Ghostly Greetings from Bannack, Montana

Main Street, Bannack, Montana

They don’t call them ghost towns for no reason. Perhaps it’s the emptiness and remoteness; the down-trodden, forlorn appearance; the riches to rags cycle of these abandoned towns that energizes the imagination. Or, maybe they really are occupied with the ghosts of the miners, saloon dancers, renegades, and gamblers living out their unfilled dreams.

Bannack, Montana, in the southwestern corner of the state, is one of the West’s best preserved ghost towns, and it has more than its share of reported supernatural sightings and paranormal experiences.  Little Dorothy Dunn, who drowned in a dredge pond, often appears on the second floor balcony of the Meade

Meade Hotel, Bannack

Hotel wearing a long, blue dress. Other ghostly women have been spotted donned in their Sunday best, along with unexplained happenings including cold spots, door slammings, and the sound of feet walking across empty, wooden floors. Even the campground is thought to be haunted.

If ghosts have chosen to occupy Bannack, they have made a good decision. This old mining camp enjoys a pretty setting in the rolling hills and ranchlands along Grasshopper Creek. Gold was discovered here in 1862 and a year later, the town sprouted a population of over 3000. It was a free-wheeling, lawless place where even the town sheriff ended up hanging from the gallows. Bannack can boast of many Montana firsts: first territorial capital, first jail, hotel, Masonic Lodge, hard rock mine, saw mill, and brick courthouse.

Like many mining camps, the supply of gold dried up and the population moved on leaving the buildings at the mercy of the elements and vandals. By the 1950s, Bannack was a sad looking collection of collapsing structures, deserted streets, and tumble-down miner cabins.  But, because of its importance in Montana and Western history, a group of local preservationist set about buying the town and in 1954 donated the property to the state of Montana who placed it under the protection of the state parks system.

The buildings have been restored, but kept in a state of “arrested decay,” creating a town frozen in time, still feeling isolated and abandoned.  Of the 50 or so restored buildings, the two most impressive are the Meade Hotel, and Masonic Lodge. The hotel was originally built to serve as the Beaverhead County courthouse and is the only brick structure in town. When the county seat was moved to the more prosperous town of Dillon, the building remained empty until purchased some ten years later by Dr. Meade and converted to a fancy hotel, the center of Bannack’s social life. Today, peeling wallpaper and a grand, curving staircase offer only a clue of its plusher past.

Masonic Lodge
 

Across the street is the two-story Masonic Lodge and Schoolhouse. The Masons, with their emblem of the square and compass still visible on the building’s façade, occupied the top floor of the structure, while the first floor served as the public school, grades K-8. It functioned as the town’s only school for 70 years until closing in the 1950s. The wooden desks with the empty, round inkwells in the upper-right corner and recessed slot for pencils should bring back memories for many visitors of a certain age.

School room

While fortunate to be under the care and protection of the state park, Bannack remains exposed to the elements. In July of 2013, a summer storm dropped nearly an inch of rain in less than an hour creating a flash flood from Hangman’s Gulch above town.  A three-foot wall of water, mud, and debris surged through the center of town leaving a wide path of destruction.  The old Assay Office/General Store was wiped out, the wooden sidewalks along the main street were washed away, and nearly 80-percent of the buildings were damaged.

The town had survived over 150 years of ups and downs, and the flood was just another bump in the road.  More than a million dollars and eight weeks later, Bannack was back in business and accepting visitors once again. The park is open from the middle of May to the middle of October. There’s a small visitor center and museum, but the fun of visiting is to wander around the town, imagining what it was like during the boom years. Most of the buildings are open for exploring; the only rule is to be certain to close the door firmly upon departure.  One wonders if that is to keep the ghosts from entering or leaving?

 

Rattlesnake Grade: A Road to Remember

Oregon Highway 3 on its descent to the Grande Ronde River

On the map, Oregon Highway 3 and its continuation, Washington Highway 129, appear to be a direct shot across the upper right-hand corner of the state, connecting Enterprise, Ore. and Clarkston, Wash.  However, the reality of this road is quite different. Why else would the American Motorcycle Association designate it as one of the top 15 motorcycle rides in America? The 80-mile trip offers an enormous variety of scenery from snow-capped peaks, expansive canyons, pine forests, wide open wheat fields, a narrow river valley, ghost town, and enough twists and turns and plunging drop-offs to make a person dizzy. Fortunately, there is very little traffic.

Joseph Canyon Overlook

Traveling from south to north, the drive begins in Enterprise, the county seat of Wallowa County and, more important, home to the last gas stations for the next 65 miles. The road heads north through rolling prairie and ranch land with spectacular views of the Wallowa Mountains receding in the rearview mirror. Elevation gain transforms the scenery to pine forests, and around 30 miles from Enterprise is the Joseph Canyon Overlook. From here, the view spreads out forever across a network of steep canyons. The Nez Perce called the area Saqanma, meaning long, rough canyon, and made their winter camp here at the confluence of Joseph Creek and the Grande Ronde River in the protected canyon’s bottom.

To savor this remarkable panorama, continue a few miles north to the Rim Rock Inn, a restaurant offering indoor and outdoor dining with a million dollar view. Who would expect to find a turkey panini sandwich with sun-dried tomatoes here in the absolute middle of nowhere! A former stagecoach stop, the inn now has four tepees available for rent for adventurous types wanting to spend the night right on the canyon edge.

