Help save this 1862 gold rush ghost town in Montana
There are very few ghost towns like Bannack remaining in the western US that still encapsulate this era of American history.
A flash flood tore through Bannack, Montana in 2013. Rushing water damaged many of the 60 historic buildings still standing in this 1862 gold rush ghost town.
Work began immediately to address problems in order to save a remarkable remnant of the old west.
An innovative partnership has been formed between Adventures in Preservation (AiP), the University of Montana, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, and Jeffrey McDonald of Heritage Preservation Consulting & Services. The vision is to establish an institute for preservation education that also encompasses historic archaeology and cultural landscapes.
Bannack was founded in 1862 when gold was discovered on Grasshopper Creek. As news spread, many prospectors and businessmen rushed to Bannack hoping to strike it rich.
In 1864, Bannack was named the first Territorial Capital of Montana, and continued as a mining town into the 1930’s.
By the 1950’s, gold had dwindled and most residents had moved on. At that point the State of Montana declared Bannack a State Park.
There are very few ghost towns of this size remaining in the western United States that still encapsulate this engaging and important era of American history.
Saving the town requires creative solutions, and you can be an important part of the effort.
In 2019, a group of nine Jammers — AiP volunteers — arrived at Bannack. They completed chinking and daubing repairs, along with an application of linseed oil solution, to preserve the exterior of two historic log structures — Marmot Shack and Jackson House.
In August 2021, we will begin an exciting new project dealing with interior finishes in the Jackson House. The goal is to undertake critical stabilization of traditional lath and plaster walls and ceilings. This will be done using reversible anchoring systems, and in-kind replacement of failing or missing plaster.
Join us in 2021!
Preservation of historic wall coverings and finishes will also employ reversible and in-kind replacement methodologies, including use of acid-free paper and materials, traditional adhesives, and calsomine coatings.
About Adventures in Preservation (AiP)
Adventures in Preservation (AiP) is a non-profit connecting people and preservation through enriching cultural heritage travel and hands-on education. AiP was founded in 2001 by two women with a great love of historic buildings and a strong desire to travel and understand the world. While perusing the travel section of the Boulder Bookstore, the Volunteer Vacation section suddenly brought everything into focus. Judith Broeker and Jamie Donahoe combined their goal of saving historic buildings with the concept of experiential travel, and created AiP’s hands-on preservation vacations.
Work started on several sites in the U.S., and as word spread, requests for help began to pour in from around the world, underscoring the great potential of using volunteers to restore historic buildings. In supporting community-based preservation initiatives, we discovered that our love of old buildings could translate into environmental and economic sustainability for communities.
AiP is picking up the pace! As our hands-on experiential travel becomes more popular, we have new projects, new partners and initiatives to keep you excited and involved.
