Bannack State Park

BETH's journal for the day - Cold and raining is the theme this week, but locals keep telling me it is going to change! Today was exciting I was going to have company for the first time since Jean left. There is something very fun about riding by yourself, but there is a comfort and excitement to having company and someone to chat with as you ride. Today was an easy 29 miles to Bannack State Park. Mike and I chatted the entire time as we rode through the everlasting cow poo that covered the road. There was a cattle drive right down the road earlier in the day of over 500 cows and their young. Everything was covered and there is a ripe smell in the air! Mike and I rode fast since the route was all paved and mostly downhill. Thanks Mike for the great company and fantastic stories - good luck in Canada!! Mike left after lunch and Mom, Ann and I headed into Bannack for the tour of this old mining ghost town. Bannack was the county seat and the first "capital" of Montanna before it became a state. It was a town the was sprung off the gold found in the Grasshopper Creek that runs through Bannack. At one time the town had over 400 people, a saloon, hotel and jail. Now all that is left are the delapidated buildings and a history like no other. For a long part of Bannack's history the town was run by outlaws and was a dangerous place. In the late 1800's the county seat was moved to Dillon and Bannack's gold ran dry so people moved on and the town became only history and old stories. The buildings were fun to walk through as we read about the history of the town. If only the walls could talk . . . Our campsite was right on the river and the mosquitos were horrible, but a afternoon reading in the SUN - yes the SUN!! was just what I needed.
JAN's journal - Ann and I drove the 29 miles from Elkorn to Bannack State Park in the aftermath of an early morning cattle drive that had taken place right down the road for miles and miles. What a mess of cowpies on the road! Ann had our Jeep and I was driving Mike's van. The Grasshopper Valley we drove in is high plains, with mountains all around. We drove and drove and thought we would never reach the end. Truly what one thinks about when one hears the nickname of Montana - Big Sky Country. Breath taking scenery!! No picture can ever capture it! Bannack is also a goldmining ghost town, but has been preserved as a State Park for years. It is actually the site of where gold was first discovered in Montana in 1862. Beth arrived about noon, so we all spent the afternoon exploring. Most of the buildings are open for inspection, although some are crumbling in parts. Our campsite was lovely - right on the Grasshopper Creek. Unfortunately the place was infested with tiny evil mosquitoes. We took refuge in the tent, which had finally dried out in the breeze. A no rain day - wow!