A Short History of Montana’s Ghost Towns

Montana’s ghost towns were forged in the gold rushes of the 1860s, when strikes along the mountain gulches drew a flood of miners and, with them, the lawlessness that made the territory famous. Bannack sprang up after the 1862 discovery on Grasshopper Creek and briefly served as Montana’s first territorial capital, its streets shadowed by the vigilante justice that followed a wave of robberies and killings. Virginia City boomed a year later on an even richer strike and inherited the capital, surviving the vigilante era to become a lasting community and, eventually, a preserved historic town. Garnet, higher in the mountains and born of a later gold revival, faded more quietly but left behind one of the best-preserved collections of original buildings in the state.

Getting There & Access

Virginia City and neighboring Nevada City sit along a paved highway southeast of Butte and are open seasonally with shops, museums, and restored buildings; they make the most accessible introduction to Montana’s ghost towns. Bannack, now a state park, is reached by a good gravel road off the highway near Dillon and is open year-round, though winter access can be limited by snow. Garnet is the most remote of the three, approached by a mountain road that is unpaved and rough in its final miles and often closed by snow outside summer and early fall. Carry water and layers, watch the weather, and check seasonal road and site status before you set out.

Public Land & Responsible Visiting

Bannack and Virginia City are protected as a state park and a preserved historic district, while Garnet is managed by the Bureau of Land Management — in every case the buildings and their contents are protected by law. Enter only where allowed, pay posted fees, and never remove artifacts, hardware, or wood; each piece taken erases part of the story. Old mine workings in the surrounding hills are hazardous, so stay out of shafts and adits. Keep to established roads and boardwalks to protect fragile structures and ground, pack out everything you bring, and treat the cemeteries and the vigilante-era sites with the gravity their history deserves.