The beauty of Montana cannot be understated. However, she is also very fickle. One minute warm and sunny and then quickly changing to dark clouds and dropping 10 degrees. We’ve changed our clothes a couple of times just trying to keep up.
We pulled into Missouri Headwaters State Park mid morning. We had the place to ourselves and really enjoyed just wandering the park and reliving Lewis & Clark’s journey up the Missouri River. Some of the highlights were standing at the confluence of the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin Rivers. (Named by Lewis & Clark after the President, Secretary of State and Treasurer). This is also where Sacajawea (after taken as a slave by another tribe, sold to a French explorer and then acting as a guide for the Corp of Discovery), met up years later with her brother. The actual headwaters of the Missouri River are about a mile from the confluence. Do you know that if you floated in an inner tube from this point it wold take you 2 1/2 months to reach the Gulf of Mexico? I’m in...who else?
Ned camped here with his dad when he was a boy. He got a kick out of knowing that Lewis & Clark also camped at this spot. We’re big Lewis & Clark fans. We’ve read several books about them and have stopped at many historical places along their route.
We were going to camp here for the night, but decided to do some more exploring of Montana. We ended up at Bannack State Park. It’s an abandoned gold mining town, very similar to Bodie. It was founded in 1862 when gold was discovered along the banks of the creek by 2 miners. Within a year the population had grown to 3000. It was once the Capital of the territory of Montana. The Court House was built in 1875 and housed the legislature. The town thrived for quite a few years and by 1940 it was finally abandoned.
What is so cool about this place is that they have not restored any of the buildings. They are all open and you can wander the town going into the houses, school, church, court house, stores, saloon and Mason Hall. I liked wandering the streets, but to be honest going into the empty houses gave me the creeps.
They say the place is haunted. It has quite a history of vigilantes and outlaws. Sheriff Henry Plummer was the most notorious criminal. He has ties to Nevada City - yes our Nevada City. He served as City Marshall in Nevada City in 1853. Before becoming sheriff he was convicted of manslaughter and served time in San Quentin. He got out, went to Bannack, and was tried and acquitted for another murder. Nevertheless he was elected Sheriff of Bannack in 1863. His gang of 25 men, known as “The Road Agents” or “Innocents” supposedly in an 8 month time period committed countless robberies and 102 murders.
We are staying at a very small campground (maybe 20 sites) at this State Park. It’s very primitive, i.e. pit toilets, no hook-ups, no amenities (you can either camp in the Vigilante or Road Agent areas - we are in the Road Agents area) and is also said to be haunted. We don’t have cell at the campground, but did discover a spot in the abandoned town where we can get it. There are tales about campers seeing “scary men or ghosts with axes in the bushes.” Ha, should be a fun evening. Our plan is to ride our bikes into the ghost town tonight and post the blog. Should be good for a few stories...if not, remember me kindly.
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