Flora Methodist Church

Beyond the inn is a road turning west marked “Flora” and well worth the six mile, roundtrip detour to this once thriving farming and ranch community.  Platted in 1897, the town was named for the daughter of the first postmaster and grew to a population of 320 by 1910 with a bank, general store, and newspaper. The Methodist Episcopal Church was constructed in 1898 and an impressive, 8-room school house added to serve the rural community in 1915. However, the area’s isolation and the economic realities of the family farm contributed to the town’s demise and by 1966 the post office closed, followed by the school in 1977.  Today, the town (population 7) consists of a dozen or so abandoned houses and buildings, an overgrown cemetery, and an endless supply of photo opportunities. The church and school with its striking bell tower stand next to each other on the north side of town, dominating the landscape. The school has recently been restored with the idea of converting it to a center for pioneer arts and crafts.

Flora School

Back on Oregon 3, just beyond Buford Ridge Road, look for a pull-off on the left side of the road.  Here is the first, and probably the best, glimpse of the road ahead and explains why it is so popular with motorcyclists. Layer after layer of barren canyon opens up exposing the highway as it snakes its way down to the Grande Ronde River. About half way down, a sign proclaims, Welcome to Washington, The Evergreen State. Of course, in the late summer and early fall the scenery is shades of brown without a tree in sight. At the bridge over the river is a welcome token of civilization, Boggan’s Oasis.  Along the banks of the river, it promises the world’s best milk shakes, tasty burgers, overnight cabins, good fishing, and a swimming hole. It’s an excellent place to freshen up before tackling the next challenge, the ten mile, twisty ascent to the top of Rattlesnake Pass. This is a workout for a car and it seems almost unbelievable that several thousand participants in the 2010 Cycle Oregon tour made this trek on bicycles!

Beyond the pass, the route opens up into a broad plateau, skirts the small farming community of Anatone before one last thrilling corkscrew descent into the town of Asotin on the banks of the mighty Snake River. If the drive was not sufficiently thrilling, consider continuing on across the river to Clarkston. Here, several outfitters offer trips down the scenic Snake River through Hell’s Canyon, the deepest gorge in North America. A smorgasbord of options including full day trips, half days, overnight stays deep in the canyon, and wine and dinner cruises. 

More photos:

Boggan's Oasis, a popular stop for cyclists

 

Following the Columbia Southern Railroad

Once upon a time, the central Oregon town of Shaniko billed itself “The Wool Capital of the World,” but today, its slogan is, “Oregon’s Best Known Ghost Town.” The intervening one-hundred years tell a tale of the drop in demand for wool after WWI, the rise of competition from other wool growing areas such as Australia and New Zealand, the development of new synthetic fibers, and, most importantly, the demise of the Columbia Southern Railroad.

This branch of the Union Pacific began in 1897 with the goal of connecting Biggs Junction on the Columbia River with central Oregon. Eventually, it reached the town of Shaniko, about 60 miles south of Biggs, but the terrain beyond was too rugged to continue construction to Prineville as originally planned. The trains moved people, wool, wheat, and heavy farm equipment to and from the vast expanse of central Oregon until a rival railway through the Deschutes River canyon to Bend ultimately put the line out of business.

Today, U.S.Highway 97 follows the approximate abandoned train route from Biggs Junction, about 20 miles east of The Dalles, south to Shaniko. The road climbs steeply from the Columbia River to a wide, rolling plateau dominated by wheat fields, wind turbines, and views of Mount Hood looming on the western horizon. The first town after Biggs is Wasco, where the train depot on the south side is about all that remains of the Columbia Southern Railroad. The building, with its mileage sign and name intact, is listed on the National Historic Register and is home to a retired, restored caboose.

Shaniko Hotel

Next on the train’s scheduled stops was Moro, the largest city (today’s population 340) and the county seat of Sherman County. In addition to a charming 1899 courthouse, the town is home to the national award-winning Sherman County Historical Museum, an outstanding regional museum. Its 16,000 artifacts tell the story of rural life in central Oregon, dry land wheat farming, Oregon Trail migration, Native Americans, and wartime patriotism. Especially interesting and touching, are a series of large, flip-through panels assigned to Sherman County families. Like scrapbook pages, longtime residents share their old and new family photos, mementos, news clippings, and other personal memorabilia. In a county with a population of only1800, over 100 folks volunteer at this museum and 400 belong to the historical society.

The road continues through the farming communities of Grass Valley and Kent to Shaniko. The town’s unusual name is a mispronunciation of the original postmaster’s German name, August Scherneckau. As the terminus of the railroad, Shaniko became the transportation and economic hub for an area of 20,000 square miles of Oregon outback dedicated to sheep, cattle, and wheat production.

In its heyday between 1900 when the first passenger train arrived and 1911, Shaniko shipped millions of bushels of wheat. In 1903 alone, wool sales exceeded $5 million and the town could briefly brag about being the busiest wool shipping center in the world. Population soared to over 300 and there was a bank, blacksmith shops, city hall and several hotels.

Restored Shaniko School

While the town was enjoying its new prosperity, a rival line, the Oregon Trunk Railroad, was built connecting the Columbia River to Bend and, from there, on to southern Oregon and California. When it was completed in 1911, most of the through traffic was diverted to the new railroad, leaving Shaniko as the terminus of a dead-end track. The town fell on hard times and languished for years. The 2000 census reported a population of only 26.

Around this time, wealthy Portland business man, Robert Pamplin, Jr., took an active interest in reviving the community and purchased a number of buildings including the century-old hotel and café whose striking brick façade and wrap-around porch are the focal points of the center of town. After spending thousands of dollars in renovations and digging a new well, Mr. Pamplin became embroiled in a dispute with the City Council over water rights  and responded by closing the hotel and café, capping the well, and putting up “for sale” signs. Now, for a reported $3.1 million, anyone can buy a slice of Oregon history.