Posted on 06/28/2013 9:40:55 AM PDT by bkepley
Once home to 10,000 hungry prospectors, each with a golden glint in their eye, these are the ruins of the town of Bannack - now a ghostly shell of its gilded past.
Founded in 1862 as the first territorial capital of Montana, the abandoned and silent town still boasts 60 structures - all of which can be explored by history lovers of the Old West.
Built along the banks of Grasshopper Creek, at its peak Bannack's Main Street had three hotels, three bakeries, three blacksmith shops, two stables, a grocery store, a restaurant, a billiard hall and of course, four saloons.
Flip city!
I think there are a lot of Boot Hill’s just like there’s a lot of Virginia City’s.
“I love salted peanuts and I’m not wearing any socks.”
Who would have imagined that there are ghost towns in the American West? Hopefully, someone will confirm the existance of tumbleweeds as well. /s
The ghost towns here I Colorado are usually nestled on some mountain pass or on some remote mountain trail. A 4WD is definitely needed but it a destination looking for a trip and oh-by-the-way, the scenery is stunning.
A couple of what look like Fords in the pictures. Might be worth something.
“The ghost towns here in Colorado are usually nestled on some mountain pass or on some remote mountain trail.”
I’ve always wanted to visit Pike’s Peak and Summit County. The western gold/silver rushes are such a unique piece of American history.
Man-history
Ah there’s that famous Daily Mail attention to detail: 100,000 or 10,000 prospectors, whatever.
Except those aren’t the names of a town.
Yes that happens. Some of the coal towns in southern Colorado went from thousands of people to completely abandoned with barely a half dozen partial buildings remaining in fifty years.
That drive up the shelf road to Cripple Creek will take a couple of months off your life.
The story...
Gold was discovered in Cripple Creek by Bob Womack the town drunk. He stumbled across a rock while prospecting and claimed that it was gold. No one believed him. After all he was the town drunk! So as a joke it was put in the assayers office window and there it sat for months until a dentist saw it and asked why such a valuable rock would be placed in a window. He confirmed that it was indeed gold.
Robert Womack died a pauper.
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| GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
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Thanks bkepley. |
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Highways make it easy to just zip past, no reason to stop there. Lots of towns are dead/dying because of freeways.
It’s cared for, notice the mowed lawns.
According to the article this ghost town is preserved in a state park.
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