. The Masonic Lodge-Schoolhouse (schoolhouse on 1st floor & lodge on 2nd floor) is the town's iconic structure. The building housing the town's schoolhouse and Lodge No. 3-7-77 AF&AM of MT is dated to 1874.

I captured this image during a nighttime special access photographic session in September of 2019. In the quiet of the night memories of the town's glory days echoed through the deserted streets and buildings.

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