Bannack Days Brings Wild West History to Life This Weekend

DILLON, MT — Montana’s first territorial capital will come alive this weekend as Bannack State Park hosts its signature Bannack Days event, celebrating the Wild West history of one of the state’s most notorious boomtowns.

The annual event runs Saturday, July 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, July 20, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., featuring displays, re-enactments, artisan demonstrations, music and family-friendly festivities among the ghost town’s historic buildings.

Bannack was among the wildest of Wild West towns, where lucky prospectors cashed in their gold haul before heading to the nearest tavern, sometimes later ending up in the nearest graveyard.

“I don’t know how many deaths have occurred this winter but that there have not been twice as many is entirely owing to the fact that drunken men do not shoot well,” resident Emily Meredith wrote in 1863, as recounted by author and historian Don Spritzer in Roadside History of Montana. “Bullets whiz around so, and no one thinks of punishing a man for shooting another.”

The town’s boom and bust happened so quickly that Bannack lost its title of territorial capital within a year. When gold was found in nearby Virginia City, prospectors moved there, taking the territorial capital designation along with them.

But Bannack lingered for another 80 years. The post office closed in 1938, and the school hung on until the early 1950s. In 1954, with help from Elfreda Woodside and C.W. Stallings, the newly formed Beaverhead County Museum bought most of the town of Bannack and eventually gave the property to the state of Montana.

Today, about 20 miles west of Dillon, Bannack State Park is a national historic landmark and the site of Montana’s first major gold discovery in 1862. More than 50 historic buildings still line Bannack’s Main Street.

Admission is $5 for individuals ages 6 and older, or $20 per family. Admission is free for children ages 5 and younger. Tickets can be purchased with cash at the park entrance or online at montanastateparks.reserveamerica.com. Food and drinks can be purchased from vendors during the event.

Parking space is limited during this busy event. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff will provide parking directions for visitors as they arrive. Shuttle vans will be available to and from parking areas farthest from park entrances. Visitors are encouraged to carpool and leave pets at home.

For more information about scheduled events, activities and park rules for Bannack Days, visit the park’s website or call 406-834-3413.